Island life and local guides
A first contract on Gran Canaria: the numbers to have ready
Before your first payslip on Gran Canaria, the employer signs you up with Social Security (the alta), and that needs two numbers: your NIE and your Social Security number. Europeans get the NIE with their green certificate; non-EU workers need a work authorisation first. A hotel in Maspalomas, a shop in Triana, an office in Vegueta: same two numbers, same order.
Ask for help about this procedure; we reply by email
The two numbers, and what follows
- Your NIE: inside the green certificate if you are a European staying longer than three months, or alone on form EX-15 for a short contract
- Your número de afiliación, the Social Security number, which the TGSS (the treasury of the Seguridad Social) issues; ask for it yourself or let the employer do it
- Then a Spanish bank account for your salary, and the padrón of the municipality where you live
Working with a European passport
European workers (EU, EEA, Switzerland) need no permit, not even on day one. Their papers identify them; they do not grant permission. If your contract runs past three months, ask for the green certificate rather than a bare NIE: it is the right procedure for you, and it saves a second appointment.
Non-EU workers: permission first
A number is one thing, permission to work is another. Someone with a non-EU passport needs an authorisation that covers work, which the employer normally applies for before the start date, or a residence that already includes work, the EX-19 card for relatives of Europeans for example. These authorisations are the business of the Oficina de Extranjería, Plaza de la Concordia 5, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Do not sign a contract or start a trial shift before this is clear. Tell us your situation and we check where you stand.
Changing jobs later
Your NIE and your Social Security number stay the same from one employer to the next. What changes is the contract and, if you move house, your padrón.
The TGSS on the island
If you need a TGSS office in person, the Seguridad Social’s office finder gives the provincial one at Calle Pérez del Toro 89, 35004 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and local offices (administraciones) in Telde, Gáldar and San Bartolomé de Tirajana.
Questions
My hotel job starts next week and my appointment is later. What can I do?
Tell your employer the date of your appointment. The registration with Social Security needs your number, so the start date may have to fit around it; we can help you look for an earlier slot.
NIE, Social Security number: what is the difference?
The police give the NIE; the TGSS, the Social Security treasury, gives the Social Security number. Two administrations, two numbers, and both stay with you.
I am Moroccan and have a job offer in Las Palmas. Where do I start?
With the work authorisation, which the employer usually requests. The NIE and later the TIE come with it. Tell us where the process stands and we explain the next step.
Will the employer ask for my padrón?
Usually not for the contract. Still, the law asks every resident to register where they live, and later procedures often want the certificate.
Where these facts come from
- policia.es: Policía Nacional units with foreigners’ procedures in the province of Las Palmas (Luis Doreste Silva, Plaza de la Feria, Maspalomas, Santa Lucía de Tirajana, Telde)
- Delegación del Gobierno en Canarias: what the Oficina de Extranjería on Plaza de la Concordia handles
- Seguridad Social: office finder, with the TGSS offices on Gran Canaria
- BOE: Orden INT/864/2012, which set up the Santa Lucía de Tirajana unit for Santa Lucía, Agüimes and Ingenio
These sources were last checked on .