The removal van is gone, the boxes are in a flat in Valencia or Málaga, and the first thing you notice is that nothing works without a number: no phone contract, no bank card, no doctor. Moving to Spain is easy on paper for an EU citizen, and surprisingly paper-hungry once you have arrived. The good news is that the order of the steps is logical, and that almost everything is free or costs a few euros.
This checklist follows the real sequence. It applies to citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland. If you are British, read our guide for British people first, because the rules are different.
What do you need to sort out before moving to Spain?
Three things, ideally a few weeks before you leave.
Your health cover. Ask your insurer or health fund for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). If you are a pensioner or posted by an employer, ask for an S1 form. Both are explained in our article on healthcare in Spain for expats.
Your documents. A valid passport or national ID card, plus anything that proves what you will do in Spain: an employment contract, proof of self-employment, or proof of income if you are retired or not working. Spanish offices ask for originals and photocopies, and sometimes sworn translations. Keep birth and marriage certificates handy if you are moving with a family.
A place to live. You cannot register as a resident without an address. Many people rent short-term for the first month and look for a proper home on the spot, which is wiser than signing from abroad. Read renting in Spain before you pay anything.
Which steps come first when you arrive?
Do them in this order, because each one feeds the next.
- Register at the padrón. This is the municipal register of inhabitants, kept by your town hall (Ayuntamiento). Take your passport or ID card and your rental contract or another proof of address. Registration is an obligation for anyone who lives in Spain, and it is the proof of address that schools, the health service and the immigration office ask for.
- Book your appointment (cita previa) at the Oficina de Extranjeros. Appointments are mandatory, and waiting times vary a lot by province. Book as soon as you land.
- Pay the fee. It is €12, paid with form 790, code 012, at a bank before your appointment. Keep the receipt.
- Attend the appointment with your passport or ID, the EX-18 form, the receipt and the proof of your situation (job, business, or insurance plus money). You leave with your certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión, which carries your NIE.
The NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is the foreigner's identity number, and it doubles as your tax number. If you need it earlier, for instance to sign a lease or buy a home, you can request it on its own: see the NIE number in Spain.
What should you do in your first three months?
The three-month deadline for registering is the one that matters. After it, you are not really "temporary" any more in the eyes of the law, even though many people only get round to it later and nothing dramatic happens straight away. Do not count on that.
Once the certificate is in your hand, a second wave of small tasks opens:
- Social security number. If you work for an employer, they register you before your first day. If you are self-employed, you register yourself.
- Health card. After your right to care is recognised, you ask your regional health service for the tarjeta sanitaria and you are assigned a health centre and a family doctor.
- Bank account. Banks ask for your passport or ID card plus your NIE. If one refuses you, you can ask for a basic payment account, capped at €3 a month. See opening a bank account in Spain.
- Online access. Many offices only deal with you online. Cl@ve or a free electronic certificate from the national mint (FNMT) opens the door to the tax office and social security.
- Driving licence and car. Your EU licence stays valid while it is in force, but some licences must be renewed in Spain, and a car brought from abroad has to be registered here. Our guide to driving in Spain explains the renewal deadlines and the DGT fees.
What does moving to Spain cost in paperwork?
Less than people fear. The residence certificate costs €12. The NIE alone costs €9.84 if you request it separately. The padrón is free to join, though some town halls charge for certified copies. Cl@ve and the FNMT electronic certificate are free. The real costs lie elsewhere: a deposit on the flat, a translator if a document needs one, and sometimes a gestor, a private adviser who handles forms for a fee. You do not have to use one.
What if you are not going to work?
Retirees, people living on savings and remote workers with a foreign employer are all welcome, but the registration looks at them differently. The Oficina de Extranjeros wants to see two things: health insurance that covers you in Spain at a level equivalent to the national health system (public or private, bought in Spain or elsewhere), and enough money for you and your family. The officials assess resources case by case, so there is no published minimum. Bring recent bank statements, a pension certificate or an income statement, and the insurance policy. If you are a pensioner with an S1 form, that form is the basis of your health cover once it is registered with social security.
Students need proof of enrolment at a recognised school or university and full health cover. A European Health Insurance Card is accepted for them if it covers the whole length of the stay.
How long does the whole process take?
It depends mostly on how soon you get an appointment, and that varies from province to province. The appointment itself is short, and the certificate is handed over on the spot. The health card and the bank account usually follow over the next weeks. Here is the order of events at a glance:
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Before leaving | EHIC or S1, documents, short-term accommodation |
| First days | Padrón, appointment booked, fee paid |
| At the appointment | Residence certificate with your NIE |
| Afterwards | Social security number, health card, bank account |
| Within three months of arrival | Deadline for the residence registration |
What are the common mistakes?
- Going to the office without an appointment. The cita previa is not optional.
- Skipping the padrón. Without it, your residence application can be blocked.
- Having no insurance when you do not work. Retirees and people with savings, but no job, need full health cover to be registered. A simple EHIC is only accepted for students.
- Confusing the certificate with ID. The certificate proves where you live; it does not replace your passport or national ID card. Foreigners in Spain must carry their identity document and proof of lawful stay.
- Forgetting tax. If you spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, or your main economic interests are here, you are a tax resident. Ask the tax agency or an adviser how this applies to you.
Everything above applies in the Canary and Balearic Islands as well. Residence for EU citizens is a national procedure, so you go to the Oficina de Extranjeros of your island or province and you get the same certificate. Only regional services, such as health and schools, differ in the details.
If your case is not standard (you are posted by your employer, have income in two countries or plan to open a business), Moovy, Hello Expat's AI assistant, can help you work out which steps apply to you.
Keep a dated folder, on paper and on your phone, of every receipt and certificate: the €12 fee receipt, the padrón certificate, the residence certificate, the insurance policy. Spanish offices often ask for a document you handed over to a different office a month earlier, and a copy at hand ends the conversation quickly.