Work, home, the city

Working in Vigo, on deck or on the factory floor: the numbers a contract needs

Before your first day the employer must hold two of your numbers: the NIE, and the número de afiliación that Social Security gives you; a non-EU worker needs one thing more, and before both: permission to work. Vigo hires at sea and ashore, aboard fishing and merchant vessels, in the shipyards along the ría, in factories and canneries, in hospitals, shops and offices.

Start a request

Who it concerns

Employees and self-employed people starting work in Vigo or its area, at sea or ashore.

The forms

EX-15 or EX-18 for Europeans
Modelo 790 código 012

Where it is done

Police steps: named on the cita previa confirmation you receive; authorisations: Rúa Teófilo Llorente 4, Vigo

Put these in your folder

Passport or EU identity card
The signed offer or contract
The EX form, signed
Receipt of the 790-012: bank-stamped copy, or proof of online payment
The printed booking

Europeans: free to start

Your EU nationality already lets you work. To put you on the payroll, the company has to quote your NIE; if you stay longer than three months, registering on the EX-18, contract in hand as your proof, gives you that number and your residence at one appointment. Living in Portugal and working here? See our page for cross-border workers.

Other passports: permission before the contract

A NIE alone never makes a job legal. For a first post, the usual order is an authorisation to reside and work, applied for by the company before you travel, then the visa from the consulate, then the TIE after landing. Those already in Spain may qualify through other routes, arraigo among them. In Vigo, the Oficina de Extranjería at Rúa Teófilo Llorente 4 lists these authorisations. Britons covered by the Withdrawal Agreement need nothing further.

Afiliación: your number with Social Security

The TGSS, Social Security’s treasury, gives every worker a número de afiliación that stays theirs for life. You can ask for yours, or the employer obtains it when registering you. The Seguridad Social’s office finder lists TGSS offices in Vigo on Avenida García Barbón 72 and C/ López Mora 62, and points to its online service, Importass.

Signing on a vessel

Crew on Spanish-flagged vessels are registered with Social Security under the special scheme for workers at sea, run by the Instituto Social de la Marina (ISM), rather than the general one; the same office finder gives the ISM’s provincial office in Vigo, on Avenida Beiramar 51 (986 216 100). The NIE and, for non-EU crew, the right to work still come first. The shipowner or crewing agency tells you which papers the vessel itself requires.

Job-hunting through the Xunta’s offices

The Xunta’s public employment service runs four offices in the city, Vigo-Calvario, Vigo-Navia, Vigo-Sanjurjo Badía and Vigo-López Mora, and others in the towns around. Which one is yours depends on your postcode; the service’s online finder tells you, and lets you book an appointment.

What the payroll office will ask for

Your NIE (certificate, green certificate or TIE)
The Social Security number (número de afiliación)
An IBAN for your wages
Proof of address from the padrón
The contract, signed by both sides

In Vigo

For workers in Vigo the steps are split: identity papers (number, green certificate, card) are police matters booked for the province of Pontevedra, while permits to work and reside belong to the Oficina de Extranjería at Rúa Teófilo Llorente 4.

On the official list

Vigo

Rúa Teófilo Llorente 4, Vigo

Permits and the EU family card

Permits to work and reside, reunification and arraigo are decided here, at the Oficina de Extranjería, which also lists the card for a European’s non-EU relatives; 9:00–14:00 on weekdays, information on 902 022 222.

Office name: Oficina de Extranjería en Vigo, Sede 2 (Delegación del Gobierno en Galicia)
Street and town: Rúa Teófilo Llorente 4, bajo, 36202 Vigo
Opening times: Monday to Friday, 9:00–14:00
Phone, as published: 902 022 222 (information on applications)
Also noted: According to the government's page, NIE numbers, EU registration certificates and TIE cards are issued by the police, not at this office.

On the map Official page Non-EU family of a European: the EX-19

Questions people ask about this

Can I start while my NIE appointment is still pending?

Usually not: the company has to register you with Social Security before you start work, which it cannot do without the number. Show them your booking, and keep watching for an earlier slot in the province.

Is my NIE also my Social Security number?

No. The Policía Nacional assigns the NIE and the TGSS the Social Security number; you need both.

I live in Redondela and work in Vigo. Which padrón?

Redondela’s: the padrón follows your home, whatever the address of the job.

Checked against these official pages

Re-read for this guide in October 2026.

Which raft are you tied to?

A few lines are enough: your nationality, where around the ría you live or will live, and what has to be ready by when. We answer by email with the route that fits.

Start a request