Moving to Spain is achievable for almost anyone who wants to do it, but how to move to Spain successfully comes down to five decisions made in the right order before you leave. Get them right, and the rest follows. Get one wrong, and it can be expensive to fix.
For EU and EEA citizens, there is no visa requirement. You register as a resident after you arrive. For everyone else, Americans, British, Canadians, Australians, etc., you need a visa for stays longer than 90 days. The Non-Lucrative Visa covers retirees and people with passive income. The Digital Nomad Visa covers remote workers. There’s a Student visa for those looking to study, and several work permits for those working in Spain. The process from decision to arrival takes between six months and a year.
In our experience managing more than 700 full relocations, the people who struggle almost always got one of those five decisions wrong before they left. Not the packing, not the flights, not even the paperwork, the decisions that sit upstream of all of that: which visa, which city, when to sell the house, what to do about tax, and whether their health insurance will actually be accepted at the consulate.
This guide covers those five decisions in the order you need to make them, then walks you through executing the move and settling in once you arrive, using the same framework we use with every client: Decide, Relocate, Thrive.
Alison and I moved to Spain for one year in 2015. That was ten years ago. We are still here. Since then, we have helped thousands more people with individual services, visas, tax, healthcare, and housing across 40 or more countries. 700+ full relocations managed. 3,500+ paying customers. 4.9 stars on Google.
Use the nationality section near the end to find the guide specific to your situation. Everything before that applies to everyone.
The Decide stage covers the five decisions that, if made badly, cost the most to fix later. They interact with each other. Get them right before you move, and the rest follows. Get one wrong, and it can unravel the others.
Stage 1: Decide
Do you need a visa to move to Spain?
The answer depends on your passport. If you hold an EU or EEA passport, you have the right to live, work, and study in Spain without applying for a visa, though you still need to register as a resident once you arrive. If you hold a British, American, Canadian, Australian, or any other non-EU passport, you need a visa for any stay longer than 90 days.
For non-EU nationals, three routes cover the vast majority of people moving to Spain.
The Non-Lucrative Visa is for people who can support themselves in Spain without working: retirees, people with investment income, and anyone living on savings or a pension. It does not permit any form of work, including remote work for an overseas employer. This catches a lot of people out: if you plan to keep working remotely for a US or UK employer after you arrive, the NLV is not your route.
The Digital Nomad Visa is for remote workers and freelancers. You need to earn above a set income threshold, with at least 80% of your income coming from clients or an employer based outside Spain. One significant advantage over the NLV is that the DNV can be applied for from within Spain on a tourist visa. Our expert immigration partner actively recommends this route: UGE handles these applications with clear, consistent criteria, whereas going through a consulate in your home country means dealing with local variations in what they ask for. The one thing to stay on top of is the Schengen clock; you need to submit your application before your 90-day allowance runs out.
The Work Visa requires a Spanish employer to sponsor you. It is less common for people to make an independent move and more relevant to those relocating for a specific role.
Which route applies to you shapes everything that follows: your income requirements, your tax position, and, in some cases, where it makes sense to live in Spain.
For a full comparison of all visa routes, including student visas and work permits, see our Spain visa types guide. Not sure which route applies to your situation? Our expert immigration partner offers a 30-minute consultation tailored to your specific circumstances.
Where should you live in Spain?
The most common mistake people make when choosing a location is basing their choice on a holiday. Amanda Chigbrow, an American Expat who moved to Valencia with her family four years ago and now works with MTS clients on exactly this decision, puts it plainly:
When you are on vacation, you are in vacation mode. Expenses feel different; you are not doing school drop-off, paying bills, or grocery shopping. The beach town that feels magical in July can feel completely abandoned by November.
A scouting trip changes this. Not a holiday. A trip where you walk the streets of a city asking whether you could actually live there, in the season you would actually live there. Amanda’s advice: if you are drawn to Madrid, go in winter to see how cold it gets. If you are heading south, go in July so you know what 38 degrees in August really means.
The questions worth asking before you choose are practical ones. What does an ordinary Tuesday look like in your new life? How often will you fly home, and from where? How much Spanish do you want to use day-to-day? Are you looking for a big Expat community, or do you want to integrate into Spanish life more deeply? The answers narrow the options fast.
Here is a working compass for the regions most MTS clients choose between. For a detailed breakdown of each region, including reasons to choose it, reasons to avoid it, climate, popular towns, and who each region suits, see our full guide to where to live in Spain.
Valencia: Best for City Life, Cost, and Community
The most popular destination for MTS clients. A city of around 800,000 people, large enough to have international infrastructure, small enough to feel neighborly. Strong public transport, walkable, mild climate, and a well-established international community. Rhys and Shannon, an American couple who arrived in October 2024, describe the cost of living as enabling in a way they had not expected: it has allowed them to do things they simply could not afford in the US.
Madrid: Best for Infrastructure, Schools, and Professional Life
A capital city in every sense. No beach, colder winters than most people expect, and a higher cost of living than Valencia or Malaga. What it offers in return: unmatched cultural and professional infrastructure, strong international schools including several with British and American curricula, and the best connectivity in Spain. Madrid also has an effectively zero wealth tax, a material consideration if your assets are significant. See how it compares in our Spain regional tax comparison.
Malaga: Best for Climate, Coastline, and a Slower Pace
Has changed significantly in the last decade. Carin Cowell, who has been in and out of Spain since 2012 and settled in Malaga three years ago, describes it as a city that was not on the radar as an Expat destination ten years ago and has since shot up fast. It is cosmopolitan but not overwhelming: international without losing its Spanish character. Winters are mild. Sean Miller, a New Zealander who has lived in Malaga for five and a half years, puts the coldest daytime temperatures at around 12 degrees. Coming from Zurich, he describes Malaga winters as not really winter at all. Andalusia also sits in the low-tax zone.
Alicante and the Costa Blanca: Best for Lower Costs and an Established Expat Community
Suits people who want lower costs, a slower pace, and a well-established English-speaking Expat community. Less cosmopolitan than Valencia or Malaga, which for many people is the point.
Barcelona: Best for Urban Sophistication
The most sophisticated urban environment in Spain and the highest cost of living outside central Madrid. One thing to understand before choosing it: Catalan is the primary language in everyday life, in schools, and in government. Alastair Johnson, who has lived in Barcelona for ten years, says they were not aware when they arrived that there was a completely separate language spoken in the area where they lived. If you are moving with school-age children and plan to use the public system, the language of instruction in Catalonia is Catalan. Catalonia also carries one of the highest regional tax burdens in Spain.
The North (Asturias, Galicia, Cantabria): Best for Nature, Value, and a Different Kind of Spain
Green, cool, and significantly cheaper than the coast. MJ, an American who relocated to Asturias with her family on a Digital Nomad Visa, chose it by filtering first for schools, then for climate. It was not the obvious choice. It worked for them. Cantabria, like Madrid and Andalusia, offers a 100% wealth tax rebate.
Where you live in Spain is not just a lifestyle decision: it is a tax decision. Income tax rates, wealth tax, and inheritance tax all vary meaningfully by autonomous community. Our Spain regional tax comparison sets out the differences across all 17 communities in detail. If you are still working out which region suits you, start with a Find Your Corner of Spain coaching session — a one-to-one call to work through your priorities and narrow down the right regions before you visit. Once you have a shortlist, our Custom Scouting Trip covers three Spanish cities of your choice with private half-day tours and a written recommendation from our scouting lead, Vanessa, who made the same move herself.
How much money do you need to move to Spain?
Two separate questions that people consistently conflate.
- How much income or savings do you need to qualify for your visa?
- What does it actually cost to live here?
They are not the same number, and treating them as the same is one of the more expensive planning mistakes we see.
What you need to qualify
For the Non-Lucrative Visa, the minimum is €2,400 per month for a single applicant, plus €600 per month for each family member. This is 400% of IPREM (the Spanish government’s public income reference index, used to set minimum thresholds across a range of official requirements), and it has not changed for the past two years while Spain’s budget has remained stalled in parliament.
That income needs to come from passive sources: pension, investment income, rental income, or savings drawdown. If you are applying using just savings with no regular income, our expert immigration partner’s guidance is clear: you should be able to show enough to cover five years, not one. Five years is the minimum time required to qualify for permanent residence. An application showing one year of savings will be refused on the basis that you would not be able to renew.
For the NLV income and savings requirements in detail, including how to structure a savings-only application and what income types qualify, see our Non-Lucrative Visa guide.
For the Digital Nomad Visa, the income threshold is set at 200% of Spain’s minimum wage, currently €2,849 per month. At least 80% of that income must come from clients or an employer based outside Spain. See our Digital Nomad Visa guide for the full requirements. DNV holders may also be eligible for the Beckham Law, a special tax regime that taxes only Spanish-source income for the first six years. It is not available to NLV holders and is subject to specific conditions; our tax partner can confirm whether it applies to your situation.
What it actually costs to live in Spain
Our research shows that Spain costs around 32% less than the US on a like-for-like basis. That is across food, utilities, healthcare, transport, domestic help, and dining. It is a useful directional figure, but it obscures significant variation within the country.
Rhys and Shannon, who moved from Atlanta to Valencia in October 2024, describe the difference plainly: as business owners in the US, they were paying outrageous healthcare costs. In Spain, the cost of living has allowed them to take care of things they simply would not have managed in the US, and to travel within Spain in a way they could not have afforded before.
The most useful tool for modeling your own situation is the MTS Cost of Living Calculator, which covers 30 data points across nine Spanish cities. For one-off moving costs, the Moving Budget Planner gives you a structured estimate before you commit to anything. If you are moving significant funds to Spain, our currency transfer service can save you considerably compared to using a high-street bank.
What do you need to know about Spanish tax before you move?
Tax is the decision with the highest cost if you get it wrong, and the one most people address last. The right time to speak to a cross-border tax specialist is 6 to 12 months before you move, while you still have time to act on their advice. Once you are in Spain and have crossed the key thresholds, those decisions cannot be undone.
Legal resident and tax resident are not the same thing
Legal residency is your immigration status. It is determined by your visa or registration: your Non-Lucrative Visa, your Digital Nomad Visa, or your EU resident certificate. It gives you the right to live in Spain. Tax residency is a separate determination made by the Spanish tax authority, based primarily on how many days you spend in Spain in a calendar year, not on whether you have a visa or have registered.
You can be a legal resident without being a tax resident yet. For example, if you arrive late in the year and spend fewer than 183 days in Spain before December 31. For practical purposes, most NLV holders become Spanish tax residents from their second year at the latest, because the NLV renewal requirement means spending more than six months a year in Spain. From that point, Spain taxes your worldwide income.
For a full explanation of how the Spanish tax system works, including filing dates and the main tax categories, see our Spanish tax system guide.
The 183-day rule — and why the year matters
Spain’s tax year runs from January 1 to December 31. The first calendar year in which you spend more than 183 days in Spain, you become a Spanish tax resident for that entire year, not just from the day you crossed the threshold.
“Spain is unique. Even if you reach 183 days by December of a specific year, you become a tax resident for the whole year. This doesn’t happen in Portugal: if you become a tax resident in December, you start paying taxes from December forwards. Choosing the timing of your move is genuinely consequential.”
Ricardo Jesus — financial advisor at Liberty Atlantic Advisors, speaking at the MTS Americans Moving to Spain webinar
If you move to Spain before July 1 in a given year, you will likely become a Spanish tax resident for that year. If you move after July 1, you may not become a tax resident until the following year. That gap is a planning window, and for people with significant financial events ahead, it can be worth a great deal.
For the vast majority of people, the 183-day threshold is what defines Spanish tax residency. But it is worth knowing that Spain can also apply the concept of a primary base of economic or personal interests. If your family lives in Spain, your children go to school here, or the core of your professional life is based here, the Spanish tax authority may determine that you are a tax resident even if you spend fewer than 183 days in the country.
This most commonly affects people who move their family to Spain while continuing to work primarily abroad. If your situation is anything other than straightforward, speak to our expert tax partner to clarify your position before you move. For a comprehensive step-by-step checklist covering the full pre-departure process, see our free interactive Spain moving checklist.
The decisions that need to happen before you arrive
Three situations where timing relative to Spanish tax residency is critical.
- Selling your primary residence: In the US, the primary residence exemption means most people pay no capital gains on the sale of their home. Spain does not recognize that exemption for Spanish tax residents. MJ, who moved her family to Asturias, pushed her move date back past July 1 specifically to avoid this. Ricardo Jesus described a client who moved to Barcelona early in the year, took IRA distributions, had assets over $3 million, and, mid-conversation, realized he might have to go back to the US because no one had modeled the Spanish tax liability before he moved.
- Roth IRA and tax-advantaged accounts: Spain does not recognize the Roth IRA’s tax-free status. Once you are a Spanish tax resident, withdrawals from a Roth are taxed as ordinary income. The window to convert or draw down is before you cross the 183-day threshold in your first year. The same logic applies to ISAs for UK residents: Spain does not recognize the ISA’s tax-free status. If you hold a significant ISA or a SIPP (self-invested personal pension), take advice before you become a Spanish tax resident on how distributions and growth will be treated.
- Maintaining your US financial accounts: do not close or restructure your US accounts before you move. There is no Spanish equivalent of a 401 (k) or an IRA, and Spanish investment products do not benefit Americans under US tax law.
For information on the interaction between the US and Spanish tax systems, including FATCA and FBAR obligations, see our guide to US Expat taxes in Spain. For how Spain taxes pensions and Social Security specifically, see how Spain taxes social security and pensions.
Wealth tax and why where you live matters
Spain levies an annual tax on your total worldwide net assets. Madrid, Andalusia, Cantabria, and Extremadura offer a 100% rebate, effectively zero wealth tax. Catalonia and Valencia apply the full rate above relatively low thresholds. If your net assets are above €1 million, where you live in Spain is a tax input, not just a lifestyle choice. Our Spain regional tax comparison sets out the differences across all 17 communities. For wealth tax specifically, see our dedicated wealth tax guide.
The Modelo 720
Once you are a Spanish tax resident with overseas assets above €50,000 in any category (bank accounts, investments, or property), you must file a Modelo 720 declaration by March 31 each year. This is not a tax. It is a declaration of what you hold overseas. Failing to file it or filing it late triggers significant penalties. Get it right in the first year and maintain it from there.
Each year in Q1, well before March, I send a list of asset changes to our tax partner, and they sort the Modelo 720 out for us. Not scary, but do not miss the deadline – and remember that they’ll be very, very busy in the last week of March as the deadline looms! Alastair Johnson, Owner of Moving to Spain
Alastair’s summary from 10 years of watching this play out: once you are in and have become a tax resident, those decisions cannot be stepped back from. You have to get this right before you start planning. Book a cross-border tax session with our expert tax partner while you still have time to act.
What healthcare cover do you need to move to Spain?
Your healthcare situation in Spain depends on where you are coming from. For most non-EU nationals moving on a visa, qualifying private health insurance is a legal requirement of the application. EU citizens who are working or self-employed in Spain access the public system through social security contributions. Non-working EU residents need private health insurance to demonstrate self-sufficiency for residency registration. UK citizens with an S1 form can use that in place of a private policy. Whatever your route, the quality of care in Spain’s private system is high, the cost is dramatically lower than most people expect, and the experience of using it is often a genuine surprise.
Why you need it and what it must cover
Non-EU nationals applying for a visa must have qualifying private health insurance. The policy must meet seven specific criteria: no co-payments, no coverage exclusions, unlimited coverage, repatriation included, licensed in Spain, no waiting periods, and valid for the full period of your stay. A policy that misses even one of these criteria means a rejected application. For the full breakdown of what a qualifying policy must include, see our guide to Spanish health insurance for residency and visas.
What it costs
For Americans, the pricing is a consistent shock, and in the right direction. Alastair Johnson puts the cost plainly: he and Alison, both in their early 50s, with their 18-year-old son, pay €1,800 a year for full family cover from a top Expat insurer. When MTS speaks with Americans moving here, they often ask whether the quotes we provide are monthly or annual. They are annual.
“When we arrived, we didn’t have coverage before our DNV application, and I had a frightening visit to the emergency room. Two nights in hospital. Saw the doctor twice. IV with steroids and antibiotics, oxygen, and breathing treatment. The total bill was 750 euros. We were expecting 10,000 easily.”
Rhys — American Expat living in Valencia, arrived October 2024
Pre-existing conditions
Pre-existing conditions are assessed individually by each insurance company’s medical department. There is no blanket rule. Mild or well-managed conditions — controlled blood pressure, minor vision issues, stable thyroid conditions — are regularly included without affecting your premium at all. For more complex histories, insurers may offer a policy with a premium loading (an additional fee) or a specific exclusion for that condition.
This is where it gets important for visa purposes: a policy that excludes a condition in a way that violates the seven qualification criteria will be rejected by the consulate. Navigating this requires shopping across multiple providers rather than going to one insurer and accepting their first offer. For almost everyone MTS works with, a qualifying, unexcluded policy is available. Alastair has glaucoma. It is included in his policy without any premium loading. It changes nothing about the cost or the visa qualification.
The public system
Spain’s public healthcare system is outstanding. Emergency care is exceptional. The limitations are specific: longer wait times for non-urgent specialists, no choice of doctor, and in regions with their own language, your GP may not speak Spanish or English. Alastair’s point: his Spanish is good, but it does not extend to complex medical conversations. That is why, even after qualifying for public healthcare, he still maintains private cover. For a full explanation of how the healthcare system in Spain works for residents at different stages, including public, private, and the S1 form for UK citizens (which transfers NHS entitlement to Spain), see the dedicated guide.
Know you can move. Know what comes next. Know what it costs.
The five decisions in this stage, covering visa route, location, financial requirements, tax position, and healthcare, are not independent of each other. Your visa route determines your income threshold. Your tax position depends partly on where in Spain you choose to live. Your healthcare situation affects your visa application. Getting one wrong can unravel the others.
The Spain Decision Plan is how we help people resolve all five in a single structured process. It includes an immigration consultation with our expert immigration partner, a one-hour tax planning session with our expert tax partner, healthcare quotes and advice from our insurance specialists, and a coaching session with your dedicated account manager, who brings everything together and sends you a custom relocation quote afterward.
You leave knowing whether you can move, what it will cost, and what your next step looks like.
Moving to Spain by Nationality
The five decisions above apply to everyone. But the specifics, including which visa, which documents, which tax treaty, which consulate, and which timeline, differ significantly depending on where you are coming from.
Americans moving to Spain
Americans make up 51% of MTS clients, our largest single group. US citizens face citizenship-based taxation, meaning you continue filing US tax returns regardless of where you live. Spain does not recognize the Roth IRA’s tax-free status. The NLV and DNV are the primary routes, but neither is straightforward without first understanding the financial planning implications.
For a step-by-step breakdown of everything a US citizen needs to know, including visa options, NLV income requirements, US tax implications, the Roth IRA issue, healthcare, where Americans tend to live in Spain, and the full pre-departure timeline, read our complete guide to moving to Spain from the US.
British citizens moving to Spain
British citizens make up 23% of MTS clients. Since Brexit, UK nationals no longer have EU free movement rights and must apply for a visa to live in Spain for more than 90 days. The NLV and DNV are the primary routes. UK retirees who receive a UK State Pension or certain other UK government pensions may be eligible for an S1 form — an official document that transfers your NHS healthcare entitlement to Spain and can satisfy the health insurance requirement for residency registration in place of a private policy. The UK-Spain double taxation treaty prevents double taxation. UK ISAs are not recognized as tax-free by Spain once you become a Spanish tax resident.
For the full post-Brexit picture, including visa options, S1 form eligibility, and UK pension and tax treatment, read our moving to Spain from the UK.
EU citizens moving to Spain
EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens have free movement rights. You can move to Spain without a visa. Free movement is a right of entry, not automatic residency. If you plan to stay longer than three months, you must register as a resident. Non-working EU citizens need to show self-sufficiency: private health insurance and sufficient funds.
“European citizens enjoy free movement rights within the EU, which means you can choose to live in any European country. It is not an automatic right of residence. The requirement is that you prove you can support yourself, or that you are coming to Spain to work.”
Raquel Moreno LLB — MTS expert immigration partner
Irish citizens hold EU passports and follow this same route. Ireland also has a bilateral tax treaty with Spain.
For the full registration process, self-sufficiency requirements, and the family member route, read our complete guide for EU citizens moving to Spain.
Canadian and other non-EU nationals
Canadians, Australians, South Africans, and other non-EU nationals follow the same visa framework as Americans: NLV for passive income earners, DNV for remote workers, and a work visa for those with a Spanish employer. The tax treaty situation differs by country. The Americans guide covers the NLV and DNV process in detail and applies to most non-EU nationalities with minor variations. For advice specific to your nationality and tax treaty position, the immigration consultation in the Spain Decision Plan covers all nationalities directly.
By the time you reach the Relocate stage, your visa route is confirmed, your tax position is understood, your location is chosen, and your health insurance is sorted. The Relocate stage is execution.
Stage 2: Relocate
How long does it take to move to Spain?
There is no single answer to this. How long it takes to move to Spain depends entirely on your nationality, your visa route, and how much risk you are willing to carry. The range runs from tomorrow to twelve months, and every point on that spectrum is genuinely possible.
EU and EEA citizens: you can move tomorrow
If you hold an EU or EEA passport, you have the legal right to live in Spain. There is no visa application, no consulate appointment, no income threshold to clear in advance. You can book a flight, arrive, find somewhere to live, and begin the empadronamiento and residency registration process after you land. The administrative sequence takes weeks, not months, and there is no required waiting period before you start it. For EU citizens, the honest answer to “how long does it take” is: as long as it takes you to pack.
Digital Nomad Visa: fast, with caveats
The DNV can be applied for from inside Spain on a standard SCHENGEN tourist entry. That means you can arrive in Spain today and begin your application here. The UGE typically processes applications in around four weeks. The result, if successful, is a three-year residence permit.
The caveats are real. You have 90 days from entry before your Schengen allowance runs out, so the clock starts the moment you land. You need three months of employment or freelance history with your current employer or client before you can apply, so if you are planning to use the DNV, that three-month window needs to have already passed before you arrive. And bank statements submitted to the UGE must be physically stamped by your bank; digital downloads are regularly rejected. Get organized before you fly.
You can also apply for the DNV through your home consulate before traveling. This takes longer and gives you a one-year visa rather than a three-year permit. Our expert immigration partner recommends applying from inside Spain, where circumstances allow.
University and non-language student visas: apply in Spain or from home
If you are coming to Spain to study for a university degree or a Master’s, you can choose whether to apply through your home consulate before traveling or enter Spain as a tourist and submit your application here. Both routes are available. The in-Spain route is faster. Allow four to six weeks for the application to be processed once submitted.
Non-Lucrative Visa: six to twelve months, no shortcuts
The NLV must be applied for through your home consulate. You cannot apply from inside Spain. This is the route most retirees and people with passive income take, and it is where the timeline gets serious.
The steps that take the longest are the FBI criminal record check with apostille (8 to 16 weeks), the BLS consulate appointment (which can be difficult to secure and cannot be done by a third party), and the consulate processing time after submission (around eight weeks). None of these can be meaningfully shortened.
“The timing of everything was the hardest part. You are relying on other people to get things done within a certain amount of time, because once you are told to apply, you have to do it within a window.” Teresa Mehl, MTS Client originally from Seattle, moved to Alicante on the Non-Lucrative Visa in February 2025
Realistic NLV Timeline in Our Experience
| Step | Realistic timeframe |
| Engage an immigration lawyer, confirm visa route | Week 1-2 |
| Open BLS account, start searching for appointments | Week 1 — do in parallel with everything |
| FBI / national police check (apply and apostille) | 8-16 weeks |
| Health insurance (no pre-existing conditions) | 1-2 weeks |
| Health insurance (pre-existing conditions) | 4-8 weeks or more |
| Tax planning (if financial events are planned) | Start 6-18 months before the move if possible |
| Visa application to decision after BLS appointment | Approximately 8 weeks |
| Total: decision to arrival (NLV) | 6 months is achievable. 9-12 months more comfortable |
| Time after the visa is issued to arrive in Spain | 365 Days |
Language school student visa: consulate only, no exceptions
If you are coming to study Spanish at a language school, the rules changed in May 2024. You can no longer apply from inside Spain. The language student visa must be applied for through your home consulate before you travel. Allow three to four months from the start of the process to having an approved visa in hand.
The fast route: arriving on a tourist visa and applying in Spain
For DNV applicants and university students, entering Spain on a tourist visa and applying in-country is both legal and recommended. For everyone else, the picture is more complicated.
It is technically possible to enter Spain as a tourist and remain while pursuing certain visa applications. People do it. The risk is real: if your application is refused while you are in Spain, your legal position is difficult. If you overstay your 90-day Schengen allowance while waiting, the consequences will affect your future visa applications throughout the Schengen Area. And applying under time pressure, with the clock running on your tourist entry, is a stressful way to handle an already complex process.
We are not in the business of telling people what they cannot do. But we are in the business of telling people what the risks are. Engaging an experienced Spanish immigration lawyer early in the process will show you the best case timeline – and avoid any nasty surprises to derail your arrival in Spain.
The BLS appointment
For US and UK applicants, NLV and DNV applications are processed by BLS International. Appointment availability is the single biggest variable in the timeline. Nobody can get that appointment on your behalf. The system includes biometric verification using your computer’s camera. Anyone offering to secure a BLS appointment for you for a fee is running a scam. Start checking from day one and treat it as a parallel task alongside document gathering.
The FBI check
For US applicants, the criminal record check must be the federal FBI check (not a state-level check — see our guide to criminal record checks for Spain for the apostille process). It must be apostilled by the Secretary of State. Processing plus apostille typically takes 8 to 16 weeks. The document is only valid for six months from the date of issue, so time it carefully.
For UK applicants, the equivalent is an ACRO criminal record certificate (from the National Police Chiefs’ Council), which also needs to be apostilled. Allow 4 to 6 weeks. The same timing rules apply — do not get it too early, or it will expire before your appointment.
What to do before you leave
Five things that are significantly easier to handle before you become a Spanish tax resident.
Sell your primary residence before you cross the 183-day threshold if you expect a capital gains exemption in your home country. Spain will not recognize it once you are a Spanish tax resident.
Convert or draw down any Roth IRA, ISA, or tax-advantaged account whose tax-free status Spain does not recognize. The window closes the moment you cross the threshold.
Engage a cross-border tax advisor while you still have time to act. Planning after arrival is damage limitation. Planning before is optimization.
Start the health insurance process early, especially if you have pre-existing conditions. The medical assessment takes time, and its outcome affects whether the rest of your plan can proceed.
If you are bringing school-age children, start your school research in October of the year before you want to enroll. Private international schools begin community conversations in October, applications open in January, and public and concertado schools (state-subsidized private schools that follow the Spanish curriculum) run main enrolment from March to May. You can apply to private international schools from abroad. For public and concertado schools (state-subsidized private schools that follow the Spanish curriculum), you need to be on the ground with your padron and NIE in place. Expect nothing from anyone in August. If you need help navigating Spanish school options, our school search service covers international, public, and concertado schools across our main regions.
For a full guide to the pre-departure process, including document checklists and consulate-specific requirements, see our Non-Lucrative Visa guide and our Digital Nomad Visa guide.
How do you find a home in Spain?
Spain does not have a centralized property listings system like Rightmove or Zillow. Every agency manages its own inventory and rarely cross-lists with competitors, which means the same property can be listed with three agencies at three different prices without any of them knowing. The rental process works differently from what most Americans and British Expats are used to. The Spanish equivalents, like Idealista, are slow to update, often have fake phishing properties, and competing listings.
“Your real estate agent in the US can go online, click through listings, make appointments, and see four or five properties in a weekend. That is not how it works here. There are multiple messages and conversations, documents being shared between you, the agent, and the landlord.”
Amanda Chigbrow — MTS Client Care and Sales Lead, American Expat living in Valencia since 2021
What landlords and agencies expect to see before responding to a first inquiry: passport, visa documentation, proof of income or savings, and references. The good news is that by the time you are searching for a rental, you have already gathered most of these for your visa application.
Rent before you buy. Amanda’s consistent recommendation to clients: your daily rhythms, your sense of neighborhood, and your understanding of where your community forms will all shift significantly in the first three to six months. Buying before you have lived somewhere is locking in a decision before you have the information to make a good one.
Pets reduce your available pool. Carin Cowell, MTS’s Malaga rental search partner, puts it at 50 to 60% of properties that accept pets, depending on type and number, and notes that it is often negotiable with the right approach. Her ace in the hole is sending a cute picture of the poet to the potential landlord to help make the case.
For a full guide to the rental process, lease types, tenant rights, and what to expect in each major city, see Renting Property in Spain. MTS has vetted on-the-ground rental search partners in Valencia, Madrid, Malaga, Alicante, Barcelona, and more. And, they work for you, not the agency or the landlord, so your best interests are top of the list.
The bureaucratic sequence has an end. The integration process does not. It just gradually stops feeling like a process and starts feeling like a life.
Stage 3: Thrive
What happens when you arrive in Spain?
The visa gets you into the country. What comes next is a sequence of administrative steps that must occur in the correct order and within the appropriate timeframes to properly activate your residency.
“Be organized. Make lists. Have everything on a shared calendar. Make copies of everything, especially when you get here, because you are going to need those copies for rentals, your TIE appointment, for everything that follows.”
Teresa Mehl — Alicante, Non-Lucrative Visa holder since February 2025
For non-EU nationals (Non-Lucrative Visa and Digital Nomad Visa holders)
Step 1: secure long-term accommodation. Your Airbnb is fine for the visa application stage, but to register your address at city hall, you need a rental agreement of at least six months.
Step 2: empadronamiento. Register your address at your local ayuntamiento. Bring your rental agreement and passport. You need the padron certificate for almost everything that follows.
Step 3: TIE appointment at your local national police station within 30 days of entering Spain. Book as early as possible, as availability varies significantly by city.
Step 4: Make sure your private health insurance is active from day one and that you actually know how to use it. Find out how to book an appointment, what the out-of-hours number is, and whether there is an app. You do not want to be working this out at 11 pm when someone is unwell.
One thing to plan for that many people miss: your home country’s driving license does not simply transfer to Spain. US and non-EU licenses are not directly exchangeable. You will need to take the full Spanish driving test — theory in Spanish (with an English option available) and a practical exam. Start this process early after arrival if you plan to drive regularly.
For EU citizens
The process is simpler, but you still need to do it. First, empadronamiento at your local city hall — bring your rental agreement and your passport. Then, a police station appointment for your EU green certificate of registration, which is your official proof that you live here. In theory, this should happen within 90 days of arriving. In practice, appointment availability in some cities makes it impossible to hit that deadline, and nobody is going to come knocking if it takes a bit longer. Our expert immigration partner is clear on this: there is no problem doing it later. What matters is that it gets done, not that it gets done within an arbitrary window.
For a full guide to the post-arrival residency steps, see how to get Spanish residency. Opening a Spanish bank account is one of the first practical steps once your empadronamiento is in place — you will need your NIE, passport, and proof of address. See our guide to banking in Spain for the main options and what to expect. For EU citizens, see the EU residency guide. For the path to permanent residency after five years, see the dedicated article.
How do you build a life in Spain?
Language
Start before you arrive. Keep going after. This is the single most consistent piece of advice from every contributor, every MTS client, every Expat we have spoken to across ten years.
Amanda Chigbrow puts it simply: poco a poco. You do not need to know a lot, and you do not need to know it fast. Even having enough Spanish to follow what someone is saying at the grocery store, or to respond to a neighbor who greets you in the street, makes an immediate difference to how settled you feel. Alastair has been in Spain for 10 years and still uses iTalki most Tuesdays to video-call a Spanish guy in Extremadura to practice his conversation. Rhys and Shannon arrived in Valencia in late 2024 and got a Spanish tutor within weeks. They also do a weekly intercambio, a language exchange with Valencians who want to practice their English. Teresa Mehl has been attending Spanish classes three times a week for six months and says the difference it has made to her daily life is enormous.
Pace
Two-hour lunches are real. People do not work on weekends. An email sent on Friday at 3 pm may well get a reply sometime after 10 am on Monday. Amanda describes the urgency Americans tend to carry as something that does not go very far in Spain. Rhys describes arriving at the realization that people are holding space for their time with family as something that eventually starts to feel good.
Community
Community forms faster than most people expect. Rhys did not plan to make friends because they were only staying a year. That plan lasted about two months. Her description of what makes the Expat and immigrant community here different from the one you left behind is one of the most honest things anyone has said to us about this move: everyone shares some version of the same magic gene that allows you to accept a different culture and get on with life. The shared experience of having made the leap creates a connection faster than most people expect. Amanda’s advice for people who want to integrate into Spanish life rather than just Expat life is simple and specific: step into uncomfortable situations. Walk up to the group of Spanish-speaking parents at the school gate and stand there, even if you understand nothing. It will be awkward the first time. Do it anyway. Each time, it gets a little easier.
MTS membership gives you access to the community, the full webinar library, live Q&A sessions, weekly partner drop-ins, and in-person events across Spain at whatever stage of the journey you are at. It is designed to stay relevant whether you are still deciding or already settled. Details at movingtospain.com/services.
Amanda’s observation, after four years in Valencia, is worth ending on. She said it about Americans, but in ten years, we’ve heard it said by people from every country we’ve worked with: so many people move here thinking they are going to change Spain. But the reality is, once you are here, Spain actually changes you.
If you are at the beginning of this process and want to work through the five Decide-stage questions with people who have done this 700 times, the Spain Decision Plan is where most of our clients start. If you are further along and just have specific questions, join our free weekly Q&A. And if you are ready to move, everything you need is in our services section.
