EX-15 Form: How to Apply for the NIE or Resident Certificate, Box by Box (2026)

The EX-15 is the official form for requesting your foreigner identity number (NIE) when you have economic, professional, social, or any other kind of ties to Spain, and also for requesting a certificate of residence or a certificate of non-residence. It's a free, three-page form that you submit in original and copy along with proof of payment of fee 790, code 012. What decides whether it goes smoothly isn't the paper itself — it's filling out block 4 correctly, since that's what states which document you're requesting and why.

What the EX-15 is and when you need it

The NIE is a personal, unique, exclusive, sequential number that identifies the foreign national. It appears on every document issued to or processed for them, and on the notations stamped in their passport, except on visas (Article 205.1 and 2 of the Immigration Regulation [Reglamento de Extranjería], RD 1155/2024). There are two ways to get one:

• Automatically, without applying: the Directorate-General of the Police [Dirección General de la Policía] assigns it when a procedure is opened in your favor to obtain a document authorizing you to stay in Spain, when an immigration file is opened for you, or when you hold a visa that lets you stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period without later applying for a long-term stay or temporary residence authorization (Article 205.3). In these cases you don't need the EX-15.
• At your own request, using the EX-15: when you have economic, professional, social, or any other kind of ties to Spain. You must meet two requirements: not being in Spain without legal status and stating the reasons why you're requesting it (Article 205.3).

The same procedure lets you request the certificate of residence and the certificate of non-residence (Article 205.5), and you apply for both on the same form, as it says in its header and in box 4.1. These certificates are one of the documents that prove your status in Spain, along with your passport, visa, the decision authorizing your stay, or your foreign identity card; in exceptional cases, other documents issued for that purpose by the Spanish authorities also count (Article 206). If what you want is the complete NIE guide — appointment booking, which route suits you, and what to do afterward — you'll find it in how to get your NIE step by step. Now let's get into the form.

Box by box

The current form (a three-page PDF from the Ministry of Inclusion [Ministerio de Inclusión], internally dated May 19, 2025, in our list of official forms with verified links) carries the header «Solicitud de Número de Identidad de Extranjero (NIE) y Certificados de registro · LO 4/2000 y RD 1155/2024» [Application for Foreigner Identity Number (NIE) and Registration Certificates · LO 4/2000 and RD 1155/2024]. The form's own instructions: in capital letters, in black pen, in print or typed lettering, and it's submitted in original and copy.

1) Foreign national's information

Passport number and, if you already have one, your NIE; last names and first name; sex; date of birth in dd/mm/yyyy format; place and country of birth; nationality; marital status (single, married, widowed, divorced, or separated); father's and mother's names; address, mobile phone, and email. For sex there are three boxes: H, M, and X; according to the form's note, the X («indefinido») [undefined] box can only be checked by someone whose country of origin officially recognizes that status.

The last line of this block is for the legal representative, if there is one (for example, the father or mother of a minor), with their ID document and the capacity in which they're representing the applicant.

2) Representative's information for submission purposes

Only fill this in if the person submitting the application is someone other than the applicant (note 5 on the form): name or company name, ID document, address, and contact details.

3) Address for notification purposes

Where you want to receive notifications. Below that is the «CONSIENTO» [I CONSENT] box so you can be notified through the single Enabled Electronic Address (DEHú) [Dirección Electrónica Habilitada única]; to use it you need a digital certificate or Cl@ve. The form's note explains that, if you're not required to communicate electronically with the Administration, you'll only be notified this way if you check the box, and that it's worth filling in your mobile number or email so you get an alert whenever you have a pending notification. One detail: that note still cites the 4th additional provision of RD 557/2011, the previous regulation, which was repealed by RD 1155/2024; the form's header already refers to the current regulation.

4) Application details

This is the block that determines how your application is handled. It has four sections:

• 4.1. Type of document: check NIE or certificate, and if it's a certificate, whether it's a certificate of residence or of non-residence.
• 4.2. Reasons: economic, professional, or social interests, or «por otros motivos» [for other reasons], which you must specify. This is the requirement under Article 205.3.b: the Administration needs to know why you're requesting it.
• 4.3. Place of submission: Immigration Office [Oficina de Extranjería], Police Station [Comisaría de Policía], or Consular Office. The consular route is for anyone who isn't in Spain when they apply (Article 205.4).
• 4.4. Status in Spain: stay or residence.

Signature and recipient

Place, date, and the applicant's signature (or that of their legal representative). At the bottom, the body the application is addressed to, its DIR3 code, and the province.

What to submit, how much it costs, and where

The official procedure page on the National Police's electronic headquarters asks for two documents: the EX-15 form and proof of payment of fee form 790, code 012. According to the Police's immigration fee schedule, checked on September 26, 2026:

• NIE assignment at the applicant's request: €9.84.
• Certificates or reports issued at the applicant's request (certificate of residence or non-residence): €7.31.

You fill out the fee form on the Police website.

Where: you apply to the Directorate-General of the Police, either directly or through the Immigration Offices or Police Stations. If you're not in Spain when you apply, the application goes to the General Commissariat for Immigration and Borders through the Spanish consulate (Article 205.4).

Deadlines, silence, and appeals

• Deadline: five days from when the application is logged in the competent body's registry, and the decision must be notified to you within that period (Article 205.4).
• Silence: if you don't get a response within that period, your application is deemed denied (Article 205.4).
• Appeals (per the Police's information page): the decision exhausts the administrative channel; you can file a reconsideration appeal [recurso de reposición] with the same body within one month, or a judicial appeal [recurso contencioso-administrativo] within two months.

Mistakes that cost you an appointment

• Applying for it when you'll get it automatically anyway. If a procedure is already underway for a document that authorizes you to stay in Spain, or you hold a visa that lets you stay more than 90 days without later applying for a long-term stay or temporary residence authorization, the NIE is assigned automatically (Article 205.3).
• Leaving the reason blank. Stating your reason is a requirement (Article 205.3.b); if you check «otros motivos», spell it out.
• Expecting approval by default. Once the five days pass with no response, your application is deemed denied — don't assume you've been given the number.
• Mixing up the fees. The NIE costs €9.84 and the certificates cost €7.31 — check the fee code before you pay.
• Bringing only the original. The form must be submitted in original and copy.

Your next step

Download the EX-15 from the list of official forms, fill out block 4 with the type of document and the reason, generate fee 790-012 on the Police website, and book an appointment at your Immigration Office or Police Station (or at the consulate, if you're abroad). For the full journey, from the appointment to what to do with your number, follow the step-by-step NIE guide.