Most non-EU nationals moving to Spain need a visa first — usually the Non-Lucrative Visa (retirees and the financially independent) or the Digital Nomad Visa (remote workers). You then obtain a NIE, register locally (empadronamiento), arrange visa-compliant health insurance, and plan your tax position before becoming resident — and most people put a Spanish will in place. EU citizens register for residency instead. The order matters as much as the steps, which is what this guide sets out.
Who This Guide Is For
People move to Spain for very different reasons, and the legal path is different for each. This guide is written for the people we help every week:
- Retirees and financially independent movers who want to live in Spain without working locally — usually on the Non-Lucrative Visa. If this is you, our dedicated retiring to Spain guide goes deeper.
- Remote workers and the self-employed earning from outside Spain, who need the Digital Nomad Visa and a clear tax plan.
- Families relocating together, including children and dependent parents, often using family reunification routes.
- British nationals navigating post-Brexit rules — covered in detail on our moving from the UK and moving after Brexit pages.
- Americans, Canadians, Australians and other non-EU nationals — see moving from the USA for the US-specific points.
If you are an EU citizen, your route is far simpler — you register for residency rather than applying for a visa — but the tax, property, healthcare and inheritance points below still apply to you in full.
Start with the right question
The most expensive mistakes in a Spanish move are made in the first month — choosing the wrong visa, registering for residency before understanding the tax consequences, or buying property before securing a NIE. The order matters as much as the steps. That is exactly what this page sets out.
The Move, Step by Step
Almost every successful relocation follows the same sequence. Get the order right and each step unlocks the next; get it wrong and you spend months unwinding problems. Here is the journey we take clients through.
1. Confirm your right to live in Spain
Everything begins with your legal basis for residence. Non-EU nationals almost always need a visa before arriving — most commonly the Non-Lucrative Visa (for those living on pensions, savings or passive income) or the Digital Nomad Visa (for remote employees and freelancers earning from outside Spain). Students use the Student Visa. Retirees comparing options should read our best visa for retirees comparison. EU citizens skip the visa stage and register directly. Choosing the right route — and meeting its financial and insurance conditions — is the foundation everything else sits on.
2. Get your NIE
Your NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is the identification number behind every meaningful transaction in Spain — opening a bank account, signing a lease, buying property, paying tax, taking out insurance. It can be obtained at a Spanish consulate before you arrive or in Spain afterwards. Visa holders receive a NIE as part of the residency process; non-residents buying property need one too, which is why our NIE for property purchase guide exists.
3. Register your address — empadronamiento
Empadronamiento is registering on your local town hall's roll of residents. It is needed for healthcare, school places, residency renewals and many administrative tasks. Critically, it also signals where you live — which feeds into your tax residency position — so the timing should be considered, not automatic.
4. Sort healthcare and insurance
Most visa routes require private health insurance that meets specific conditions before they will even consider your file. Once resident, you may also access the public system. Getting the right cover, with the right certificate, is one of the most common stumbling blocks — we cover it fully under healthcare and insurance below and on our health insurance for Spanish visas page.
5. Understand your tax position
Spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year and you are generally a Spanish tax resident, taxed on your worldwide income. This is the single most underestimated part of moving to Spain. Plan it before you move, not after. See tax residency below and our tax in Spain for expats pillar.
6. Property, driving and daily life
Whether you rent or buy property, exchange your driving licence, register for a social security number or obtain a digital certificate for online dealings with the authorities, these are the pieces that turn a visa into a settled life.
7. Protect what you've built — wills and estate planning
Spanish inheritance rules are different from those in the UK, US and most home countries. A Spanish will covering your Spanish assets, drafted alongside your existing home-country will, prevents painful and expensive problems for your family later. This is the step people skip — and the one that causes the most distress when it is missed.
Choosing the Right Visa or Residency Route
For non-EU nationals, the visa decision shapes everything: how long you can stay, whether you can work, what you must prove financially, and how you will be taxed. The two routes we handle most often are the Non-Lucrative Visa and the Digital Nomad Visa.
The Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV)
The NLV is for people who can support themselves without working in Spain — typically retirees, the financially independent, and those living on pensions, rental income or investments. You must show sufficient regular income or savings (a multiple of Spain's IPREM index, which is revised annually) and hold qualifying private health insurance. You cannot work for a Spanish employer on this visa. It is renewable and, over time, leads toward long-term residence. Our NLV pillar sets out the current requirements, costs and timeline.
The Digital Nomad Visa (DNV)
Introduced under Spain's Startups Law, the DNV is for remote employees and freelancers whose income comes from outside Spain. It carries its own income threshold, allows a limited share of income from Spanish clients, and can be paired with the favourable Beckham Law tax regime in the right circumstances. If you work for a foreign employer or run a location-independent business, this is usually your route — start with the DNV pillar.
Not sure which fits?
The honest answer is that it depends on where your money comes from and whether you intend to work. If your income is passive or you are retired, the NLV is usually right. If you are actively working remotely, it is usually the DNV. A short eligibility conversation settles it quickly — and our residency eligibility checker gives you a first read in minutes.
Families do not each need a separate primary visa — the main applicant's route can include a spouse and dependent children, and dependent parents in some cases, through family reunification. EU citizens register for residency directly and bring family under EU free-movement rules.
Healthcare and Insurance
Private health insurance is not an afterthought when moving to Spain — for most visa routes it is a condition of approval. Spanish authorities expect cover that behaves like the public system: full private medical cover with no copayments where required, no waiting periods where required, from an insurer authorised in Spain, evidenced by the correct certificate for your application.
The mistakes we see most often are buying travel insurance instead of full private medical cover, choosing a policy with copayments that the consulate then rejects, or letting cover lapse just before a renewal. Getting it right the first time avoids a refused application and a wasted appointment slot.
Visa-compliant health insurance
We confirm exactly what your specific visa route requires and check your certificate before it goes into your file. For the cover itself, our specialist partner arranges Sanitas resident policies designed to meet Spanish visa and residency conditions.
Visit Spanish Health Insurance →Beyond health cover, a Spanish move usually means arranging home, car and travel insurance too — when you buy a property, exchange your driving licence, or travel back and forth before residency is granted. Our insurance for expats hub explains what is needed and when.
Home, car and travel insurance
For property buyers, drivers and travellers, our partner provides English-language home, car, travel and other expat policies across Spain — so claims and renewals are handled in your language.
Visit 247 Expat Insurance →Once you are legally resident, you may also be entitled to register for public healthcare and obtain a Spanish health card (tarjeta sanitaria), depending on your route and contributions.
Tax Residency — the Step People Underestimate
If you spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, or your main centre of economic interest is here, you are generally a Spanish tax resident. That means Spain taxes your worldwide income — pensions, rental income abroad, investments and salary — not just what you earn in Spain. Many people only discover this after the move, when the planning options have already narrowed.
Done properly, the tax side is manageable and often far less frightening than people fear. The key points to settle before you move:
- When you become tax resident — and how to time your move within the tax year. See tax residency in Spain.
- Double taxation — Spain has treaties (including with the UK and US) that prevent you being taxed twice on the same income. Our double taxation Spain–UK guide explains how relief works.
- Reporting overseas assets — residents with significant assets abroad must file the Modelo 720 declaration. The penalties for getting this wrong are steep.
- The Beckham Law — incoming workers may qualify for a favourable flat-rate regime; relevant especially for DNV holders. See Beckham Law.
- Non-resident obligations — if you keep a Spanish property but are not resident, you still have filing duties. See non-resident tax.
For the full picture, including income tax bands and how pensions are treated, start at the tax in Spain for expats pillar.
Renting or Buying a Home
Many people rent first and buy once they are settled — a sensible approach that lets you choose an area with confidence. When you are ready to buy, Spanish conveyancing is very different from the process at home, and independent legal representation is essential. Your estate agent acts for the seller; you need someone acting only for you.
A proper purchase involves checking the property is free of debts and charges, that what is being sold matches the registry and the cadastre, that licences and permissions are in order, and that the deposit (arras) contract protects you. Our buying property in Spain guide and conveyancing service walk through every stage, and the property law pillar covers selling, taxes and ongoing ownership.
Plan the cost before you offer
Beyond the purchase price, budget for transfer tax or VAT, notary and registry fees, and legal costs — typically around 10–13% on top, depending on the region and whether the property is new or resale. Our property purchase cost calculator gives you a realistic total before you commit.
The Admin That Turns a Visa Into a Settled Life
Once your residency is secured, a cluster of practical tasks makes daily life work. None is difficult in isolation; the friction comes from doing them in the wrong order or in Spanish, at offices with limited appointment availability. We handle these as a bundle so you are not making repeat trips to the authorities.
TIE residency card
Your physical proof of residence, fingerprinted and issued after approval.
TIE card guide →Digital certificate
Spain's online key for dealing with tax, social security and town halls electronically.
Digital certificate guide →Driving licence exchange
Exchanging a foreign licence for a Spanish one — rules differ sharply by country, especially post-Brexit for UK licences.
Licence exchange guide →Social security number
Needed for work, autónomo registration and accessing public healthcare through contributions.
Social security guide →Apostille & sworn translations
Foreign documents must be apostilled and officially translated to be valid in Spain.
Apostille & legalisation →Bringing pets
Microchipping, vaccinations and paperwork — easy when planned, stressful when left late.
Insurance & relocation support →Protecting Your Family — Wills and Inheritance
Spanish succession law differs fundamentally from common-law systems. Spain applies forced-heirship rules in many cases, and inheritance tax is charged differently — and at very different rates — depending on the region and the relationship between the deceased and the beneficiary. EU rules (Brussels IV) let many foreign nationals elect for the law of their nationality to govern their estate, but this only works if it is documented correctly.
The practical answer for most people moving to Spain is a Spanish will covering Spanish assets, drafted to sit alongside — not override — your home-country will. It speeds up administration, reduces cost and stress for your family, and avoids the trap of one will accidentally revoking another. Begin with the wills in Spain hub, and read up on inheritance tax and probate so you understand what your heirs would face.
What It Costs
We give you a clear quote so you know the cost before we start — and if your case needs anything extra, we tell you and agree it before adding it on. Relocation rarely needs every service at once; most clients combine a visa application with the core admin bundle, and add property or wills later. The figures below are typical starting points — your consultation gives you an exact quote for your situation, and our legal fees page sets out the full picture.
| Service | What's included | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Lucrative Visa | Eligibility check, full document pack, application and follow-through | from €1,499 |
| Digital Nomad Visa | Eligibility, document pack and application, staged | from €1,899 |
| Core admin bundle | NIE, empadronamiento, digital certificate and document handling | from €995 |
| Spanish will | Drafting, notary coordination and registration of a Spanish will | on quote |
| Property purchase | Full independent conveyancing and due diligence | on quote |
Comparing the cost of doing it properly against the cost of doing it twice is the real calculation. A refused visa, a property bought with a hidden charge, or a missed tax declaration costs far more than getting it right the first time. See our legal fees for how we price.
The Mistakes We Fix Every Week
- Choosing the wrong visa. Applying for an NLV while intending to work remotely — or a DNV with no qualifying foreign income — leads to refusal. Confirm the route before you spend on documents.
- Buying the wrong insurance. Travel insurance, or a policy with copayments, is rejected for most visa files. Match the cover to the route from the start — see health insurance for visas.
- Ignoring tax residency. Moving mid-year without planning can trigger a full year of worldwide taxation. Time the move and take advice first.
- Buying property without independent legal advice. The agent works for the seller. Hidden debts, illegal extensions and licence problems are common and avoidable.
- Registering for everything in the wrong order. Empadronamiento before understanding the tax consequences, or a property purchase before a NIE, creates delays and rework.
- Skipping the Spanish will. The cheapest step to take and the most expensive to omit. Your family pays for it later, in money and stress.
Moving From Your Country
The broad journey is the same for everyone, but the detail — which documents, which tax treaty, which licence rules — depends on where you are coming from. We have written country-specific guides for the nationalities we help most:
From the United Kingdom
Post-Brexit rules, UK pensions, the Withdrawal Agreement and UK driving licence exchange.
Moving to Spain from the UK →From the United States
US tax filing obligations that follow you abroad, FBAR, and the Spain–US treaty.
Moving to Spain from the USA →After Brexit
What changed for British nationals and how the routes work now.
Moving to Spain after Brexit →Want it as a checklist?
Download our moving to Spain checklist — a printable, ordered list of every document and step, so nothing slips through the cracks.
Frequently Asked Questions
From deciding to move to holding your residency card, most non-EU clients take three to six months. The visa application itself often runs one to three months at the consulate, after which you arrive, complete your NIE and TIE, and register locally. The timeline depends heavily on your consulate's backlog and how quickly your documents — apostilles, sworn translations, insurance certificate — are assembled. Starting the document chain early is the single biggest accelerator.
If you are a non-EU national — including British, American, Canadian and Australian citizens — yes, you need a visa or residency authorisation to live in Spain beyond the 90-day tourist limit. The most common routes are the Non-Lucrative Visa and the Digital Nomad Visa. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens do not need a visa but must register for residency after three months.
No. The Non-Lucrative Visa is specifically for people who can support themselves without working in Spain, such as retirees and the financially independent. If you intend to work remotely for a foreign employer or run a location-independent business, the Digital Nomad Visa is the correct route. Applying for the wrong one is a common reason for refusal.
Generally, if you spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, or your main centre of economic interest is in Spain, you are a Spanish tax resident and taxed on your worldwide income. This is one of the most important things to plan before moving, because the timing of your move within the tax year can significantly affect your first-year liability. We strongly recommend taking tax advice before you relocate, not after.
Most visa routes require full private medical cover from a Spanish-authorised insurer, with no copayments and no waiting periods where the consulate requires it, evidenced by an appropriate certificate. Travel insurance is not accepted. We confirm the exact requirement for your route and check your certificate before it goes into your application, and our partner Spanish Health Insurance arranges suitable Sanitas resident cover.
Most people rent first and buy once they know the area, which avoids an expensive commitment in the wrong location. You can buy as a non-resident — many do — but you will need a NIE first, and you should always use independent legal representation rather than relying on the seller's agent. When you are ready, our conveyancing service handles the due diligence that protects you.
In almost all cases, yes — a Spanish will covering your Spanish assets, drafted to sit alongside your home-country will. It dramatically simplifies and speeds up administration for your family, reduces cost, and avoids the risk of one will accidentally revoking another. Spanish succession and inheritance tax rules differ from those at home, so this is worth getting right early.
Yes — that is the point of working with us. We coordinate the visa or residency application, the NIE and TIE, empadronamiento, the digital certificate, document apostilles and sworn translations, and connect you with trusted partners for insurance. Property and wills are handled by the relevant specialists in our team. You deal with one English-speaking firm from start to finish, with a clear quote agreed upfront.
British nationals are now treated as non-EU citizens, so you need a visa to live in Spain and face the 90/180-day limit as a visitor. Driving licence exchange, healthcare access and family rights all work differently than before. Our moving from the UK and moving after Brexit guides cover the specifics, including the Withdrawal Agreement protections for those who were already resident.
Legal and administrative costs depend on which services you need. As a guide, a visa application typically starts from €1,499 for the Non-Lucrative Visa, and the core admin bundle (NIE, empadronamiento, digital certificate) from around €995. Property purchase and wills are quoted separately. On top of legal fees, budget for insurance, government fees and — if buying — roughly 10–13% of the purchase price in taxes and costs. We give you a clear quote at your consultation.