Spain & visas · Paperwork for teachers
NIE, TIE and Social Security in Spain: A New Teacher’s Guide
Find the document you actually need, the authority that handles it and the permission it cannot replace.
Four names you will hear in Spain
Identify the purpose of the document before booking a procedure.
NIE
Your foreign-national identification number.
It does not grant a right to work.
TIE
A physical card recording your authorised legal situation.
Check the underlying authorisation.
CUE
Registration certificate for eligible EU / EEA / Swiss citizens.
This is the EX-18 route.
NUSS / NAF
Your identifier in the Spanish Social Security system.
Separate from a job registration.
Right to work: the legal basis for employment
Employer alta: registration for the actual job
Editorial diagram · Sources checked 22 October 2026 · Use with the article and the linked official guidance.
Your NIE identifies you; it does not give you permission to work. A TIE records an authorised immigration situation, a CUE records an eligible EU citizen’s registration, and a NUSS identifies you in Social Security. Which ones you need depends on your nationality, existing status, length of stay and work. There is no single “get your NIE, then start teaching” process for everyone.
A school asks for your NIE, a friend mentions a green certificate, and an online checklist sends you to Social Security. They may all be describing different tasks. Before you book an appointment, identify which question needs answering: who you are, what status you hold, or whether you are registered for a job.
Keep these four things separate
| Document or number | Its main purpose | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| NIE — Número de Identidad de Extranjero | Your personal foreign-national identification number. It appears in different official procedures and documents. | Residence or employment rights merely because the number has been assigned. |
| TIE — Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero | The physical card recording the holder’s authorised legal situation in Spain. | Additional work rights or extra time beyond the underlying authorisation. |
| CUE — Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Unión | Registration certificate used by eligible EU/EEA/Swiss citizens residing beyond three months; it contains the NIE. | A Social Security number or a Spanish national identity document. |
| NUSS/NAF — Social Security number | Your identifier in the Social Security system, including when arranging employment registration. | An immigration work permit, an employment contract or proof that an employer has registered your job. |
The NIE is a number, not a temporary work permit
The Interior Ministry describes the NIE as a personal, unique and exclusive identifier. It can be assigned in connection with an immigration procedure or requested because of economic, professional or social ties to Spain. Someone may therefore already have a NIE before moving here to teach.
Do not think of a “temporary NIE” and a “permanent NIE” as two stages that give you different work rights. The number and the evidence of your legal situation are different things. A certificate, visa or residence document may have its own validity; receiving an identification number does not grant a new immigration status.
For a standalone NIE-assignment application, the current National Police procedure identifies form EX-15 and the relevant fee procedure. That is not the same application as registering an EU citizen or obtaining a student’s physical card. If your number is already assigned through another process, ask whether a separate NIE application is necessary before booking one.
The TIE records the authorisation you have been granted
The Interior Ministry’s TIE guidance explains that the card documents your immigration status. Your current passport or equivalent document still matters for establishing identity. The important starting evidence is your visa or authorisation and the conditions attached to it.
A long-stay study visa incorporates the approved study-stay authorisation. Whether work is permitted depends on the relevant category and conditions; the plastic card does not add an extra right to teach. If you are considering combining study and employment, use the separate guide to working while studying in Spain rather than assuming that all students have identical rights.
For visas or authorisations exceeding six months, the general rule is to request the TIE personally within one month. The starting date depends on the category: entry, grant or the authorisation becoming effective. For someone entering on a long-stay study visa, the study-visa provision specifies one month after entry. Check your actual decision and procedure; some authorisations depend on Social Security registration becoming effective.
This is a deadline to request the card, not a promise that it will be ready for collection within a month. Appointment availability and document checks are separate practical issues. Use the competent police documentation unit and current official instructions. If the procedure is unclear, obtain guidance rather than assuming that any appointment receipt resolves every deadline.
EU registration uses the CUE, not the student-card route
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens follow the relevant free-movement rules. Their legal access to work does not begin when a NIE slip is handed over. However, residence beyond three months comes with registration formalities and an applicable basis, such as employment, self-employment, study or sufficient resources and health cover.
The Interior Ministry’s EU residence guidance states that the registration application should be made within three months of entry. The certificate records your name, nationality, address, NIE and registration date. Form EX-18 belongs to this process. It is not an application for a Social Security number.
The supporting evidence depends on the basis of registration. An employee may use the employer’s hiring statement or employment certificate, or relevant employment and Social Security evidence. A student or someone supporting themselves without work needs the evidence appropriate to that different situation. Do not copy a friend’s employment-based list if you are registering on another basis.
Non-EU family members of EU citizens have a separate residence-document route. Other existing residence rights may also change the process. A passport alone does not tell the whole story, so an article for first-time non-EU students should not be used to overwrite an existing family-based status.
Social Security is a separate system
The TGSS Importass service for requesting a NUSS explains that it is the number used to identify you in Social Security, also referred to as a NAF. Check whether you already have one before requesting another. Previous employment or school insurance can mean a number has already been assigned.
Having that number is different from being registered for a particular job. The employer’s relevant alta is another step. Neither the number nor the employment registration creates immigration permission that the person does not otherwise have.
The current Importass page lists identification, contact and address information for its online route. The official TA.1 form and instructions also distinguish document options by profile: passport-based initial registration is specified for EU/EEA/Swiss citizens, with a requirement to provide the NIE within three months of entry. This is one reason a universal “NIE first, NUSS second, contract third” checklist can be misleading.
Use the channel and evidence appropriate to your situation. EX-18 is not the NUSS form, and a police appointment is not the standard place to request a Social Security number. An employer may help with the applicable Social Security process, but that does not remove the need to check your underlying work rights.
Three starting profiles
You hold an EU, EEA or Swiss passport and have a teaching offer
Check what the employer needs for the contract and Social Security registration, whether a NUSS already exists, and which evidence supports your EU registration if you will reside here beyond three months. A hiring declaration may be relevant to that registration. You are not applying for a special ninety-day NIE work permission.
You are entering as a non-EU student
Start with the precise study category and authorisation, not a promise that any course allows work. Check whether a NIE has already been assigned and whether your authorised stay requires a TIE. Then establish whether, and under which conditions, the proposed teaching work is permitted. If you need a financial plan for the application, keep it separate from these identification steps: see student-visa financial requirements.
You already live in Spain or already have a NIE
Keep the existing identifier and review the current status that permits you to stay. An old NIE certificate cannot tell a new employer whether your present work is authorised. If your circumstances are changing, check the relevant application or modification rather than requesting another identification number as a shortcut.
A practical document check before you accept a start date
- Identify your nationality and the exact basis on which you are staying or planning to stay in Spain. Include any existing family-based or other residence rights.
- Find your existing NIE and NUSS, if assigned. Keep the number, physical card and authorisation decision clearly labelled.
- Read the work conditions on the applicable authorisation and check the proposed role with the employer. Do not treat enrolment, an identification number or a verbal assurance as permission.
- Use the official procedure for each document you need: standalone NIE assignment, EU registration, TIE or Social Security. Check the correct authority, form, fee and application evidence.
- Record the deadline that applies to your own procedure, and prepare the documents before arranging travel or a teaching start date.
- Keep copies of submissions and employment-registration evidence, and check any change in your circumstances through the appropriate process.
What about the padrón and your first month in Madrid?
The padrón is a local municipal registration. It should not be confused with a NIE, a TIE or a work authorisation. Housing, local registration, banking and transport are useful parts of settling in, but they do not replace the immigration and employment checks above. Use our moving-to-Spain checklist for the practical arrival tasks.
For the teaching side of your move, compare the proposed role with the work conditions attached to your own status. If you are considering a programme with TEFL Madrid, ask which current documents the programme provides and which support is actually included. The right answer should explain your route and responsibilities, rather than promise that “getting a NIE” makes any teaching job legal.
