How to get a ‘poder’ from a notary for an NIE certificate

Need an NIE number quickly? Use a ‘poder’ or Power of Attorney to speed up the process

NIE stands for “Numero de Identidad Extranjero” and is a bit like a UK national insurance number, but used for a different purpose in Spain. An NIE is pretty much essential for getting anything official done in Spain, this article explains why.

What is a ‘poder’?

A poder is a limited power of attorney document that allows a representative to apply for an NIE on your behalf. A Spanish poder has much more limited scope than power of attorney in the UK (for example), as it is only ever issued for a very specific purpose (in this case ONLY to obtain the NIE Certificate on your behalf, nothing else).

How can a ‘poder’ speed things up?

If you’re struggling to make an appointment at a National Police Extranjeria locally, a poder allows a representative to apply for an NIE on your behalf, which makes the application process much quicker and easier. As Upsticks has a fiscal address in Malaga, we can get appointments across the province (including Malaga city). Our clients can take advantage of this by giving us the poder to act on their behalf and to get as early an appointment as possible. 

How to arrange a ‘poder’ – the process

Step One – Find a Spanish notary
Pretty much every town will have a Notary, and these law professionals/civil servants are central to any process in Spain that involves legal documents e.g buying a house, making a will etc. Once a document is validated and signed by a notary, it becomes legally binding under the law.

You don’t have to go to the local notary though – you can find one simply by a web search or ask friends/colleagues for recommendations. While some notaries in coastal areas speak English, if your Spanish isn’t good enough to understand the content of the poder, then you will need to take a Spanish speaker with you to act as an interpreter. 

Unfortunately, the person to whom you are giving poder (authorisation) cannot be your interpreter, it has to be someone else. 

Step Two – Book an appointment with your chosen Notary
Book an appointment either over the phone, or some notaries provide an online booking service. 
When making an appointment, tell them it’s for a poder to allow your representative to apply for an NIE number on your behalf.

Step Three – What to take with you to the appointment 
Take your passport with you and the notary will prepare the poder document there and then, and also provide a certified copy of your passport. A poder for a UK passport holder will need to be accompanied by a notarised copy of EVERY page of the passport (standard practice for third country nationals). 

Step Four – Pass the documents to your representative
Once your representative has the ‘poder’ and certified copy of your passport, they’ll do the rest. They will make the appointment, pay the taxes, go to the meeting, make the application and then collect the NIE Certificate a few days later.

Step Five – You have your NIE number and Certificate
Your representative will let you know when the process is complete and will give you your original Certificate.

How much does it cost?
Notary charges start from around €50 for a poder for an NIE application.

How can Upsticks help?
With a poder, Upsticks can apply for NIE certificates no matter where our clients are based in Spain. We can take advantage of the flexibility of appointments in Malaga when in other areas it can take months to get an appointment. If you need an NIE certificate and can’t get one locally drop us an email at nie@upsticks.es