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Frontier Workers
Understand the visas and permits you’ll need if you are a frontier worker…
Frontier workers (people working in Spain but living in an EU member state to which they return at least once a week; usually Portugal, Andorra, France and Morocco) should apply for a Frontier Worker's Card at the Foreign Residents Office or local police station. To obtain a Frontier Worker's Card, a valid passport or identity card must be presented, along with a certificate of engagement or employment signed by the employer.
To find out the relevant authority in each case, contact the mayor's office in the municipality of residency, a police station, the government delegate's office (Delegación del Gobierno) or the government sub-delegate's office (Subdelegación del Gobierno) in the province.
For information on entry and residence requirements and procedures, contact the Spanish Ministry of the Interior.
- Ministry of the Interior
Tel: 900 150 000 (toll-free; Spanish only)
The European Commission provides information regarding the rights of cross-border workers.
For information from the European Union regarding the rights of cross-border workers: Click here
The NIE Number
All foreigners must have a foreigners tax identification number (Numero de Identificatión de Extranjero - NIE), regardless of whether they are obliged to have a residency permit or not. Applications for an NIE can be made at a local police station which has a foreigners department, or by contacting the local regional government; either in person or through a representative. The number appears on all documents issued in Spain.
An NIE is required by anyone with financial, professional or social interests in Spain. It is also essential when buying property, opening a bank account, starting a business, using short-term employment agencies or arranging receipt of social security benefits.
- See also AngloINFO INFOrmation page, NIE (Numero de Identification de Extranjeros)
Advice and Information
- The citizens advice unit of the Directorate General for Immigration
Tel: 913 639 071, 913 639 069 or 913 637 108
Related Information
- Information from the UK government for UK citizens moving to Spain
- Information about living in Spain from the British Embassy in Spain
- Age Concern Espana website (in English) which provides advice and support for pensioners in Spain
- The Spanish Ministerio del Interior
- The website of the European Union, Europa
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