Hi all,
Have any Brits here recently renewed their national ID card (NIE i think it is called)? I ask because it is proving rather taxing to get mine processed. It seems that the government (or whoever) has decided to complicate it for us, just for the sake of it. What was once a 20 minute process, available in any comisaria has now been totally changed.
I recently went to a comisaria in Pozuelo to get it done but was told that I now can only do it in the centre of Madrid near the Puerta de Toledo. Also, because I am not Spanish, I can't book an appointment (cita previa) so I have to waste a whole day standing in line with everyone else, including the ones that are claiming papers for immigration. And to cap it all, I have been told recently that they are taking the ID cards away from from foreigners and replacing them with a 'residency certificate', requiring me to carry my passport at all times (which I refuse to do).
Compared to 5 years ago when I did the whole thing in 20 minutes, this really is annoying. My card expired a month ago and I think I just won't bother renewing it, after all, my identity doesn't actually expire and I don't need the card nor residency to live here.

Thanks,
Daniel
p.s. don't even get me started on the way that they treat foreigners in the comisarias, especial the ones that have trouble with their Spanish - what I saw in Pozuelo was frankly shocking.

p.p.s I hope this doesn't come across as a rant :-S Although it would be very easy to get me started...

OK, I have just spent the last few hours researching this problem and I want to share the bad news :-(

The NIE card (the blue DNI card for extranjeros) is no longer issued. Instead you get an A4 certificate that you are required by law to carry with you always, along with your passport. Don't do this and you can get fined.

If your card expires, you have to renew it within 3 months or else you can never renew it. I assume this means that you'd need to re-apply from the beginning which would mean that you'd get a new number, the X-------- code that is your 'NIF'.

Plenty of other people with the same problem: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080516150704AAZKM9O


The whole thing is a complete disaster, especially given that I am required to carry a passport with me that cost me €180 to renew last year. An expensive thing to lose.

HTH,
Daniel

Wow , Daniel , I´ve had dealings with the Policia Municipal , Policia Nacional , C17 ( special forces ) AND Guardia Civil and had nothing but great service .. polite and efficient .
Like you , I refuse to carry my "valuable " passport with me , and in 4 years here , have never been asked for it by the police . I did have a problem when I went to Valle de los Caídos .. Franco´s mausoleum .. You are required to show your national ID .. Bur A Spanish friend managed to persuade the guards .
I don´t have any residency here in Madrid nd it´s not been a problem for me .

Steve, don't you need the NIF number to do anything? i.e. open bank accounts, sign up for ADSL at home etc.? that is the only reason that I requested the ID card in the first place.

Card for community foreigners information Tfn 913226801

Offices citizens community and family, previus appointment Tfn 902560701 of 9H to 18H on Monday to Friday

Offices citizens community and family previus appointment
Tfn 902565701
Address: Plaza Campillo Mundo Nuevo nº 3 28005 Madrid

Daniel,

I did this last January, and got the A4 paper, but my mum reduced both that and my passport to credit card size and laminated them for me, so i just carry the laminated versions now, and have only ever had to show it when shopping with my credit card - el corte ingles accepted it as ID, but my local ahorra más supermarket doesnt!! Oh, and also the first time i bought an abono for monthly travel, but not since, as they just renew it with the number you already have. The good thing is that you dont ever have to renew this, its done once and thats it! (For now, and as far as I know!!)- it didnt take me very long, i called and got an appointment and was only there about 20 minutes in all.

I believe the reason for the change (ie no more NIE) is when the EU expanded to Romania and Bulgaria Spain didn't put any restrictions on them (unlike Germany and France) so come Jan 2nd they simply flooded in the Madrid by the droves (I know I was there) Most didn't have a clue what to do simply showed up passport in hand and overwhelmed the poor bureaucracy.

The really stupid thing was that took work (legaly at least) in Spain you need a Social Security number which takes all of 5 mins. The reason it is so fast has to do with the fact it means money, it's how they deduct taxes etc from your pay. You can apply for your NIE at a latter date.

Anyways we just moved and need to update everything so I post once I figure out what we have to do.

Steve, I was reading a The Thorn Tree topic on The Lonely Planet forum on this very topic and other Brits had said they'd "simply" walked in to the police station and walked out with their NIE on the same day - but they resided in smaller towns/cities in Spain and not in Madrid or Barcelona. So maybe the length of wait-time depends on WHERE you apply for it. If only you could simply drive/train to, say, CUENCA, for example, and apply there. Maybe it would be faster - or MAYBE (probably) you'd have to first reside in Cuenca to get it there.

Saludos, MadridMan

mmmmm something to look into for sure . Thanks MM . Steve