How to apply for a Spanish NIE from Uruguay: which consulate to use
In this article
Short answer. To apply for a Spanish NIE from Uruguay, start with your registered address: the Consulate General of Spain in Montevideo serves the country, and the Embassy is also resident there, so there is a single office for the whole of Uruguay. It handles NIE applications by prior appointment requested by email. The office forwards your application, but the NIE itself is assigned by Spain’s General Commissariat for Immigration and Borders and arrives by email.
This is an independent guide by E-Residence, a private service. It is not an official website of any consulate and does not control appointments; every procedure in it links to its official source. Recheck the official page on the day you act.
For the wider picture of how consular NIE applications work, see our guide to NIE applications at Spanish consulates outside Spain. Here, the focus is Uruguay and its single consular office in Montevideo.
Which office covers your address?
The consular district follows Uruguay’s official division: one office serves the whole country. The starting point is residence — not nationality, and not convenience. The row below matches the office’s published jurisdiction.
| Where you live (registered address) | Office | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| All of Uruguay (the office serves the country; the Embassy in Montevideo is also resident) | Consulate General of Spain in Montevideo | Montevideo NIE page |
The embassy’s official consular-office directory for Uruguay is the source of this jurisdiction. Because the office serves the whole country, there is no regional office to fall back on inside Uruguay; if you are unsure how a particular address is treated, confirm with the office rather than assuming a local option exists.
The consular NIE route: what applies across Uruguay
The Consulate General in Montevideo follows the same national procedure as other Spanish consular offices, with its own local rules on how you book. The shared points, as published for the consular route:
- A NIE can be requested directly in Spain or at the consular office for your country of residence. From Uruguay, that is the Consulate General in Montevideo, which serves the country.
- You apply in person or through a duly accredited representative — and the physical presence of the applicant or the representative is always mandatory. Do not read the representative route as one that removes attendance altogether.
- You must state the economic, professional or social reasons that justify the application, and offices may ask for documents proving them.
- The standard document set is an EX-15 form (original and one copy), a valid passport with a copy of the data page (EU citizens may use a national identity document), proof of residence in the consular district, and a completed Modelo 790, Código 012 with the fee paid.
- The consular NIE is identification, not residence. A NIE processed through a consulate is not valid to reside in Spain and does not accredit residence there; anyone planning to settle in Spain must check visa requirements first.
- The consulate does not issue the number. It is assigned by the General Commissariat for Immigration and Borders, part of Spain’s Directorate-General for the Police. The consulate cannot speed up processing, and the NIE is sent to the applicant by email — so put a working notification address on the form.
- In Uruguay, most procedures are done exclusively with prior appointment. The office asks you to request the appointment by email at cog.montevideo.not@maec.es, explaining that you need the NIE assigned, and is open to the public Monday to Thursday 08:30–13:30 and Friday 08:30–13:00.
Prefer to prepare your application with E-Residence? Start an NIE enquiry — a private service that helps you organise the paperwork before you contact the office. An enquiry does not create, confirm or replace an official appointment.
Office by office: how each one runs NIE applications
Montevideo — consulate general
The Consulate General of Spain in Montevideo is the office that handles NIE applications for the whole of Uruguay, and it runs them with prior appointment rather than through an online booking platform. To request one, write to cog.montevideo.not@maec.es and explain that you need the NIE assigned; the office states that most procedures are done exclusively with prior appointment, so do not count on being attended without one. Its public hours are Monday to Thursday 08:30–13:30 and Friday 08:30–13:00, and the material reviewed here lists the phone (00598) 2708 0048 and a general address, cog.montevideo@maec.es. On the fee, the office points to its own fee page and its NIE page shows the 2021 example of 9.74 euros. Montevideo NIE page
Addresses and map links
| Office | Address | Open the map |
|---|---|---|
| Montevideo | Libertad 2738, 11300 Montevideo, Uruguay | Google Maps |
This is the office’s published address. The map link is a navigation aid built from that address — it does not confirm which service the building hosts, and it is no substitute for the office’s own page. Check the address there before travelling.
What this guide does not confirm
- Processing times. The consulate does not publish a processing time for NIE applications in the material reviewed for this guide. The number is assigned by the Commissariat and delivered by email, but no timeframe is given; ask the office for its current estimate.
- Current fee. The only figure on the NIE page is the 2021 example of 9.74 euros; the office points to its fee page for the current amount. Take the current figure on the day you pay.
- An online booking system. The office requires prior appointment, but the material reviewed here publishes no booking platform; the published route is to ask by email at cog.montevideo.not@maec.es and explain that you need the NIE assigned.
- Walk-in service. The office states that most procedures are done exclusively with prior appointment, so do not assume you can submit an NIE application without one during public hours.
- A specific proof-of-residence document. The material confirms that proof of residence in the consular district is part of the standard set, but it does not name one document for Uruguay; ask the office what it will accept.
Want a second pair of eyes on your document set before you email the office? Send your situation through a short NIE enquiry. We flag gaps before the office does — an enquiry does not replace or speed up the official procedure.
Frequently asked questions
Which Spanish consular office covers my address in Uruguay?
The Consulate General of Spain in Montevideo serves Uruguay, and the Embassy of Spain in Montevideo is also resident in the country, so there is a single office for any registered address in the country, wherever you live. The consular district therefore follows the country as a whole rather than a regional division, and residence — not nationality or convenience — is the starting point. Confirm your situation with the office before contacting it.
Consular-office directory for Uruguay · Montevideo NIE page
Do I need proof of residence in Uruguay to apply through the consulate?
The consular route is tied to residence: the standard document set for a consular NIE includes proof of residence in the consular district, and the Montevideo office serves the whole of Uruguay. The NIE page does not set out one specific document for Uruguay in the material reviewed for this guide, so ask the office at cog.montevideo.not@maec.es what it will accept as proof of residence.
Can someone else submit the application — do I have to attend in person?
Under the national consular procedure the application may be made in person or through a duly accredited representative, and the physical presence of the applicant or the representative is always mandatory. In Uruguay the office asks you to request the appointment by email and states that most procedures are done exclusively with prior appointment. If you use a representative, be ready to show the representative’s identity document and a power of attorney that expressly authorises the NIE application.
Does the consular NIE let me live or work in Spain?
No. The NIE issued through a consulate is an identification number: it is not valid to reside in Spain and does not accredit residence there. If you plan to settle in Spain, check the visa and residence requirements first — that route starts in Spain, not at the consulate.
National Police — NIE assignment procedure
Who assigns the NIE, and how long does it take?
The number is assigned by the General Commissariat for Immigration and Borders, under Spain’s Directorate-General for the Police — not by the consulate, which cannot shorten processing. The NIE is delivered to the applicant by email, so put a working notification address on the form. The Montevideo office does not publish a processing time in the material reviewed for this guide; ask it for the current estimate.
National Police — NIE assignment procedure · Montevideo NIE page
How do I book the appointment, and how do I pay the fee?
In Uruguay the published route is email: write to cog.montevideo.not@maec.es and explain that you need the NIE assigned; the office states that most procedures are done exclusively with prior appointment, and its public hours are Monday to Thursday 08:30–13:30 and Friday 08:30–13:00. On the fee, the office points to its fee page, and the NIE page shows the 2021 example of 9.74 euros. Take the current figure on the day you act.
Montevideo NIE page · Consular-office directory for Uruguay
Choose your next step
You can run the whole process yourself through the official channels above — it costs the official fee and, in most cases, one appointment in Uruguay. Recheck the office’s page on the day you act, because document lists and fees change.
Prefer to prepare with E-Residence? Start an NIE enquiry and describe your purpose in one or two sentences. An enquiry does not replace the official procedure; it helps you arrive at it prepared.
For the full service picture, see NIE in Spain.
Editorial note: procedures, forms and local practice can change. Recheck the official links on the day you submit your application.
Official sources
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Spanish consular offices in Uruguay — the official office list used for the table above.
- Montevideo — Consulate General: NIE — email appointment route, public hours and the fee pointer.
- National Police — NIE assignment procedure — the national procedure behind the consular route.
Last checked: 6 October 2026.