Skip to the page content

A private, independent service, not a government office.

NIE Barcelona
NIE Barcelona
Open my NIE file

Procedure · NIE Barcelona

Remote workers in Barcelona: the NIE, residence, and the order of things

Your passport decides the route. Remote workers from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland register in Barcelona with the EU registration certificate, which carries the NIE; everyone else needs a residence authorisation for international telework, then a TIE. Either way the NIE sits at the centre, and the local steps that follow are the same.

Entry reviewed

Have this prepared

§1With an EU, EEA or Swiss passport

You may live and work in Barcelona without a visa. After three months you register as a resident with the EU registration certificate, under the route that fits you: employed, self-employed, or with sufficient resources and health cover. Your NIE comes on the certificate.

§2With any other passport

Living in Spain while working for a foreign employer or foreign clients requires a residence authorisation for that purpose; Spain created one for international telework. It is obtained with a visa from a consulate or an application made from Spain, and once it is granted you book the fingerprints for your TIE in Barcelona.

The visa is one piece of the move. If you want the rest handled too, moving to Barcelona with AnchorLess covers the housing and the arrival admin around it.

§3The local steps everyone shares

  • The padró at your Barcelona address, at an Oficina d’Atenció Ciutadana or online
  • A Spanish bank account, which will ask for your NIE
  • Social security, in the form your situation requires
  • Tax residence: living here most of the year usually makes you tax resident in Spain, so take advice on your case

Questions on this entry

Can I work remotely from Barcelona as a tourist?
A visit is not a residence. Living in Barcelona and working from here for months requires the status that matches your nationality.
Is a white NIE certificate enough to rent a flat?
It gives you the number a lease needs. It is not proof that you live here, so it does not replace a residence document.
Where do I register on the padró?
At one of the Ajuntament’s Oficines d’Atenció Ciutadana by appointment, online with a digital ID, or by phone on 010.

Next entries in the file

Your file

Open your NIE file for Barcelona

Tell us where you stand. Asking commits you to nothing, and you will know the next step before you decide anything.

  1. 1 We read your message and reply by email with the procedure that fits.
  2. 2 You get the list of papers for your case, and the office in Barcelona it belongs to.
  3. 3 If you want us to, we prepare the forms with you and look for the cita previa.

Rather write an email? info@nie-barcelona.com

We use these details only to answer you. What we do with your data.