European staff
No permit is involved. An assignment longer than three months means registering on the EX-18 at the police station, contract or employer’s letter in hand; a brief visit only needs an EX-15 to give payroll its number.
Staff from outside the EU
The work authorisation leads, normally applied for by the employer, whether you are hired locally or seconded by a company abroad. Once it is granted, and once you have crossed the border on the visa, you book the fingerprint sitting, and the card shows your NIE.
Families travelling with you
Spouses and children hold permits of their own, tied to yours or, for relatives of a European, the EX-19 card. Preparing their files alongside yours keeps school places and health enrolment from stalling.
Queries on this procedure
Will the company see to everything?
Many employers take the authorisation. The personal steps (booking, fingerprints, the padró) stay with you, and those are what we prepare together.
Vila-seca home, La Canonja plant: where do I go?
Plaça d’Orleans. The home address counts, not the plant, and Vila-seca lies in the Tarragonès, which the Delegación del Gobierno assigns there.
Could the number be ready before I move?
Yes. A Spanish consulate can assign the NIE ahead of travel, letting the employer prepare contract and payroll early.