You ALWAYS need the tax number to buy property anywhere in Spain. It is best to get this number before the notary appointment so that the tax number can be noted in the Escritura.
How do I get the NIE tax number for property purchases in Spain? At the consulate responsible for you in Germany. Or in Mallorca at the “Extranjería”.
It is usually easiest to call the consulate responsible for you in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. There you get an appointment, pay a small fee and then wait for the NIE to be delivered to you.
But there are still real estate agents who book an appointment with their customers at the immigration office in Mallorca and then go there with them. We at CPH Invest don’t do that anymore. Too bureaucratic and complicated.
Be sure to say you want to buy a property and present the reservation or option contract . And be careful not to get the residents NEVER! Small semantics on the side: the NIE and the NIF are the same number. NIE means Alien Number (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) and the NIF is the – politically correct – Número de Identificación Fiscal.
So: the number is the same. But the format is different!
If you don’t want to pay tax on your worldwide income in Spain right away, you should apply for a NIE for No Residente!
It’s the same number. Therefore also the same NIF (for example on the tax forms). But the residents pay taxes on their worldwide income in Spain, including the rather high Balearic wealth tax!