How to get a National Insurance Number

One of the most difficult things for foreign persons should be to get to know what you have to do before you are allowed to work in the UK. Here is a short description of how to apply for a National Insurance Number (NI) since I was more than overwhelmed when I applied in the Pub and learned that I have to have one.

General information about the National Insurance Number:

In order to work in the UK you need a NI. This number is to track your salaries and to charge your taxes. You can apply for it online or via telephone at a Job Center. I can really recommend to apply via telephone since it is a lot easier and quicker than online. It is important that you are living in the UK when you apply for the NI and can prove it with a contract or bills. As long as you are a citizen of the EU the procedure of application is easy, because basically you are allowed to work in the UK. Before your application you should prepare the following things:

• personal information (name, date of birth, citizenship)
• british postal code and address 
• period of your stay 
• reason for your stay and application (part/full-time job, self-employment etc.)

How to apply:

In order to apply you can simply call the following number: 0345 600 0643 (Mo - Fr: 8.00 am - 6.00 pm). As long as you prepared all the information above the conversation should not take longer than 10 minutes. They will gather your information and arrange an appointment. You have to make an appointment because here you have to verify your identity at the Job Center in a personal appointment. There you will need the following documents: 

• identification (or passport or drivers licence)
• hiring contract or bills (or other confirmation of your british residence)
• insurance policy number of your home country 

All in all it is really easy to get a NI. The only problem is that it takes up to 4 weeks to finally get the Number. If you want to start working anyway there is a way to do so without a NI: You can ask for a confirmation of your application at the Job Center which you can show to your potential employer. He will create a so called temporary Number for you. 

When are you allowed to work?

Basically as a EU citizen you are allowed to work in the UK even without a NI. However your employer has to create a Temporary Number for you which most of them do not like without the confirmation of application at the Job Center. The reason for that is that they cannot prove whether you are here illegally. If it is so and they employed you anyway they would have to pay a penalty of I think 40.000 Pounds.