National Insurance Number

I do not have a national insurance number, yet every bureaucrat wants to know it. I'm retired and all my pension comes from U.S. sources. Can I get an NIN? Should I bother?

I do not have a national insurance number, yet every bureaucrat wants to know it. I'm retired and all my pension comes from U.S. sources. Can I get an NIN? Should I bother?

What is your current immigration status?

Enterd on partner visa December 16th. OK to work, no public funds. Just got my BRP nd it didn't have a NIN.

Enterd on partner visa December 16th. OK to work, no public funds. Just got my BRP nd it didn't have a NIN.

No, it wouldn’t- NINs are only issued on BRPs for work visas.

The reasons you might want to get a NIN are, to:
- work
- claim benefits
- apply for a student loan
- pay Class 3 voluntary National Insurance contributions

If none of those apply to you, it’s likely you don’t need to apply for a NIN.


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Enterd on partner visa December 16th. OK to work, no public funds. Just got my BRP nd it didn't have a NIN.

Thank you. 
As you've found, life is definitely easier with a national insurance number than without. I would go ahead and apply for one anyway, even if you're not intending to work.
A couple of reasons you could use are that you want to open an ISA. (If you actually do this, stick with a cash ISA to avoid tax headaches in the US) or that you want to enter it on your UK tax return. HMRC gave my husband his UTR  (unique taxpayer reference) but still instructed him to apply for a NI number to use when completing his returns.