Hello,

This fall I visited Catalunya and fell in love with it: the sea, the people, the cities, everything! Spain is such a wonderful country!

Me and my fiancee are planning to move to Barcelona or a town close to it in the next few months and would like some advice on what would be the best approach for a smooth transition.

We're thinking about renting an Airbnb appartment for a month or so, in order to get our NIE, bank accounts, etc. Do you think that would be enough time for everything? I heard that getting a NIE number could take loner, in some cases.

Is it possible to get a NIE number through some service like nienumberonline[dot]com? That would be a lot easier for us, but I'm not sure if that site is a scam or not Anyone knows another service / person that could do that for a fee?

What about the bank, is it easy to open an account? What bank do you recommend (Santander / BBVA / etc).

Thanks a lot guys!

Getting your NIE shouldn't take too long as long as you have the required documentation. I got mine about a year ago and it only took a couple of hours. It involved:
1. Going to the police station to apply.
2. Getting a form and then going to a bank to pay the fee.
3. Returning to the police station with the receipt from the bank
4. Left the police station with NIE in hand.

- Eric S.

Eric, do you know if I need a Spanish address to get the NIE? Or can I use the Hotel / Airbnb address to fill in the forms? The thing is, I need the NIE to open a Bank Account and then a bank account to rent a property... but I also need a Spanish address to get the NIE in the first place, so in my view there's a vicious circle there and I'm a little bit confused

No, I don't think you need a Spanish address.

You may even be able to get the NIE before you go. Check with the Spanish consulate where you live now. They may be able to issue you one.

- Eric S.

By the way, the NIE is not necessarily a requirement for a bank account. I think it depends on the bank. For example, we have an account at BBVA and I only needed my passport to open it. I did not yet have my NIE.

- Eric S.

Indeed a great place, but why the rush? Are you planning to stay permanently or is it just for a short period?

No big rush, but my job allows me to work from home so I can relocate as soon as I get some holiday time from my boss. This will be probably around January / February 2016, the next window being at the end of next summer, so the sooner the better

Yes, I intend to relocate permanently.

Thanks for the info, Eric!

I tried to open an account online on several websites and all of them required the NIE / NIF, that's why I thought it's an absolute must.

There's some info here about obtaining NIE :
Practical information for living in Barcelona - (barcelona-metropolitan.com)

There are relocation services if you want more help, I could put you in touch with one I know of .

Just one word of advice about going to police station for NIE, make sure you go very early in the morning as there will be a queue. Find out opening time and get there an hour before.

Thanks tabbicat, the link you sent has some useful advice and resources.

Please let me know how to get in touch with these relocation agencies. I need all the help I can get, since I don't know any Spanish and don't have too much free time on my hands.

Here's a link which gives contact details of the guy I know of :
AngloINFO Nigel Lovell Property Search & Management,Relocation & Concierge Service The AngloFILE Business Directory : the Barcelona region, Spain
If the details on that site are not up-to-date, then search on Google for his name, or relocation services Barcelona.

Good luck with the move!