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Residency & immigration

NIE Verde

NIE Verde is the common name for the EU citizen registration certificate issued when an eligible EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen registers residence in Spain.

Plain English: EU citizen residency certificate

Definition

A citizen using this regime applies personally at the relevant Extranjería office or police station and, when the requirements are met, receives a registration certificate showing their name, nationality, address, NIE, and registration date. The application is due within three months after entry. The certificate has no photo and is not standalone identity evidence, so use it together with a valid passport or national identity document when identity must be proved.

  • EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens apply personally through the EU-regime OEX or Police registration route.
  • Apply within the applicable three-month period; the certificate records name, nationality, address, NIE, and registration date.
  • The certificate has no photo, so carry a valid passport or national identity document for identification.

Example: when an office asks for identity, present the EU registration certificate together with the valid passport or national identity document.

Where this appears

NIE Verde can appear in Spanish forms, appointment screens, official letters, PDF instructions, receipts, or portal status messages. This term usually appears in immigration, identity, or residence paperwork. The public definition helps you recognize the route, but the correct next step can change by nationality, permit type, province, date, and document status.

Use the term as a clue, not the whole answer. A public definition can explain the usual meaning, but a personal document may change the deadline, office route, evidence required, or risk of ignoring the message.

What to check next

  • Match the office

    Check whether the term belongs to AEAT, Seguridad Social, Policía Nacional, Extranjería, city hall, DGT, health services, a bank, or another provider.

  • Find the source of truth

    Use the official source, related guide, or related glossary terms before paying a fee, booking a cita, submitting a form, or responding to a notice.

  • Keep personal decisions inside Ask Guiri

    If this term appears in your own PDF, screenshot, letter, rejection, fine, or deadline, the surrounding text matters. That case-specific reading should happen inside Ask Guiri.

Next action

Autorización inicialAn autorización inicial is the first grant under a specific immigration route; it may authorize residence or, for some studies, a stay, so the route name and decision control what comes next.NIENIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is the personal foreigner-identification number used when a foreign national has dealings with Spain.TIETIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) is the physical residency card issued to non-EU foreigners legally living in Spain.