Moving to Spain: the step-by-step guide for newcomers

Can I move to Spain, and what do I need first?

Your passport decides the route. EU and EEA citizens have a right to live in Spain. Everyone else needs a visa or a permit that fits the reason for the move: work, remote work, study, family, or living on savings or a pension.

Before you book a removal van, answer three questions. Which route are you on? Do you have a flat or a lease for the first month? Do you have health cover that the authorities accept? The rest of this guide follows from those answers.

Spain is a busy destination. The national statistics office counted 1,288,562 people who arrived from abroad and settled in 2024, 3.0% more than in 2023 (INE, 11 Dec 2025). On 1 January 2026, 7,243,561 residents held a foreign nationality, 14.6% of the population, in provisional figures (INE, 12 Feb 2026).

What do I do first as an EU or EEA citizen?

To stay longer than three months, you must meet one of the conditions in article 7 of Royal Decree 240/2007. You work, as an employee or self-employed. Or you have enough money for yourself and your family not to become a burden on social assistance, plus health insurance that covers all risks in Spain. Or you study at a recognised centre, with the same insurance and means. Family members who join you follow the same conditions (Royal Decree 240/2007).

Then you register. Article 7.5 says you must apply in person at the foreigners’ office of the province where you will live, or at the police station, within three months of entering Spain. You receive a registration certificate straight away. It shows your name, nationality, address, foreigner’s identity number (the NIE) and the date. You bring a valid passport or national ID card, and proof that you meet the conditions above.

Which visa routes exist if I come from outside the EU?

Spain offers several, and most start with an application at a Spanish consulate abroad. Three come up most often.

• Non-lucrative visa. For people who live on savings or a pension and do not work in Spain. The consulate page we read asks for an income of 400% of the IPREM (the public indicator used for benefits and thresholds) plus 100% for each dependant, and for health cover from an insurer authorised in Spain, with no waiting periods, exclusions, co-payments or limits. The visa is valid for 365 days (consulate page).
• Remote-work visa. For qualified professionals who work for companies outside Spain. Law 14/2013 sets a visa of up to one year, then a residence permit of up to three years, renewable in periods of two years (Law 14/2013, articles 74 bis to 74 quinquies).
• Work, study and family routes. Each has its own requirements, and some start with an employer, a school or a relative in Spain. We do not cover them here.

The route that used to exist for buying property is closed. Organic Law 1/2025 emptied articles 63 to 67 of Law 14/2013, which held the investor routes, and took effect three months after its publication on 3 January 2025 (Organic Law 1/2025, final provision 21). Permits already granted keep their validity for the period they were issued.

The visa gets you in. Two cards then follow, and people mix them up. Our guide to the NIE and the TIE explains both. In short, the TIE is the card for stays over six months, and you must apply for it in person within one month of entering Spain or of the permit taking effect (Royal Decree 1155/2024, article 209).

What does the first month look like?

Deadlines in the law set the order. This is the sequence most newcomers follow:

1. Before you leave. Non-EU citizens: visa or permit, and the insurance it asks for. EU citizens: nothing to apply for, but fix a first address.
2. Week 1. Short-term accommodation or a signed lease. Our guide to renting in Spain covers the limits on deposits and advance rent.
3. As soon as you have an address. Register at the town hall, the padrón. It is a separate step from the NIE and the TIE.
4. Within one month. Non-EU citizens with a permit for more than six months: apply for the TIE.
5. Within three months. EU and EEA citizens: register at the foreigners’ office or police station.
6. Within six months. If you drive on a non-EU licence, exchange it. The traffic authority says a licence from a country with an agreement is valid for six months at most after you become a resident, and cars and motorbikes (classes A and B) are exchanged without extra tests (DGT, updated 28 Apr 2025).

Our settling-in guide for Spain takes each step in turn and says which ones need you in person.

What is the padrón, and why does it come first?

The padrón is the register of residents of your town. Law 7/1985 says everyone who lives in Spain must register in the municipality where they usually live. The register proves where you live, not that you are in Spain legally. For non-EU citizens without a long-term residence permit, the entry must be renewed every two years (Law 7/1985, articles 15, 16 and 18).

What about health insurance?

Non-EU residence visas and many permits require health insurance with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain (article 62.3 of Law 14/2013). After one year of continuous residence, people with no access to the public system can sign a special agreement with the Ministry of Health: EUR 60 a month under 65, EUR 157 a month from 65 (Ministerio de Sanidad, page undated). Our guide to health insurance for a Spanish visa covers the wording consulates look for.

Which city, and what do rents look like?

Asking rents differ a lot between cities. Idealista, a listings portal, measured these asking rents for September 2026 (idealista, 1 Oct 2026). Each line also gives the number of agencies that list an office there on ReloFinder (Spain directory, data export of 7 Oct 2026).

• Madrid: EUR 23.4 per m2, +4.8% on a year earlier. 15 agencies listed.
• Barcelona: EUR 20.1 per m2, -0.8%. 9 agencies listed.
• Valencia: no figure per m2, +3.1% for the region. 11 agencies listed.
• Málaga: EUR 16.5 per m2, +3.9%. 1 agency listed.
• Spain: EUR 15.1 per m2, +5.6%. 33 agencies listed.

For scale, a 60 m2 flat at the Madrid figure is about EUR 1,404 a month (60 x 23.4). Idealista’s report also says the supply of rental housing keeps falling, which is why a search takes planning. Its index leaves out holiday and seasonal lets since July 2026, so read the figures as asking prices, not what sitting tenants pay. For the capital, read how to find an apartment in Madrid. For the rules on deposits and contracts, read renting in Spain.

What about children and school?

Spanish law gives foreign children under 16 the right and the duty to education, including free compulsory basic schooling (Organic Law 4/2000, article 9). Basic education runs for ten years, between ages six and sixteen (Organic Law 2/2006, article 4). Regions run admissions and calendars, and we did not read their rules, so check the education department of your region before you sign a lease: the school you want may depend on the address.

What does moving to Spain cost?

The agency fee is one line. The rest is the deposit, the rent in advance, the permit fees, insurance and the move itself. Our cost guide separates them and shows which numbers come from a published price page.

Where does a relocation agency help?

ReloFinder lists 33 agencies with a Spanish office (data export of 7 Oct 2026). All 33 list home search, 32 list settling-in help and 32 list immigration support (ReloFinder Spain directory). Those are what agencies say they offer, not what they will do for your case.

An agency earns its fee on three jobs: a home search when you cannot visit often, a package of appointments and registrations, and school search for a family. If your employer is sending you, ask HR first whether there is a relocation policy or an agency contract: if the employer pays, it usually picks the provider. If you are an EU citizen travelling alone with a job and a lease, you may need little more than an address. To compare, read how to choose a relocation agency in Madrid, then get matched. Your request goes to one agency, or to up to three if you ask to compare.

What we could not source

We did not find an official figure for how long appointments for the NIE, the TIE and the padrón take in each city, so this guide gives none. The 2026 euro amount of the IPREM threshold for the non-lucrative visa is also missing: the consulate page gives a multiple of the IPREM, and we did not read the official IPREM value. We did not verify rules for regional health cards, bank accounts or the extraordinary regularisation process of 2026. Check your town hall, the police and, for permits, a Spanish lawyer.