Settling back home after Spain

It is for people who are thinking about moving between Spain and home, planning a move, or already in the middle of one. You will know what to expect and what to prepare when you land back home.

Start with "Why returning home after years in Spain feels harder than expected". It explains the pattern many returners go through and what helps, and it makes the practical steps in the other articles easier to follow.

Key rules

• Waiting period: Wait about 6 to 12 months before judging the return a failure or making a major decision, and set a review point at around 6 months.
• Culture shock: The hardest phase is usually the first 1 to 3 months back, and most people feel readjusted within 6 to 12 months.
• Normal reaction: Reverse culture shock is a common, temporary reaction, not a sign that you made a mistake.
• Health cover: Rules differ by country, so register your address and then join the national health system at home as soon as you arrive.
• Tax residency: Spanish residency ends when you no longer meet the Spanish tests, but you still file a final resident return.
• Format: Ask for certificates in the international multilingual format to avoid translation in many countries.

Settling back home after Spain: the whole process, step by step

From leaving Spain to your one-year review

• Before you leave Spain: deregister from the padrón (the local residents' register), tell Social Security and the tax agency, and collect your Spanish records (Re-entering home healthcare, benefits and tax after living in Spain): before you leave Spain

• If you have a partner or children, get marriage or partnership certificates and children's birth certificates apostilled and translated if needed (Bringing a Spanish or foreign partner and children home): before you leave, as certificates are often valid for only 3 to 6 months

• Register your address, then join the national health service and the tax authority at home (Re-entering home healthcare, benefits and tax after living in Spain): in your first days and weeks back; deadlines vary by country, often up to 1 to 3 months at most

• Register your children's nationality with the consulate or civil registry (Bringing a Spanish or foreign partner and children home): soon after arrival; deadlines vary by country

• Start an unemployment claim at home using your Spanish work record, if you are returning within the EU/EEA or Switzerland (Presenting Spanish work experience when job hunting back home): as soon as you are back and looking for work

• Open a local bank account and put bills in your name; start looking for housing (Finding housing and rebuilding credit history back home): in your first weeks back

• File your final Spanish resident tax return for the year you left, and non-resident returns on any Spanish income: April to June of the year after you leave

• Do a first check-in on how the return is going (A one-year review: did returning from Spain work?): around 6 months after return

• Decide whether the return worked, before any major decision such as moving abroad again or selling property (A one-year review: did returning from Spain work?): 6 to 12 months after return

• Credit file builds up through on-time bills and regular card use (Finding housing and rebuilding credit history back home): usually within six to twelve months

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Certificado de empadronamiento — Re-entering home healthcare, benefits and tax after living in Spain
• Residence card or EU registration certificate — Re-entering home healthcare, benefits and tax after living in Spain
• Certificado de residencia fiscal from the Agencia Tributaria — Re-entering home healthcare, benefits and tax after living in Spain
• Certificate of registration as a pareja de hecho from the regional or municipal — Bringing a Spanish or foreign partner and children home

Income and work

• Employment contracts — Re-entering home healthcare, benefits and tax after living in Spain, Finding housing and rebuilding credit history back home
• Informe de vida laboral from the Seguridad Social — Re-entering home healthcare, benefits and tax after living in Spain
• Vida laboral report — Presenting Spanish work experience when job hunting back home
• SEPE certificates from Spain's employment service — Re-entering home healthcare, benefits and tax after living in Spain

Other documents

• Marriage certificate from the Registro Civil — Bringing a Spanish or foreign partner and children home
• Spanish birth certificate for each child — Bringing a Spanish or foreign partner and children home
• Certificado de empresa — Presenting Spanish work experience when job hunting back home

Each article lists the other documents it asks for, where you need them.

Settling back home after Spain: questions that cross several articles

Do my Spanish work and contribution years count at home?

Yes, within the EU/EEA and Switzerland your Spanish insurance periods are added to your home periods for pensions and unemployment benefit. Spain also has agreements with many non-EU countries, such as the United States, Canada and Australia, but with no agreement the periods normally cannot be added. Read Re-entering home healthcare, benefits and tax after living in Spain, then Presenting Spanish work experience when job hunting back home.

Which Spanish documents should I bring home?

Bring the padrón certificate, your vida laboral (work history report), payslips, tax return and residence certificate, and any SEPE or INSS certificates. See Re-entering home healthcare, benefits and tax after living in Spain.

Can I claim Spanish unemployment benefit after moving home?

Yes, within the EU/EEA and Switzerland you can export Spanish unemployment benefit for up to 3 months to look for work, if you were registered as a jobseeker in Spain for at least four weeks first. You must register in the new country within 7 days. Outside the EU it depends on bilateral agreements.

How long should I wait before deciding the move home was a mistake?

Wait about 6 to 12 months before judging the return a failure or making a major decision, and set a review point at around 6 months. The hardest phase is usually the first 1 to 3 months. Read Why returning home after years in Spain feels harder than expected, then A one-year review: did returning from Spain work?