How to get a social security number in Spain (NUSS)

What is the NUSS and what is it for?

The NUSS (Número de la Seguridad Social, social security number) is your personal identifier in the Seguridad Social system. You need it to register your alta as an employee or employer and to receive benefits and a pension, and the health system of your autonomous community uses it to issue the tarjeta sanitaria [2].

It is the same number as the affiliation number (NAF): when a person first starts an activity that brings them into the system, the NUSS becomes the NAF [1][3]. The number does not need renewing: it is single and permanent [1]. The tarjeta sanitaria and the NUSS are different things: the card is issued by the regional health system and uses your number, but is not itself the number [2].

How do you get the NUSS online through Import@ss?

Online, the number is requested in Import@ss: the portal and app of the Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS), also accessible from the sede electrónica [1][2]. The procedure depends on whether you have a means of identification.

1. You have identification. Log in with Cl@ve Permanente or Cl@ve Móvil, SMS, DNIe or a certificate [2]. In the app, tap “Solicitar NUSS” and enter your personal details, contact details and home address; the system assigns a number and lets you download a document confirming it [1].
2. You have no identification. You can still apply online in Import@ss without it. You need an identity document (DNI, NIE or passport), an email address, a device with a camera for a photo and a completed form TA.1 [2].

Once the number is assigned, a resolución is issued, which you can print [2]. How to get Cl@ve is explained in the article on means of identification. If you already had a number, you can find it in Import@ss or on your payslip, employment contract and vida laboral report [2].

How do you apply for the NUSS with the TA.1 paper form?

The TA.1 application (“Solicitud de número de la Seguridad Social y variación de datos”) is submitted to the Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social or its Administración for the applicant’s address. In its description of the procedure, the TGSS lists the documents: form TA.1 signed by the applicant, and an identity document: DNI, foreigner’s card or passport [3].

The maximum time for a decision on the application is 45 days. Once it has passed, the application is deemed granted [3]. We have not checked how to book an appointment at a Seguridad Social office or the details of the booking procedure: check on the TGSS website.

Who requests the number if you are employed?

If a company hires you and you have no number, the employer requests it. The TGSS procedure description says so: the employer requests the NUSS of the person it is about to hire if that person does not have one [3]. The same procedure is described in Revista Seguridad Social: when hiring, the company arranges the number [2].

In other cases, for example if you are self-employed or need the number in advance, you apply yourself through Import@ss [2]. Under the conditions of the digital nomad residence permit, the UGE states that the teletrabajador must register with the Seguridad Social: an employee in the Régimen General, provided the foreign company has first registered as a non-resident, and a self-employed person in RETA [4]. For autónomos, the FAQ mentions that a PAE point and the CIRCE system help to register the alta quickly [4]. More detail in the article on social security under the DNV.

What depends on your case?

Which route suits you depends on your status and access to identification. If your residence permit has not been issued yet, you may only have a passport, and you will have to check the online application procedure with a photo in Import@ss. If you are applying for a residence permit, the point at which you need an alta in the Seguridad Social is determined by the permit: in some categories the TIE is issued after the alta. Check with a lawyer or gestor.

The first steps after approval, including the alta and the health card, are covered in the article first 30 days after DNV approval. The difference between the number and affiliation is explained in more detail in the article what a social security number (NUSS) is. The DNV procedure is described in the DNV route card, and a general overview is on the page Residence permit in Barcelona.

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ReloVictory · Sources reviewed 02.10.2026 · Not a substitute for individual legal advice.