Longer trial stays

It is for anyone thinking about, planning or carrying out a move to Spain. After reading it, you will know how to run a trial that tests real life, what a trial cannot tell you, and what to do when it goes badly or well.

Along the way you will find guidance on how long to stay, how to live like a resident, what a trial costs, how to keep your home base, and how to end or convert the trial. There is also a page for retirees.

Start with "Ways to try living in Spain: rental, coliving, house-sit or course". It explains the formats a trial can take and what each one tests, which helps you choose before you plan anything else.

Two things are covered elsewhere: Schengen limits and tax residency, and lease types and bridge housing. Check the pages on eligibility routes, tax residency, renting and arrival housing for those.

Key rules

• Seasonal deposit: Seasonal landlords usually ask for a deposit of one to two months' rent, and there is no fixed legal cap for a seasonal rental.
• Trial length: Plan a trial of at least 3 months, and preferably 6 months, because one month usually only gives a holiday impression.
• Tax residency threshold: Spending more than 183 days in a year in Spain can make you tax resident, so watch trial length.
• Leaving early: A seasonal rental gives you no automatic right to leave early, so the exit terms in your contract decide what you owe.
• Seasonal contract: A seasonal contract must state the temporary reason for your stay and gives you no right to renew.
• Minimum length: A trial under 3 months mostly measures the excitement of arriving.

Longer trial stays: the whole process, step by step

From first idea to a decision

• Choose your trial format: seasonal rental, coliving, house-sit or course stay (Ways to try living in Spain): before you book anything

• Set the length of your trial and the seasons it covers (How long should a trial stay in Spain be?): before you book; plan at least 3 months, and preferably 6 months

• Budget the stay, including the deposit and the first month paid before arrival (What a one-to-six-month trial stay in Spain costs): before you book; seasonal landlords usually ask for one to two months' rent as a deposit

• Check the exit terms before you pay: notice period, deposit and cancellation (What if your trial stay goes badly and you leave early?): before you sign or pay; a seasonal rental gives no automatic right to leave early

• Arrange your home base, job and belongings so nothing becomes irreversible (Trying Spain while keeping your home, job and belongings): before you leave home

• Retirees: tell your pension payer about the extended stay and plan for tax days (Testing Spain as a retiree or pre-retiree): before you leave; watch the 183 days threshold for tax residency

• Run real routines of shopping, errands and healthcare (Living like a resident, not a tourist): from the first weeks after arrival

• Cover the blind spots: winter, paperwork and loneliness (Covering a trial stay's blind spots): after the first 1 to 3 months, when the honeymoon feeling fades; expect a low point at 3 to 6 months

• If the trial goes badly, leave early using your contract's exit terms: as soon as you decide, following the notice in your contract

• If it goes well, plan the move from visitor to resident (Turning a good trial stay into a permanent move): at the end of the trial; non-EU visitors normally need a visa from home, not a switch inside Spain

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Your passport
• Proof of your reason for needing an NIE — Living like a resident, not a tourist, during a trial, Covering a trial stay's blind spots: winter, paperwork and loneliness
• Proof of payment of the NIE fee — Covering a trial stay's blind spots: winter, paperwork and loneliness
• Enrolment letter from your language school — Ways to try living in Spain: rental, coliving, house-sit or course
• Your padrón registration from the town hall — Turning a good trial stay into a permanent move

Income and work

• Spanish tax return — Testing Spain as a retiree or pre-retiree

The home and the lease

• Proof of address — Covering a trial stay's blind spots: winter, paperwork and loneliness, Turning a good trial stay into a permanent move
• Seasonal rental contract that states the temporary reason for the stay — Ways to try living in Spain: rental, coliving, house-sit or course

Other documents

• Form EX-15 — Living like a resident, not a tourist, during a trial, Covering a trial stay's blind spots: winter, paperwork and loneliness
• Life certificate or other periodic proof that you are alive — Testing Spain as a retiree or pre-retiree

Longer trial stays: questions that cross several articles

Should my trial include winter and August?

Yes, a good trial covers both a summer and a winter period, because coastal towns change a lot between them. Many bars and shops close from October to Easter, and in August many small businesses close for two to four weeks. Read How long should a trial stay in Spain be? and Covering a trial stay's blind spots.

What healthcare can I use during a trial stay?

EU, EEA, Swiss and UK visitors can use public care for medically necessary treatment with their health card, but not for planned treatment. Non-EU visitors need private travel insurance, as public cover is only for emergencies and is billed. See Living like a resident, not a tourist and Testing Spain as a retiree or pre-retiree.

Does signing up on the padrón during a trial affect my status?

Registering on the padrón, the town register of residents, gives no immigration status, but it documents where you live. That can count as evidence of presence for the 183 days tax test and may signal habitual residence. Read Turning a good trial stay into a permanent move and How long should a trial stay in Spain be?

Can I get an NIE as a trial visitor?

Yes, a visitor can request an NIE, the foreigner identification number, if there is a reason such as signing a contract or opening a bank account. See Living like a resident, not a tourist, during a trial.

How much deposit will a seasonal landlord ask for?

Seasonal landlords usually ask for one to two months' rent as a deposit, and there is no fixed legal cap. Check the return terms in your contract before paying. Read What a one-to-six-month trial stay in Spain costs and What if your trial stay goes badly and you leave early?