Are you ready to move?

It is for anyone who is considering, planning or already carrying out a move to Spain. You do not need to have decided anything. A feeling that you want to go is enough to begin. By the end you will have a list of your own gaps, and you will know which ones you can close before you move.

Start with "How to tell whether your household is ready for Spain". It sets out the criteria that separate the three verdicts. After that, the other pages go deeper into each area: the practical side of status, money, work, health and housing; your real reasons for going; the difference between holidays and daily life; how well you handle stress; and how you deal with Spanish paperwork.

Key rules

• Appointments: Most in-person immigration steps need an appointment (cita previa) booked online, and collecting the TIE and giving fingerprints must be done in person.
• Verdict: Your result is ready, not yet or not ready, and the first gate you cannot pass sets it.
• Non-EU visa: If you are non-EU and plan to stay over 90 days, you generally need your visa or residence authorisation before you arrive.
• Entering as a tourist: For most nationalities, residence must be obtained from abroad, so arriving as a tourist and sorting it out later does not work.
• Health insurance: Non-lucrative and digital nomad visas need private cover with no copayments and no waiting periods.
• Cost of living: Spain is good value on a foreign or higher income and much tighter on a local salary.

Are you ready to move?: the whole process, step by step

• Test your motives and expectations: read the articles on why you want to move, moving toward or away, and holiday versus resident life: before you commit to any date

• Judge your household's readiness: read the article on how to tell whether your household is ready, then the one on what ready means for status, money, work, health and housing: before you apply for anything

• Non-EU citizens: get your visa or residence authorisation from the Spanish consulate, and gather income proof and private health insurance if your route needs them: before you arrive; you generally cannot switch from a tourist stay to residence

• Check your resilience and the paperwork load: read the articles on resilience and on coping with Spanish paperwork and appointments (cita previa): before you arrive, and decide whether to budget for a gestor (a paperwork agent)

• Line up rental documents: ID, NIE, recent payslips, contract, and extra guarantees if you have no local work history: before you start house hunting

• Non-EU citizens on a long-stay visa: apply for the TIE (foreigner identity card) in person with a cita previa: within 1 month of arrival

• EU/EEA/Swiss citizens: register and get your registration certificate, which includes the NIE, with a cita previa: within 3 months of arrival

• Register at your town hall (padrón) and then at your local health centre for your health card: in your first weeks; avoid August, when many offices and businesses slow down or close

• Expect the rough patches: read the article on when moving gets hard and why it often passes: months 1 to 12, with the hardest stretches often at months 3 to 6 and the first winter

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Empadronamiento — What 'ready' means for status, money, work, health and housing, Do you have the resilience for a move to Spain?
• NIE or TIE — Do you have the resilience for a move to Spain?, Can you cope with Spanish paperwork and appointments (cita previa)?
• Valid passport — How to tell whether your household is ready for Spain
• National long-stay visa or residence authorisation for your route — How to tell whether your household is ready for Spain
• Foreigner identity card — How to tell whether your household is ready for Spain
• Certificate of registration as an EU citizen — How to tell whether your household is ready for Spain

Income and work

• Bank statements — What 'ready' means for status, money, work, health and housing

The home and the lease

• A work contract or letter showing at least 3 months of working with a foreign — What 'ready' means for status, money, work, health and housing

Payments and receipts

• Completed form EX-18 and the fee payment form — How to tell whether your household is ready for Spain

Guarantees

• Private health insurance policy with full cover in Spain — What 'ready' means for status, money, work, health and housing

Other documents

• Proof of why you are staying — How to tell whether your household is ready for Spain
• Proof of a university degree or three years of professional experience — What 'ready' means for status, money, work, health and housing

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

Are you ready to move?: questions that cross several articles

Do I need a visa before I move to Spain?

Yes, if you are a non-EU citizen planning to stay more than 90 days, you generally need a long-stay visa or residence authorisation before you arrive. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens only register after arriving. Read "What 'ready' means for status, money, work, health and housing" next.

How much does paperwork delay a move in practice?

Paperwork can delay a move noticeably, because most in-person immigration steps need a cita previa and appointments can be scarce. August slows things further, as many offices and businesses close for weeks. Read "Can you cope with Spanish paperwork and appointments (cita previa)?" and "When moving to Spain gets hard and why it often passes".

Will my home in Spain be warm in winter?

Not necessarily, because many older homes have poor insulation, single glazing and no central heating, even on the mild coast. Portable electric heating is costly and damp is common. Read "What changes between holidaying in Spain and living there" and "Do you have the resilience for a move to Spain?".

What do landlords ask newcomers for before I can rent?

Landlords usually ask for ID, NIE, recent payslips and a work contract, and may want extra guarantees if you have no local work history. Your status and income also affect which documents you can show.