First month operational setup
Helps you sequence the move from leaving home to an operational first month.
Bridge leaving home and the first weeks in Spain in the right order: the departure checklist, arrival at the border and the dependency map of first-month tasks. It sequences and links; each task's how-to belongs to its…
- topics
- 6
- articles
- 47
- of reading
- 4.8 hours
Begin with
Leaving home checklist for Spain
You will know what to close, carry, book and prepare before you leave, and by when.
What you can finish before you land in Spain · Your countdown: 3 months, 1 month and 1 week before leaving · Which home accounts, leases and registrations to close or keep
More in first month operational setup
5 more topics in this section, about 4.8 hours of reading in all.
Arriving at the Spanish border
You will know what to expect and carry at the border for your passport and situation.
Arriving in Spain as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen · Arriving at Spanish passport control with a long-stay visa · Arriving visa-free: your 90 days and what to plan next
Your first week in Spain
You will know what to do on day one and in week one and what safely waits.
Getting from a Spanish airport to your first address · Your first 24 hours in Spain · Your first week in Spain: what must happen and what can wait
Task order and deadlines
You will know what unlocks what and which deadlines are running.
What has to come first in Spain, and what does not · The deadlines that start running when you arrive in Spain · Where the NIE and registering your address (empadronamiento) fit
First month by your situation
You will see the order and extra steps that apply to your own profile.
Your first month in Spain as an EU citizen · Your first month in Spain on a work, residency or nomad visa · Your first month if you arrived as a visitor planning to settle
When the first month goes wrong
You will know how to recover and keep procedures on track.
If you lose your passport or visa documents in Spain · Luggage lost or delayed on arrival in Spain · The most common first-month mistakes newcomers make in Spain
Other sections in Moving, documents, and setup
Identity numbers and local registration
Helps you get the identity numbers and registrations everything else needs.
Documents, appointments, translations, and apostilles
Helps you prepare usable documents and get through appointments.
Belongings, shipping, and pets
Helps you move belongings and pets to Spain and keep pets legal.
Utilities, phone, internet, and services
Helps you get utilities, phone and internet working and keep bills under control.
Driving, vehicles, and transport
Helps you drive and get around legally in Spain.
Need certainty before you act?
For important relocation decisions, speak with a qualified human specialist.
Always verify important information with the relevant official authority or a qualified adviser before acting. This website uses large language models together with various public data sources, official government documents and other established sources. Due to the amount of data on this website, some information might be wrong. Information may also be incomplete or outdated.