Moving to Spain checklist: Key steps to take

Once you have decided where you want to live in Spain and have found the right property, it's time to start getting ready for your move. As there is a lot to do, this moment might feel challenging, even though it's also exciting, to help you, we've drawn up a checklist for you to consult at each stage of the journey.

Before the move: Background work

You have a lot of research and organising to do before you have even made a firm commitment to moving to Spain. Here are some of the biggest tasks to accomplish ahead of your move.

Arrange your accommodation

Many people who move to Spain decide to start by renting a property. This gives them time to decide whether their new life is right for them, and where they want to settle permanently. But if you have already spent time in Spain and know where you want to live, you might decide to start immediately with looking for a home to buy.

You will also need to consider what to do with your home in your country of origin, if you own it. Perhaps you will need to sell it to fund your new home in Spain, or you might decide to rent it out initially. This will help cover any mortgage you have on it, or provide a small income when you first move to Spain.

Research school facilities in your chosen area

If you have children, you will need to find a suitable school for them in Spain. The type of school depends upon your children's individual needs, their ages, and your own finances.

It is always recommended to put your children into a Spanish school, either State-run or private. This will ensure their total immersion in the language, culture and qualifications system. But if your children are facing major exams shortly, you may wish to enrol them in an international school to guarantee continuity.

Arrange to move your personal belongings to Spain

Moving your belongings to Spain is likely to be the most time-consuming part of your journey to your new life. You should give yourself plenty of time to sort through everything you own and decide what to take with you. Transport costs and space in your new home will largely dictate what you take and what you leave. For example, many people moving to Spain decide to sell their furniture, since it can be more expensive to ship it abroad than to buy new upon arrival.

If you are planning to rent in Spain for a while until you decide whether to commit yourself to buying and living there permanently, you may not want to take everything with you. This means you should research storage costs for anything you leave behind which you may need to ship to Spain later.

Also, check whether your belongings include anything that cannot be moved to Spain. If you are moving from a non-EU/EEA country, you might not be able to take some of your house plants, for example. Other items may require customs declaration transactions to be able to move them.

You should always use a professional international removal company, as they will be covered by insurance and can handle any customs paperwork necessary. Start contacting companies and calculating estimated costs as soon as you decide to make the move.

Arrange to move your pets to Spain

If you have pets, you should start planning well in advance for their move to Spain. You may be required to obtain blood test results and health checks, and apply for a pet passport. Different rules apply to different animals and countries of origin, so you should research what to do before deciding to move to Spain.

Once you have obtained the right paperwork to move your pets with you to Spain, you should arrange the correct pet transport. Always use a specialist company, to make sure your pets get the best possible care on the journey.

Learn Spanish

Being able to speak the national language is essential and, if you do not, you need to start learning well in advance of deciding to move. Some regions have co-official languages, but you do not generally need to learn these before moving there. You might decide to do so once you are settled, but you will find that even in these regions, Castilian Spanish (the national Spanish of Spain) is universally understood.

Learning methods and length of time taken are highly subjective, so it is up to you whether you decide to attend classes in your home country, use books and audio materials, or take online courses.

Arranging a visa (for non-EEA citizens)

If you are a citizen of a European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) country, you do not need a visa to live in Spain. All others may need a visa, depending upon your nationality and whether you plan to work, study, or retire once you have moved. In general, any non-EU or non-EEA citizen who plans to spend more than 90 days in Spain within a 180-day period will need a visa. You should apply for this in good time.

A visa for living in Spain permanently means you will need to prove a certain level of income. This is currently around €28,000 per year, which is considerably higher than the typical annual salary in Spain. For this reason, you should check you are able to afford to live in Spain legally before committing to the move. You can find out more on this subject in our article Visas for Spain: A comprehensive guide.

Get a NIE number

All non-Spanish people resident in Spain need a Foreigners' Identity Number (Número de Identificación de Extranjeros, or NIE). This is necessary for almost all official transactions in Spain, including buying a home or a car, starting a business, enrolling your children in school and, in some cases, opening a bank account.

Make sure you allow plenty of time to apply for a NIE.

Translate documents

Depending upon the requirements for obtaining a NIE or getting legal residence in Spain, you may need to produce translations of legal documents. These might include a marriage certificate or birth certificate. Documents needed are different for EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA citizens, and also different for students, workers, investors, and retirees. Make sure you have thoroughly researched the paperwork you need, in plenty of time.

Legal or sworn translations are the only format accepted. This means you will need to find a sworn translator in Spain or your own country, even if you are fluent in Spanish and able to translate the documents yourself.

Arrange health insurance for your first few weeks

Even if you expect to qualify for State healthcare once you become resident, you should still arrange for private health insurance before moving to Spain. A valid healthcare policy may be necessary to enable you to obtain proof of residence. It will also ensure you can get treatment as soon as you arrive in, or on the journey to, Spain. More permanent healthcare arrangements can be made when you have settled, as described later in this article.

Get an International Driving Licence

Non-EU/EEA citizens are recommended to obtain an International Driving Licence from their home country before moving to Spain. This will allow them to drive on Spanish roads before they have obtained proof of legal residence. Once you become resident, you may need to exchange your home country licence for a Spanish version, as explained later in this article.

Once you have arrived: Settling in

Making arrangements for any of the following tasks before you arrive in Spain is always a good idea. This will reduce any urgency once you are in your new home with lots of unpacking to do!

In all cases, you should ensure the jobs listed below are carried out as soon as possible, to ensure your situation is fully legal.

Register on the padrón

The padrón is the population census in each town, and you are obliged to register on it as soon as possible after you move there. You must be registered if you intend to be in Spain for more than six months. Doing so will enable you to apply for residence, register with a doctor, and many other essential transactions. Each person in your household must be registered on the padrón at your address.

The padrón is not an electoral census. It is merely proof of where you live, and allows your local council to obtain State funding based upon population size. You may need to show a padrón certificate for official transactions. These certificates are valid for three months, but you do not need to get a new certificate when it expires unless you need to produce it for transactions that require sight of it.

Apply for proof of residence in Spain

Processes and requirements for obtaining residence in Spain are different depending upon your country of origin. EU/EEA citizens have the right to freedom of movement in other member States, so the procedure is simpler.

EU/EEA citizens

If you are an EU/EEA citizen, your residence document is a CUE or 'green certificate'. It is not accepted as identification (ID), since it does not have a photograph, but is proof that you live in Spain permanently and legally.

You are required to get a 'green certificate' if you intend to live in Spain for three months or more. To be accepted, you must be able to prove a minimum level of income. This is currently a minimum of €5,539.20 per year for a single person or €9,586.64 for a couple.

Non-EU/EEA citizens

If you are a citizen of a country not part of the EU/EEA, you will need to apply for a Foreigners' Identification Card (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjeros, or TIE) within one month of moving to Spain. It is best to check the requirements, process and necessary paperwork well in advance of your move, however, to ensure you have enough time to do so.

You must have already obtained your visa allowing you to live in Spain before you apply for a TIE. Your TIE is proof that you are legally resident in Spain, and is also accepted as ID, since it has your photograph and fingerprints on it.

Arrange healthcare cover

You will normally need a private healthcare insurance policy when you first move to Spain, but this may change once you become resident. State healthcare in Spain is free at the point of use, although some payment is required for prescription medication.

If you are working for a company or are registered as self-employed, you will be covered automatically for State healthcare. EU/EEA citizens are covered via their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for the first three months, even if they are not working.

Spain has agreements with different countries – both EU/EEA nations and some non-EU/EEA countries – which allow non-working citizens of these countries to access State healthcare once they are resident in Spain. This includes cover for foreigners on a retirement pension, and sometimes those who have retired early. You should research this before you make the move.

Spain automatically provides emergency-only State medical care to everyone living in the country, even if they are not legally resident. Care relating to pregnancy and childbirth, and necessary treatment for those aged under 18, is also automatically offered if the patient lives in Spain, whether or not they have legal residence.

Get a Tarjeta Sanitaria (healthcare card)

Once you have arranged healthcare cover, you need to register with a doctor at your local medical centre. Once you have done so, you will be given a card that you should show whenever you collect prescriptions, book appointments, or attend appointments at your health centre or hospital.

Open a bank account in Spain

Your household bills and car and home insurance will need to be paid from a Spanish bank account. You cannot set up a direct debit from an account in another country. Also, if you do not have an account in Spain, you may be hit with commission charges and withdrawal fees whenever you take out cash or carry out transactions.

Some banks will allow you to open an account upon sight of your passport, although most require a NIE number. You will be set up as a non-resident account-holder unless you show your TIE or 'green certificate' when opening the account. If you want to open a bank account before obtaining proof of residence, you can then change this status later by showing your TIE or 'green certificate' at the bank.

Bear in mind that banks in Spain charge annual fees for having an account, and for issuing and renewing debit and credit cards. You should research these fees before deciding which company to bank with, and budget for them.

Check your driving licence

If you plan to live in Spain permanently, you will eventually need to exchange your driving licence for a Spanish one. Licences from EU/EEA countries are valid for two years, or until they expire, whichever happens first. Some licences from non-EU/EEA countries are considered valid for driving in Spain for the first six months of your residence.

Once your foreign licence is no longer valid in Spain, you may be able to exchange it for a Spanish one. If it cannot be exchanged, you will need to take a driving test and driving theory test in Spain.

Once you are legally resident in Spain, you can no longer use an International Driving Licence and must arrange to obtain a Spanish licence.

The next step: Once you're settled in

Equally important, but less urgent - you can do the following tasks immediately if you wish, but they can usually wait a few weeks until you have dealt with the more pressing issues listed above.

Get a Spanish mobile phone

Continuing to use your foreign mobile phone in Spain could become expensive. You may not need to get a Spanish phone number if you are from an EU/EEA country, since roaming charges do not apply in different member States. Everyone else should get a Spanish SIM card as soon as possible, to avoid excessive costs. These can be obtained from different mobile phone shops locally.

Register to pay tax in Spain

If you live in Spain or have any economic activity in the country, you will probably be liable for income tax. Unless your income is from one sole source which is based in Spain, and is below a specified figure, you must make an annual declaration to the tax authorities, or Agencia Tributaria. This is known as a Declaración de la Renta and is filed between April and June for earnings from the previous calendar year. Doing so does not necessarily mean you have to pay, but you are still required to declare your earnings.

Spain has dual tax agreements with some countries so you do not have to pay tax twice on the same earnings.

If you are employed by a company, you will automatically be registered to pay tax by your employers, so you do not need to take further action to register. Income tax will be deducted from your wages at source, and you will only need to make your annual Declaración de la Renta if required.

Spain's taxation system is very complex; specialist knowledge, and access to specific tax office networks, are required. We strongly recommend you approach a legal and financial advisor, known as a gestor or asesor, to handle your taxation affairs.

Find a good local vet for your pets

You should ensure you know how to find the nearest emergency veterinary clinic before you arrive in Spain, but once there, you can look around for a vet's practice to register your pets with. Using a regular clinic means your vet will be familiar with your pets' medical history. Asking around other pet owners, or looking at reviews online, can help you make a choice.

Now you have a list of the main steps to take during your move to Spain, you may want to read in more detail about how to ensure it all runs as smoothly as possible. To get you started, we suggest you take a look at our article What documents do I need before moving to Spain?