Proof of accommodation before you have moved

Key rules

• Consulate decides: Each consulate chooses which proof of accommodation it accepts, and a lease or deed is generally preferred for long-stay visas.
• Temporary address: A refundable booking or a host letter is often enough as an initial address.
• Lease risk: A lease signed before visa approval can leave you paying if the visa is refused, so make it conditional.

Do you need proof of accommodation?

Not every route asks for it. It is most often required for short-stay visas. Consulates also commonly ask for it with non-lucrative and digital nomad visas, and for some other long-stay applications. Family reunification always needs proof of adequate housing, which the authorities assess; the sponsor provides it with the housing adequacy report.

If you are an EU citizen you need no visa and no consulate proof of accommodation; you register in Spain if you stay more than 3 months. If you are a UK citizen with Withdrawal Agreement rights, you keep your own rights and do not apply for a visa, so this page does not apply to you.

You hand in the proof with your visa application at the Spanish consulate for your place of residence, as the consulate directs.

What usually counts

Use one of these:

• A signed lease for your home in Spain.
• A property deed or land registry note, if you own the home.
• A hotel or similar booking that covers at least your initial stay.
• A host letter from a resident of Spain, with a copy of their ID and proof that they own or rent the home.

For long-stay visas, a lease or deed is generally preferred over a hotel booking. A booking that only covers a few nights is not enough.

A foreign document such as a host's proof or a deed needs the apostille or legalisation and the sworn translation that the country of issue requires; each case is set out in How a Spanish residence application file is built.

Can you use a temporary address?

Often, yes. Many consulates accept a refundable or cancellable hotel or short-term rental booking, or a host letter, as your first address. They do not always insist on a long-term lease.

Some consulates, especially for non-lucrative or digital nomad visas, want a lease or a booking that covers a longer period.

If you want to sign a lease early

If your visa is refused after you sign an unconditional lease, you still owe rent, deposit and other costs unless the contract lets you leave.

Protect yourself in one or more of these ways:

• Ask for a clause that makes the lease conditional on visa approval.
• Agree a start date after the approval you expect.
• Pay only a refundable reservation deposit.
• Ask for an early-termination clause.

Once a residential lease is running, you can end it after six months by giving 30 days' notice. The contract may require compensation of one month's rent for each remaining year, if you agreed to that. Terms are negotiable, so have a lawyer read the lease first.

After you arrive

After you arrive, register your address and apply for the TIE within one month of arriving in Spain if you entered on a visa, or within one month of the grant if you filed in Spain. The address you register should be where you really live, so plan the move from your temporary address to a longer-term home.

If you travel with a partner

A spouse or a partner in a relationship like marriage joining a sponsor in Spain is covered by the sponsor's housing adequacy report; the partner brings no accommodation proof of their own. The rules for proving the partnership are in What family reunification actually requires.

Timeline and deadlines

• Choose your accommodation proof, a lease or deed for a long-stay visa or a refundable booking or host letter as your first address: before you start your application

• If you sign a lease, negotiate a clause that makes it conditional on visa approval, or a start date after you expect approval: before you sign the lease

• Otherwise use a refundable booking, a short-term rental or a host letter as your address: while the visa is pending

• End a residential lease early if you need to, giving 30 days' notice: after the first six months of the lease