# NIE number - theft and/or recycling?



## Guest (Mar 31, 2010)

Hello all,

I've got a question for any of you who have got Spanish identification numbers. Today I ran into this problem for the second time so it's time for me to investigate. I was told, again, that there is someone with the same or a similar NIE to mine. 

Earlier in the year, the bank wouldn't open an account for me since there was someone else who had opened an account with my same number who had already opened an account in a different town in the same comunidad autonoma. Of course, they couldn't give me any more details (protecting privacy) than that. 

Does anyone know if extranjería "recycles" NIE numbers when the expire? That would explain a lot and put me at ease. However, I called and the person who answered the phone said that they didn't recycle the numbers. But then again, he also told me to come into the office and ask. I don't really feel like taking a number and waiting two hours to ask a two minute question so I figured I'd ask here.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give, and enjoy your respective Semana Santa experiences!


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Ive been told that NIE numbers dont expire. I.E when you are given on it is yours for life.

This has happened before though, I remember someone having the same experience and if I remember correctly they went to the Office of the Police to get it sorted out with a new number.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Probably human error, numbers issued twice? I would go in and get it sorted, or,

Someone has stolen your Identity. If so you really need to get it sorted, before it get a lot worse.

H


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Since the numbers are not usually user friendly (i.e. they don't flow unlike UK National insurance numbers) they are always prone to people misquoting or mis-noting them, it is highly likely that somewhere someone made a mistake. This can cause endless problems. As others have said, get it sorted out as soon as you can. 

To avoid a two hour wait, get there really early so that you are waiting outside the door when they open.

When we went to open a bank account we went to the Abbey's new owners and were attended to be the Assistant Manager who made a cock-up with the documentation (online, of course, so that it couldn't be torn up and start again. Our Account opening options were blocked by the Banco de España for two months so we had no option but to fly back to UK and come back again several months later (cost to us two round trip flights UK-Spain, more nights in a hotel, car hire, etc...) we ended up going to another bank - no problems


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

SteveHall said:


> I have seen people "invent" numbers to facilitate buying and selling a car. If people know the number sequence they can just go one digit either way and "hey presto" here is an ID. Nobody checks the ID but at some stage some of these IDs must end up in systems and " Huelva, tenemos un problema"



I've always had to show the certificate that has my NIE number written on it - the number on its own has never been good enough!

Jo xxx


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

SteveHall said:


> ... but if you were the car sales person or rental agency......!!
> 
> I have given my NIE dozens of times (to buy mobile phones recently as an example) I have it written in code on a piece of paper in my wallet. I was not asked for the original document which I know I did not have on me as I was in BCN and the paperwork was in Fuengirola.
> When I buy online RENFE, ALSA etc I could easily invent a number in the shopping trolley. If anybody queried it, "Oh dear, I am sorry, I must have used my Swedish tax ID"
> ...


Well when I bought my car, my furniture, took my son to the doctors, the hospital - not one of them would accept the printed number that I keep in my purse! None of them would continue the transactions until I pulled out my rather tatty certificate! In fact the hospital even told me to get it renewed because it was so tatty!!!!!

Jo xxx


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Secret is to make a coloured photocopy of the original certificate and carry that around with you. The copy is usually good enough to look like the original as far as anyone looking at it is concerned.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

jojo said:


> Well when I bought my car, my furniture, took my son to the doctors, the hospital - not one of them would accept the printed number that I keep in my purse! None of them would continue the transactions until I pulled out my rather tatty certificate! In fact the hospital even told me to get it renewed because it was so tatty!!!!!
> 
> Jo xxx


Perhaps because you look too young to have that NIE!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

baldilocks said:


> Perhaps because you look too young to have that NIE!



ah yes, that'll be it!!!! You are now my favourite poster 

Jo xxxx


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## littleredrooster (Aug 3, 2008)

halydia said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I've got a question for any of you who have got Spanish identification numbers. Today I ran into this problem for the second time so it's time for me to investigate. I was told, again, that there is someone with the same or a similar NIE to mine.
> 
> ...



I have two different NIE numbers,
The second one was issued in Santa Cruz,TF,after the initial 5 year period of the first one was up.
I didnt realize or check up on it at the time,..however a good while afterwards I was buying a new car in Benidorm and the police informed me that my second number belonged to some guy in Madrid.
Caused me no end of problems as I had already registered quite a few other things including property and bank accs with the second NIE.
Still not got it entirely sorted out yet.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

SteveHall said:


> Why were you showing your NI certificate at the hospital? I am confused. I have only EVER shown my plastic card ,,,,,,,,,,, and I have shown it enough times as you know!


Nowadays if you come from an EU country, you no longer get an ID card because you already have an EU passport. You have to make do with the residency cerrtificate.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

SteveHall said:


> Why were you showing your NI certificate at the hospital? I am confused. I have only EVER shown my plastic card ,,,,,,,,,,, and I have shown it enough times as you know!



Because they asked to see it . 

I actually have a little card with a reduced copy of my passport on one side and my NIE number printed on the other and laminated,( its usually really useful for identification when using my debit card, getting stopped by the guardia etc) anyway, I showed them this and they said no, so I had to show them my proper passport and my proper NIE certificate! I didnt ask them why they wanted to see it. I was there with my son and they wanted to see his passport too!?

Jo xxx


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

SteveHall said:


> Yes, Baldilocks that I know but do you not get a plastic SIP card that you use for health matters?
> 
> NOT another change .......please!!
> 
> ...


and you must be able to tell the guardia the full names of your parents when you're stopped - even if you're just a passenger!

Jo xxx


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## Guest (Mar 31, 2010)

SteveHall said:


> Yes, Baldilocks that I know but do you not get a plastic SIP card that you use for health matters?
> 
> NOT another change .......please!!
> 
> ...


...I'm still waiting for them to ask for a photocopy of a body part the next time I fill in a government application.



Got word back from the government office I'm working for (er, "have a scholarship with") and they're looking into the NIE situation. The only reason I'm worried is that both questions regarding my number have come up related to money - first a bank account, now when paying tax. We'll see how this goes. 

Thank you all for your insight!


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## Jazintosh (Mar 29, 2010)

The NIE number is personal and intransferible but some people has a number (in a paper certificate) but not a CARD, and sometimes the person at the counter just check if you have a number, but he should see the original. I have a close friend that works in extranjeria , i will ask him next time about this.

And when the police pull over you and ask for your parents name, remember that in my DNI ,appear my name, number, adress, surnames, where and when i born and who are my parents and even in the old dni appear your occupation. Family counts. I guess you know that here people keep TWO surnames, First is the father´s surname and second is mother surname for example: Juan Martin (father) Garcia (mother). Girls, specially mothers never lose their powers here. This is Spain and your mother rules your life even if you are 60 years old.


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## Jazintosh (Mar 29, 2010)

click the button twice, sorry


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## nina874 (Mar 13, 2010)

Jazintosh said:


> Girls, specially mothers never lose their powers here. This is Spain and your mother rules your life even if you are 60 years old.


How wonderful! In Spain I will be a very powerful woman then....... happy days....


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## nina874 (Mar 13, 2010)

halydia said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I've got a question for any of you who have got Spanish identification numbers. Today I ran into this problem for the second time so it's time for me to investigate. I was told, again, that there is someone with the same or a similar NIE to mine.
> 
> ...


I dont know the answer to your question, but from what others have said, it sounds a bit dodgy. Sorry that you have got to go through a load of hassle though hon.


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2010)

Jazintosh said:


> The NIE number is personal and intransferible but some people has a number (in a paper certificate) but not a CARD, and sometimes the person at the counter just check if you have a number, but he should see the original. I have a close friend that works in extranjeria , i will ask him next time about this.


I'm here on a Student Visa - that's why I was wondering if my number could be recycled. 

Thank you so much for asking


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2010)

nina874 said:


> I dont know the answer to your question, but from what others have said, it sounds a bit dodgy. Sorry that you have got to go through a load of hassle though hon.


Eh, VERY dodgy but just another experience in Spain


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

My NIE has the house address on it, taken from the escritura, which is what it was called 100+ years ago, before road names. It bears no relationship to the postal address now. Twice I was stopped, some years ago, & asked for my Nie, which I produced & was then asked why the address on my Spanish D/licence was different to the address on the Nie. When I explained they then said I should take my Nie ,along with my escritura to have it corrected. When I pointed out that that WAS the address on the escritura it was met with Adiós.


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