Readiness for your situation

It is for anyone thinking about, planning or carrying out a move to Spain. You will see the questions that matter for your own circumstances, not a generic list.

Start with "Moving to Spain on your own, what readiness looks like". It covers support, social life and practical readiness, and its questions are a useful first test even if you are not moving alone. Then go to the article that matches your situation.

Decisions you make together with a partner, route and visa facts, health condition continuity, discrimination and accessibility, and pet and shipping rules are covered in other sections.

Key rules

• Custody consent: With shared custody, get the other parent's written notarised consent or a court order before moving a child to Spain.
• Time away: Temporary residence permits can be put at risk if you are away from Spain for more than 6 months in a year.
• Crisis line: In a mental-health crisis you can call 024, a free line open 24 hours a day, or 112 for any immediate emergency.
• Extra guarantee: Beyond the fianza, any additional guarantee on a main-residence lease is capped at two months' rent.
• Agency fees: You do not pay agency fees on a main-residence lease.
• Compulsory schooling: Children must attend school from 6 to 16, and every child in that range has the right to a place whatever their legal status.

Readiness for your situation: the whole process, step by step

• Check whether a life event means you should delay the move (read: Life events that mean this is the wrong time to move): Before you commit to a move date

• Check your caring duties and travel needs, including leave you could use (read: Ageing parents or shared custody, can you really move?): Before you commit; leave for a seriously ill relative is five working days

• If you are a job seeker, check your status and start recognition of your qualifications for a regulated profession (read: Moving to Spain without a job offer, when it is too risky): Before you move; EU citizens can stay three months with a valid ID or passport, and recognition can take many months to over a year for non-EU degrees

• Work out your tax position if you work remotely (read: Are you ready to move to Spain on a remote income?): Before you move; you become tax resident after more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year

• Book your first appointments: NIE or TIE, padrón at the town hall, and Social Security number (read: Moving to Spain on your own, what readiness looks like): As soon as you arrive; book the TIE fingerprinting within one month of arrival or approval, and EU citizens register within the first three months

• Prepare proof of income for renting; some landlords also ask for a guarantor or bank guarantee: Before you start viewing homes

• Get your health card from your regional health service, after padrón and Social Security number (read: Retiring to Spain, the readiness questions that differ): After padrón registration; some regions ask for 90 days of registered residence

• Apply for a school place for your children (read: Are your children ready for a move to Spain?): Normal admissions run March to May for the next school year; if you arrive later, placement usually takes days to a few weeks

• Keep your absences from Spain within the limit for your permit: Throughout your stay; more than 6 months away in a year puts a temporary residence permit at risk

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• A padrón certificate
• Valid ID or passport — Are your children ready for a move to Spain?, Moving to Spain without a job offer, when it is too risky
• Your ID or NIE — Moving to Spain on your own, what readiness looks like

Income and work

• Recent payslips or an employment contract — Moving to Spain on your own, what readiness looks like
• Tax returns or bank statements — Moving to Spain on your own, what readiness looks like
• Certificate of coverage from your employer's country's social security authority — Are you ready to move to Spain on a remote income?

Other documents

• Social Security number — Moving to Spain on your own, what readiness looks like
• Your child's vaccination record — Are your children ready for a move to Spain?
• Your child's previous school records — Are your children ready for a move to Spain?
• Proof of Spanish Social Security registration — Are you ready to move to Spain on a remote income?
• Registration certificate for EU citizens — Moving to Spain without a job offer, when it is too risky

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

Readiness for your situation: questions that cross several articles

Can I get a health card straight after I arrive in Spain?

Usually not straight away, because you normally need padrón registration and a Social Security number first. Some regions also ask for 90 days of registered residence if you have no other cover, and people on private-insurance visas are generally outside the public system. Read Retiring to Spain, the readiness questions that differ, and Life events that mean this is the wrong time to move if you are pregnant.

Why are first-arrival appointments such a problem for planning?

Appointments for the NIE or TIE, padrón and Social Security are often scarce in Barcelona, Madrid, Alicante and Málaga. Check for new slots early in the morning, try other offices in the same province, or use a gestor (an administrative agent). Read Moving to Spain on your own, what readiness looks like for the full sequence.

Can my children start school if we arrive in the middle of the school year?

Yes, children aged 6 to 16 have a right to a school place whatever their legal status, and the regional authority places them in a school with free places. In Catalonia, the Basque Country, Galicia, Valencia and the Balearics, teaching also uses a co-official language. Read Are your children ready for a move to Spain?.

Will a landlord accept me without Spanish payslips?

Often only with extra proof, such as a larger guarantee or several months' rent upfront. A guarantee beyond the one-month deposit is capped at two months' rent for a main-residence lease. Read Moving to Spain on your own, what readiness looks like and Are you ready to move to Spain on a remote income? to prepare your proof of income.