Getting Your Spanish Social Security Number (NUSS)

What is the Spanish Social Security Number (NUSS)?

The Número de la Seguridad Social (NUSS) is your personal identifier in the Spanish Social Security system. If you are moving to Spain from Europe, the UK or the USA and plan to work, this is one of the first numbers you will hear about.

The NUSS is free, unique and normally assigned once for life. It is used by the Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS) to identify you when you are affiliated, registered for work, included in a Social Security regime, or connected to certain benefits.

When you are affiliated, your NUSS is also your Número de Afiliación, often called NAF. In practice people often use NUSS and NAF for the same number, but the NAF wording appears once the number is linked to affiliation.

Why you need a NUSS before working in Spain

Your employer needs a NUSS or NAF to register you with Social Security before you start work. If you already have the number, you give it to the employer. If you do not have one yet, the employer can request your affiliation and NUSS as part of the hiring process, although many expats prefer to request it themselves in advance through Import@ss.

The important distinction is this:

• NUSS or NAF: Your personal Social Security identifier.
• Alta: The active registration for a specific work activity. For employees, the employer normally processes it before the work starts. For self-employed workers, the worker manages their own alta in the relevant regime.
• Contributions: The payments and contribution records linked to your alta. These records affect future benefits such as unemployment, sick leave, maternity or paternity benefits, and pensions.

Healthcare rights should not be reduced to the NUSS alone. In many situations the public healthcare system uses Social Security information, but the practical right depends on your alta, contribution status, beneficiary status or another legal basis for healthcare access.

How to get your NUSS

You can request your NUSS online through Import@ss or in person through TGSS. The official form for affiliation and Social Security number assignment is the TA.1.

Method 1: Online via Import@ss with digital identification

This is usually the easiest route if you already have Cl@ve, a digital certificate or another accepted electronic identification method.

1. Open Import@ss. Go to the official TGSS portal and look for the service to request or consult your Social Security number.
2. Identify yourself. Use Cl@ve, digital certificate, DNIe or another available method shown by the portal.
3. Complete the request. Fill in or confirm the details requested in the TA.1 process.
4. Submit and download proof. If the request is accepted immediately, save the confirmation or accreditation document.

Method 2: Online via Import@ss without digital identification

If you do not have Spanish digital identification yet, Import@ss can still let you submit a request, but the route is more manual.

1. Choose the no-digital-ID route. Use the option for people without certificate, Cl@ve or equivalent identification.
2. Enter your personal details. Use the same spelling and document number that appear on your passport, NIE or TIE.
3. Upload documents. You may need to upload your identification document and the TA.1 or supporting documents requested by the portal.
4. Prepare for photo verification. The no-digital-ID route can require a device with camera access, photos of both sides of an ID document where applicable, and a selfie or facial verification image.
5. Wait for TGSS review. This route is not always instant. Watch your email or notifications for the resolution or for requests to correct documents.

Method 3: In person through TGSS

You can also request the number at a TGSS office or administration, normally corresponding to the relevant province. For employees, the official affiliation guidance links the request to the TGSS provincial directorate or administration of the province where the employer is based. For self-employed activity, it is tied to the province where the self-employed establishment or activity is located.

1. Check the office requirements. Check whether your TGSS office requires cita previa before going. Some offices and procedures are appointment-based, but the exact access rules can vary.
2. Prepare the TA.1 form. Download the TA.1 form or ask how the office wants you to submit it.
3. Bring identification. Bring your passport or Spanish foreigner ID/NIE/TIE, depending on your situation and the route used.
4. Submit the request. The office will review the documents and process the assignment or affiliation request if everything is correct.

Documents you may need

The basic document is the TA.1 application, but your exact proof can vary depending on whether you apply online, in person, as an employee, or as self-employed.

• TA.1 form: The official application for Social Security affiliation, number assignment or data changes.
• Identification: Passport or Spanish foreigner ID/NIE/TIE, depending on your situation and the route used. A passport can be accepted in some cases, but many later procedures ultimately use your NIE or TIE once assigned.
• Contact details: Email and phone number that TGSS can use to contact you if documents need correction.
• No-digital-ID verification: Device with camera access, identity document upload, and selfie or photo verification when the portal requests it.
• Employer or activity details: If the request is linked to a job or self-employed activity, TGSS may need details connected to that work situation.

NUSS, alta and healthcare rights

The NUSS is necessary for the system to identify you, but it does not activate everything by itself. Your alta is the administrative act that places you in a Social Security regime for a specific work activity. Your contribution status is the record that builds from that alta.

For employees, the employer normally handles the alta before the service begins. If the worker does not yet have a NUSS, the employer can request the affiliation and number. If the employer does not do this, the worker can also request affiliation directly, but an unregistered job is a serious issue.

For self-employed workers, getting a NUSS is only one step. You also need to manage your self-employed registration and Social Security alta correctly before starting the activity.

The vida laboral report

The Informe de Vida Laboral is your official Spanish work history report from TGSS. It shows periods of alta and baja in Social Security regimes, companies or activities, and the number of days registered.

It can be useful for checking your contribution history before applying for unemployment benefits. SEPE can consult contribution records internally in many cases, so do not assume you will always need to bring a vida laboral report. Still, checking it before a benefit claim is smart because it helps you spot missing dates or errors early.

If you have never had an alta, you generally will not have a normal vida laboral history to download. If you have never been registered, you may need a current Social Security situation report instead, or another TGSS report that states your current status.

Common problems and fixes

You do not have digital ID

Use the no-digital-ID route in Import@ss if available for your case. Make sure your camera works, your ID photos are clear, and the document number matches the form exactly.

Your employer asks for your NUSS but you do not have one

Tell the employer you do not have one yet. They can request affiliation and the number as part of the process, or you can request it yourself through Import@ss. What matters is that the alta is correctly processed before work starts.

Your vida laboral has missing periods

Request a correction through Import@ss and keep supporting documents such as contracts, payslips or employer certificates. Missing or wrong alta dates can affect later benefit calculations.

You are unsure which TGSS office to use

Use Import@ss first if possible. For in-person help, search for TGSS offices and administrations and check the office page for province, appointment rules and services before going.