Which costs to pay from home funds and which after arrival

Terms used

• Fianza — The fianza is the deposit a tenant pays the landlord as security for the lease.
• Traductor jurado — A traductor jurado is a sworn translator appointed by Spain's foreign ministry whose translations Spanish authorities accept.
• TIE — The TIE is the foreigner identity card issued to non-EU residents in Spain.
• Padrón — The padrón is the town hall's register of residents, where you sign up for free.

Key rules

• Cash at signing: Expect to pay about 2 to 4 months of rent in cash when you sign a lease, including a one-month fianza and often an extra guarantee of up to two months.
• Before you leave: Visa fees, certificates, apostilles, translations, insurance and flights are paid from your home funds.
• Residence fee: Pay the residence application fee before you file, and the TIE fee in euros before your fingerprint appointment.
• Convert early: Convert euro costs due within about 6 to 12 months before you go, and stage the rest.

The short split

Pay the costs of getting your visa and documents from your home funds before you leave. Pay the costs of living in your home (deposits, utilities, furnishing) in euros after you arrive. Keep the euro money ready in a Spanish or euro-friendly account before you sign anything.

Pay before you leave, from home funds

• Visa fee. A long-stay national visa fee is about 80 euros, and the Schengen short-stay fee is 90 euros. Some nationalities pay less or nothing. Confirm the amount with your consulate.
• Residence application fee. Pay tasa 790 code 052 before you file. It is about 10 to 20 euros for the application, plus about 160 euros for the authorisation itself, depending on type. Applications filed inside Spain, such as digital nomad, also use 790-038.
• Certificates, apostilles and translations. Each document costs something. Government offices often charge a small fixed fee per document, and some charge nothing. Private agents and couriers cost more. Sworn translations come from a traductor jurado and are priced per page, word or document. Rarer languages and rush jobs cost more. Ask several translators for quotes.
• Criminal-record certificate. The fee depends on the country. Add the apostille, translation and courier. It usually has to be issued within three months before you file, so do not order it too early.
• Private health insurance. Some visas need it before you travel: non-lucrative, student, digital nomad without Spanish social security, and golden visa. It must have no co-payments and full cover. Adults pay about 50 to 150 euros a month, and more when older. Workers' visas do not need it.
• Flights and shipping. Pay these from home funds as well.

Pay after you arrive, in euros

• Move-in cash. Budget for the amount in the key rules when you sign a lease. Ask exactly what is due in cash and who pays any agency fee. Agency fees are usually paid by the landlord, but some agencies still charge tenants. In Madrid and Barcelona, 2 to 3 months is common. In Málaga and Palma, landlords often ask for 3 to 4 months.
• TIE fee. Pay tasa 790 code 012 in euros before your fingerprint appointment. It is about 16 to 21 euros, depending on card validity. Registering at the town hall (padrón) is free.
• Utilities. Electricity and gas contracts go in your name, and some suppliers or landlords ask for a small deposit. Connection charges can apply if the supply is off or needs a power upgrade. Internet may have an installation or router fee, and 12-month contracts are common. First bills arrive within one to two months.
• Furnishing. An empty one-bedroom flat typically costs roughly 3,000 to 6,000 euros to furnish, and a family home 8,000 to 12,000 euros. A furnished rental needs only about 200 to 800 euros in extras, but the rent is usually higher.
• Local transport. A monthly pass is about 20 to 40 euros depending on the city. Start-up costs are usually under 50 euros.

Where your money should sit

Convert at once the euro costs due within about 6 to 12 months: deposits, first rent, setup and first-year living costs. They are certain and near. Money you need later can stay in your home currency or be converted in stages.

If a 10 percent currency move would break your budget, convert or fix the rate for that part. Specialist providers offer forward contracts and limit orders. Send a small test transfer first.

The decision, timeline, documents and checklist below help you plan the order of payments.

Choosing between options

Which funds should pay for each cost?

• Pay from your home funds before you leave: The cost falls due before departure: the consular visa fee, the residence application fee, apostilles, the criminal-record certificate and private health insurance bought before arrival.

• Pay from euro funds after you arrive: The cost falls due once you are in Spain: the TIE fee, utility setup and furnishing an empty flat.

• Convert money to euros before you go: You need euros on arrival for costs that are certain and near, and a currency move would strain your budget.

If the cost is due before you leave, pay it from home funds. If it is due after you arrive, keep euros ready for it.

Plan when each source of money must arrive

When each source of money must land in euros

• Start the sale of your home and any slow withdrawals: as soon as you decide to move, since proceeds usually arrive 2 to 4 months after you accept an offer

• Gather proof of where large sums come from: before your first large transfer, such as the sale deed, bank or investment statements, tax returns or inheritance papers

• Send a first, smaller transfer to test the route: several weeks before you need the money, because Spanish banks may ask about the origin of large or unusual incoming funds, often from around 10,000 euros

• Pay visa fees, translations, apostilles, flights and shipping from cash: before you leave, from money you can reach at once

• Move money for rent, deposit and first costs in euros: at least 1 to 2 weeks before you sign the lease, allowing 1 to 5 business days for an international transfer and more if it goes through intermediary banks

• Pay the rent cash due at signing: on the day you sign the lease: expect 2 to 4 months of rent, including a one-month fianza and often an extra guarantee of up to two months

• Pay the agency fee if one is charged to you: at signing, as some agencies still charge tenants

• Offer another form of proof if the landlord refuses foreign statements: before signing, such as extra deposit months, a bank guarantee (aval bancario), a Spanish guarantor or several months paid in advance

• Move broker or investment money: 1 to 3 days to sell and settle, then 2 to 5 days to transfer, so start at least 2 weeks before you need it

• Change the payment address for a foreign pension: 1 to 3 months before you need it in Spain, since the change can take that long

• Open a Spanish bank account once you have your NIE: in your first days after arrival, as the NIE (foreigner ID number) is often needed to open one

• Live from your reserve while waiting for the first Spanish salary: for the first month or more after starting work, since pay often arrives at month-end

• Set money aside for tax and annual bills: before the April to June income tax filing window and when annual insurance or community fees fall due

Documents you need

• Criminal-record certificate from the country that issues it, dated within about three months before you file (needed for visas that require one).

• Apostille on each foreign civil document, such as birth, marriage and criminal-record certificates, from the apostille authority in the country that issued it.

• Sworn translation into Spanish of any document not in Spanish, made by a traductor jurado appointed by the Spanish foreign ministry.

• Proof that you paid the residence application fee (tasa 790 code 052) before filing.

• Proof that you paid the TIE fee (tasa 790 code 012) before your fingerprint appointment.

• Electricity and gas contracts in your name, which some landlords or suppliers back with a small deposit.

Fees and recency rules change, so confirm the current requirements with the consulate and the issuing authority.

Checklist

• Pay the consular visa fee from your home funds before you leave, after checking the amount with your consulate.

• Ask the apostille authority in your country for the current fee for each document you need apostilled.

• Ask several sworn translators for quotes, since prices vary by language, urgency and translator.

• Check the current fee with the authority that issues your criminal-record certificate, and add apostille, translation and courier costs.

• Buy private health insurance before you travel if your visa requires it, with no co-payments and full cover for the first year.

• Ask the landlord or agency exactly what you pay in cash at signing and who pays any agency fee.

• Ask each utility supplier about deposits, connection charges and router fees before you sign.

• Buy a local transport pass or rechargeable card, which usually costs under 50 euros to start.

Frequently asked questions

When do you pay the TIE fee?

You pay the TIE fee after you arrive, before your fingerprint appointment, within one month of arrival or of the authorisation being granted. The fee is about 16 to 21 euros, depending on how long the card is valid.