I approached the Spanish embassy about getting one online but they advised me to get one in Spain.
I got mine in Reus which was not a problem, I heard that Tortosa was a problem. However if you look up the forum there are many posts on this where people have given their experiences.
Further I think you have to get it renewed frequently, At the time I got it this was not the case.

Hi Robo,

In Holland you can get it at the consulate in Amsterdam. I heard it will take quite some time (months). Here's the info of the Spanisch consulate in Amsterdam:

http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/AMSTERDAM/en/InformacionParaExtranjeros/...

Gooed luck,
Mark

philmountains wrote on Apr 9^th, 2014 at 7:26pm:



Your NIE stays with you for life unless you leave Spain for more than 2 years then you have to apply for a new one, Your NIE number normally begins with an X. What you have to renew is your residencia as discussed hereon. You need your NIE to buy/rent a property. Open a bank Account, Obtain a Spanish driving licence,obtaining phone/internet, Buy a donkey shed etc.

Certificates of Residencia ( Green Paper Type) I think have no renewal date on them. I still have my old plastic photo type which the green paper one replaced.(No photo) I will get a green paper one but will "retain " wink wink my photo one.That ran out in well years ago. After 5 years you are allowed  permanent residence. I have put lots of links below glean what you can from them.Some may be out of date as the goal posts are moved when the Gov tills in Spain need more cash but you should get a lot of intel on what it's all about.

https://www.gov.uk/residency-requirements-in-spain

http://www.barcelonayellow.com/bcn-information/172-residency-papers-nie-number?I...

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2004:158:0077:0123:EN...

http://www.interior.gob.es/en/web/servicios-al-ciudadano/dni

https://www.gov.uk/living-in-spain

(Side Issue) Here is a little pdf re tax in Spain/UK incomes.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxtreaties/in-force/spain-consolidated.pdf

Fed up with all this red tape ? Chill and take a listen to Yasmin she is hot and has a great voice. This goes out to all you members of cultish underground core Yo brother.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXx1vmCjNV4

Many thanks guys
great info here !
regards
robo

There have been some changes to the NIE Number certificate in the last year, which coincide with the changes to Spanish Residency regulations.  One of these is that Spanish NIE Certificates no longer show an address and another is that at the bottom of your NIE certificate it now says that your certificate is only valid for three months. This may be a worry for you if you are still searching for a property or know that you will need to use your NIE certificate after the expiry date.



The reason your NIE certificate states it will expire after three months is that the Spanish Government is now trying to encourage everyone to apply for their Residency after the initial three month period of living here.  The NIE number you have been allocated (which will  begin with an X  or, for newer numbers, a Y) actually stays with you for life and does not expire.



Once you have had your NIE for 3 months, if you are still living here, you may wish to apply for your Residency which is a credit card sized green card. This shows your name and address and the NIE number you have already been issued with.  It is now a more complicated procedure to do this and you are required to show that you can support yourself financially as well as any dependents and if applicable, also have medical insurance. Each application is looked at on an individual basis and the requirements seem to vary depending at which National Police Station Extranjeria you make your application.



If you decide to apply for your Residency, you will need to be sure you are going to stay here long term as it is also a requirement that should you leave Spain to live elsewhere that you de-register your residency.



However if you are not planning on living in Spain and only have a property here for holidays then what do you do when your NIE certificate is older than three months?  It may be that certain Notaries will refuse to accept it.  If you have not managed to do everything that you needed to with your NIE within the three months and you have further business whereby you need to go the Notary, eg making a will, buying or selling a property, then you can register your NIE as a non resident. This means that you can continue to use your NIE certificate without worries and do not need to apply for your Spanish Residency.

info from .niein1day.

It appears so Terry Mine ran out years ago I will get it replaced. Re the plastic card now being issued it appears to be the case.It could vary from region to region as you know Catalonia appear to make their own rules sometimes. Anyway here is a few folks discussing the new card. If you want the plastic card you have to reapply and cough up the ten euro or so fee. 

http://www.eyeonspain.com/forums/posts-long-19296.aspx