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.

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

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