Bit of a long shot, but thought I’d ask.

My partner’s just moved over and hasn’t got their NIE yet. We tried to get a proper mobile contract set up (not just pay-as-you-go), and every shop we’ve been to says you have to have the NIE.

Surely there’s a way around this? It’s 2025, and they just want data and a local number. Not a mortgage.

We’ve tried Movistar, Orange, and even one of the smaller providers. No luck so far. Someone mentioned Yoigo might be more flexible, but we haven’t tried them yet.

Anyone had success doing this recently? Or is it just pay-as-you-go till the paperwork's sorted?

Thanks in advance,
Declan

to get a phone contract you need a Spanish bank account - to get a bank account you need a NIE.
I have used orange payg since I arrived 8 years ago - 15 eur a month for 250gb and 1000 minutes phoning international or local...

As above, you need an NIE (foreigners number) for everything from buying a car, renting a house, mobile phone, collecting your post from the PO.
I have Lobster which gives unlimited free calls to all EU countries and others and is totally free when we go back to the UK.
its €12.99 every 30 days with 100gb of data.
The customer service and the website is in English and they are very good if you need to talk to them.

Minor point, but their charges are every 28 days not 30. We have them too and find Lobster very good.

Our pay as you go plans — Lobster

Why not look at PAYG with something like SIMYO with them you can build your own plan including data just set it at what you want that will be cheaper than using the main providers. There are others that are not expensive and will provide sufficient calls and data without the need for a contract.

My mistake, i might have meant 28 days but they still have a good service.
Last year my phone didnt automatically switch to the Uk. A quick phone call to the customer line and they sent the sim settings through.

We are off again to the Uk in a couple of weeks so I will see if it switches over this time.

Another good PAYG that my wife uses and finds it great is Masmovil. For 7 euros a month you get unlimited spanish national minutes to landlines or mobiles , 20 GB of Data and 100 free minutes to international numbers including UK . It is great we both use her phone if we have to call the UK. It depends on what you need obviously re dara and calls. There.are some good deals around without needing a contract.

Be careful with some of the cheaper mobile operators - it is ok if you live in the big city but coverage can be spotty at best in the campo..

I think both simyo and Masmovil use Orange for their signal

All providers piggyback onto one (or sometimes more) of the 4 main players in Spain, those being Vodafone, Orange, Movistar, and Yoigo and there is no reason to expect their coverage to any better or worse than service they piggyback off.

Yes that's right also if you have difficulty re a signal in a specific area sometimes changing the settings from say 4 g to 3g can improve the strength of the signal as although one may be older technology in that area it may have a stronger signal. I used find at our house the Signal was weak on 4g if I went to settings and changed to 3g the signal improved by about 2 bars.

Simyo are fantastic and have by far the best app for managing your numbers and customising your monthly plans. Plus they are part of the Orange group... just with better prices and a better app.

If you do a lot of international calling then I'd look at Digi and its 'Digi Combo' plans. Virtually any number you call in the world will be included in your allotted minutes.

The law does allow for passports, just get a SIM which is ordered online then arrives through the post, then you can upload a photo/scan when you activate the SIM.