A series of letters and numbers used to identify a person or business
In the business world there are several terms that are common and that we can also find in many forms, such as the NIF and the CIF. Although they refer to similar things and, over time, the term NIF came to refer to the same thing, there are some differences between the two acronyms.
The acronym NIF refers to the Tax Identification Number, while CIF means Tax Identification Code. Both terms differed in that the NIF was used for individuals, while the CIF was more common for companies. But this changed in 2008, when Royal Decree 1065/2007 came into force, with which the acronym CIF became invalid, to use the term NIF for both cases, both for individuals and for companies. Despite this change, it is still common to use the CIF term for companies.
NIF code structure
The NIF code of a company is made up of a series of letters and numbers. But the letters and numbers are not random, but have a particular meaning that determines some of the characteristics of the company such as the type or the code of the province in which it is registered.
The first character of the NIF is a letter from A to Z, which determines the time of the company in question. It can be a public limited company (A), a limited liability company (B), a partnership (C)… The next two digits are the province code. These are followed by five digits that will depend on the registration in the provincial registry. The next digit is a check digit which could be either a number or a letter from A to J.
In the case of natural persons, the NIF corresponds to the DNI number, which is made up of eight numbers and one letter, so the DNI number and the NIF of a person are the same. This number and letter is assigned by the police station that processes the documentation and also includes a control digit.
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