Floor 11 · Special cases & Benidorm guides
A season in Benidorm: the papers behind your first payslip
Before your first shift in a Benidorm hotel, bar or restaurant, the employer has to register you with Spain’s Social Security, and for that needs two numbers from you: a NIE and a Social Security number. Staff from outside the EU also need a work authorisation first. Many people come back season after season for the busy months.
With a European passport
A European passport lets you work from your first day; what you need is a way to be identified, not permission. If your contract or your stay runs past three months, register as a resident: the green certificate, on form EX-18, with the contract as your evidence. For a shorter job, the NIE by itself, on form EX-15, is enough.
With a passport from outside the EU
Holding a NIE is not the same as being allowed to work. A non-EU worker first needs a work authorisation, which the employer normally applies for, unless their residence already includes work, as a Withdrawal Agreement TIE or a European’s family-member card does.
Those authorisations are a matter for the Oficina de Extranjería; the nearest to Benidorm is in Altea. Check what applies to you before you hand in your notice at home.
Your Social Security number
Your Social Security number, the número de afiliación, is issued by the TGSS (Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social). Many employers request it for you; otherwise you request it yourself with your passport and NIE. It stays with you from one job to the next, and from one season to the next.
Ready for the first shift
- Your NIE, or your green certificate if you are staying on
- Your Social Security number
- A Spanish bank account for your wages
- Registration on the padrón of the town where you live
- A copy of your contract
Questions on this floor
Can I start work while I wait for my NIE appointment?
Not usually. The employer has to register you before your first day, and that needs the number. Book early, and give your employer the appointment date so the start can be planned around it.
I come back every summer. Do I need a new NIE each time?
No. The number is yours for life. If you hold a green certificate, update your address when it changes.
Do seasonal workers need the padrón?
Yes, if they live here. Anyone who lives in a Spanish town is expected to be on its padrón, and the certificate often helps with the other steps.
Official sources for this page
- Policía Nacional: directory of offices and their procedures for foreigners (province of Alicante)
- Subdelegación del Gobierno en Alicante: the Oficinas de Extranjería of Alicante and Altea
- Seguridad Social: office directory (Administración de Benidorm)
- Generalitat Valenciana: Espai LABORA Benidorm
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