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Spanish social security number: applying for the NUSS

What the NUSS is, why the worker applies for it while the employer does the registration, form TA.1, the routes through Import@ss and what you need.

After the NIE, this is the second errand. The NUSS — Número de la Seguridad Social, also called Número de Afiliación or NAF — is the number Spanish social security identifies you by. Without it no company can register you for the first time, and without that registration there is neither health cover nor pension accrual.

First check whether you already have one

Social security points this out explicitly: if you have ever worked in Spain or been covered by the Seguro Escolar, you probably already have a NUSS. A second application is then unnecessary. You can check your status in your personal area.

What you need

  • Your identification details: DNI or NIE.
  • Your contact details: mobile number and email address.
  • Form TA.1 (“Solicitud de número de la Seguridad Social y variación de datos”).

The Import@ss route

The application runs through Import@ss, the portal of the Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social. With electronic identification — Cl@ve Permanente, Cl@ve Móvil, DNIe, an electronic certificate or by SMS — it is quickest. The SMS route has a catch that social security names itself: it requires an existing NUSS. For a first application it is therefore out.

Without electronic identification

It also works without Cl@ve or a certificate. In that case you provide a copy of both sides of your DNI or NIE and a selfie holding the front of the document. You must be of age, or a minor declared emancipated — in which case the proof of emancipation is added.

What the number is for

  • Registering with social security for the first time when you start working.
  • Accessing pensions, allowances and benefits.
  • Your health card: the health service of your autonomous community — on Mallorca that of the Balearic Islands — uses the NUSS to enrol you.

You can apply at any time; it does not depend on already having a contract. Anyone who knows they are moving to the island can settle this before the first interview.

What this means for your application

Same as with the NIE: you do not need it to apply. It is needed once there is a contract and the company registers you. On Mallorca it is normal for applicants to have neither yet — say so in the interview rather than working around it. On Vokaro, roles whose employer helps with the NIE and residence registration are marked in the listing.

What is the difference between the NIE and the NUSS?

The NIE identifies you to authorities, banks and employers. The NUSS is the number social security identifies you by. Two separate numbers from two separate procedures.

Are NASS and NUSS the same thing?

Yes, they refer to the same number. Social security officially calls it NUSS or NAF; “NASS” is not an official term, though it sometimes gets used as if it were.

Do I apply for the NUSS myself or does my employer?

You apply for the number yourself. The employment registration — the alta — is filed by the employer, freshly for each job.

What does the application cost?

No fee is listed on the social security procedure page. We therefore give no figure here — neither an amount nor an assurance that it is free.

I worked in Spain before. Do I need a new NUSS?

Probably not. Social security notes that a number may already have been assigned in that case. Check your status in your personal area first.

Can it be done without Cl@ve or an electronic certificate?

Yes. You then provide a copy of both sides of your DNI or NIE and a selfie holding the front of the document.

Sources

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