Last thing I had to get – I hope – for my employment was the Spanish social security number or Número de la Seguridad Social. From all the formalities, this one went the smoothest. I just had to go to their office, there was no queue so I didn’t have to abuse my PSP again, and apply for the SS number by filling a form they hand out there and presenting the NIE, empadronamiento and passport, both originals and photocopies.
In order to enter the Social Security office, I had to go through a metal detector scan, which is new to me, as it never happened to any other public office I’ve been in Spain. The security guard was the only one who spoke English there, although he was the last person I would have expected to. He was kind enough to help me and with his guidance, I was able to get the número de la seguridad social in no time.
The funny thing is that now I can benefit from the Spanish social security system for, let’s say, healthcare, without having contributed a single dime to the system. Oh, the benefits of socialism…