Floor 10 · Special cases & Benidorm guides
Buying property in Benidorm: why the NIE comes before the notary
A notary will not sign a deed of sale, the escritura, until every buyer has shown a NIE. The bank wants it for the account and any mortgage, the tax office for the purchase taxes, the utility companies for the contracts. If you are buying a flat in Benidorm or a villa in the hills behind it, the number is the first paper to arrange.
Each buyer, their own number
Two buyers means two numbers: everyone named on the deed has their own. Check that each NIE shows the name precisely as the passport does, since the notary and the bank will set the two documents side by side.
Not moving yet: the non-resident request
If you will keep living abroad, you ask for the NIE certificate as a non-resident on form EX-15, giving the purchase as the reason. A reservation contract, a deposit agreement or a letter from your lawyer usually shows it. In Spain, the Comisaría de Benidorm lists NIE assignment; from abroad, you can apply through a Spanish consulate.
When you cannot be here: a power of attorney
A power of attorney (poder notarial) lets a lawyer or someone you trust sign for you. It is granted before a notary in Spain, or abroad and then legalised and translated, and it can cover the deed, the bank and the utilities.
Whether a representative can also request the NIE for you depends on the office. Some accept it with the right power of attorney, others want to see you in person. Ask before relying on it.
A sensible sequence
- The NIE, for each buyer
- A Spanish bank account
- The reservation, and the legal checks by a lawyer of your choosing
- The private contract and the deposit
- The deed, signed before a notary
- Utilities, the community of owners and the local property tax in your name
A purchase is not a residence permit
The golden visa, which once tied a purchase to a residence permit, closed in 2025. Today a non-EU owner who wants to live here needs a different route, non-lucrative residence for example, if they do not intend to work.
Questions on this floor
Can I sign the reservation before I have a NIE?
Usually yes: a reservation is a private agreement. The deed and the bank are where the number becomes unavoidable.
Does a NIE make me a resident?
No. It identifies you as a buyer and a taxpayer. Residence is a separate matter.
Will I need the same number if I sell or inherit later?
Yes. The NIE stays yours for life, and every later sale, gift or inheritance uses it.
Can buying here still lead to a golden visa?
No. That scheme closed in 2025.
Official sources for this page
- Policía Nacional: directory of offices and their procedures for foreigners (province of Alicante)
- The administration’s cita previa system
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