How can I ..?

NIE NUMBER - N (number) I (identification) E ('extranjero' = foreigner)

This is only a identification number and often incorrectly confused with a residency card. 

The NIE number is required to purchase a property, buy a car and obtain  a government Digital Certificate.

It is not required to rent a property or open a non-resident bank account or apply for a residency/visa.

It is generally asked to complete an official form/contract and can be subsituted with a passport number.

There are 4 ways to get a NIE Number:

1) At a Spanish consulate, with 2 forms, passport copy and 10€. It takes about 2-3 weeks to process.

2) A temporary NIE called a NIF (F = Fiscal) can be assigned by a Spanish Notary to purchase property.  

3) At a National Police station an appointment, with 2 forms, passport copy, 10€ fee.

    Non-EU citizens also need a document to show purchasing property or is needed for a work contract.

    Booking the appointment can take several weeks and is the most difficult part of the process.

4) Granting a Power of Attorney at a Notary or Consulate to a representative to obtain the NIE at a Police station on your behalf.

TIE RESIDENCY CARD - T ('tarjeta' = card) I (identification) E ('extranjero' = foreigner)

This is a hard plastic card for non-EU citizens who have a Visa or Residency approval. 

It is processed at special Police offices in the same province you gave on your application.
An appointment "Toma de Huellas" is required. 
Link to book: https://icp.administracionelectronica.gob.es/icpplus/index.html

At this appointment they will verify your identity, confirm your address, scan your photo
and index finger of each hand to start the process of making your TIE card.
It is not a immigration interview or check just an confirmation of identity & address.

It takes about 25-30 days for your TIE card to ready to collect from the same address.

To this appointment you will need to take:

- Passport

- One Passport photo, recent, in colour on a white background. (32mm x 26mm or photo booth size)

- Padron or if a first time Visa: proof of address: Rental contract, Airbnb receipt. etc.

- Ex 17 form (or MI_T form for Digital Nomads)
- Tasa (police fee form) 790-012 for 16.08€

- Bank receipt of Tasa paid.

PHONE 

To contract a phone service a TIE residency card is generally required. A good idea is to get a pre-paid phone number & data SIM card, which will give you a Spanish number that later you can transfer to a contract.

An eSIM can be added digitally to give you either data coverage or a phone number.

Orange seems to be foreigner friendly and may accept a passport for a contract.

In Spain Whatsapp is used a lot. When you have a Spanish phone number you can open a Whatsapp Business account to whatsapp for your home number and new Spanish number.

RENTAL OPTIONS

There are 3 types of rental available in Spain

• Touristic by day/week/month.
  This can be a good idea to give you time to find a longer rental.
• Short Term 1-11 months.
  Usually furnished with wifi & utilities included but can be expensive.
  It's a good option for the first few months to explore the zone/city.

       With 6+ month lease you can register at the townhall for a Padron.

• Long Term, 1 year automatically renewed for 4 years.

       Most people look for this and can be furnished or unfurnished.

       The main advantage, is the lease is for 5 years guaranteed and 

       the rent can only increase a little 2-3% each year.

• • Deposit is usually 2 months
  • One month is paid in advance
  • You have to stay for a minimum of 6 months or lose the deposit.
  • The Landlord will ask for proof of financial income/stability
  • Rents can be negotiated. They may say no, but always ask
  • Avoid landlords who ask for 6 months or one year deposit. This was typical many years ago with foreigners who did not have a Spanish work but is now outdated as it is easy to show your bank accounts or payslips. If the landlord wants more security it is better to pay months in advance (negotiating the price down) rather than a deposit.

AGENTS & LISTINGS

95% of rental properties are on Idealista. As Estate agents in Spain are not well regulated there is huge competition and a lot of untrained or inexperienced agents who are just focused on their commission. Therefore they hassle landlords for listings and promise the Landlord he will not have to pay anything.

By law the Landlord must pay the agent one months commission but agencies have stepped around this by getting you to sign a "service agreement" as a type of loophole. Therefore it is not commission but a service fee.

Since July 1st the Government is looking into it and professional agencies will not charge you the renter. However even the really big agencies will try and get you to pay. The agencies will charge you one months rent + vat 21%.

Then you have 3 options:

1) Refuse to pay the agent and insist on your rights. 

2) Pay the commission/service fee to get the apartment.

3) Negotiate. Ask them to remove the commission totally, ask for a discount, at the very least insist they remove the VAT. You can also tell them that if they get the monthly rent down by 200€ or x amount you will pay the commission.

We recommend not to pay this commission but you have to be aware of the reality and could lose the apartment.

CONTRACTS

Avoid signing any agreements to visit or "hold" the property. Legally they have no validity and can easily be broken by the agent.

if asked or pressured tell them you need to check with your lawyer.

Many agents will pass you a contract to sign you think is the rental contract but is just a just contract with the agency for fees.

Do not pay any fee until you have seen the final contract with the landlord. 
Always try and meet the landlord in person, that usually makes things go better.

If there is something in the landlords contract you did not agree on but have already paid the agency they can claim you broke the agreement and therefore lose the fee. Once you pay an agency fee it can be a real fight to get it back.