Your first 30 days in Spain
Your first month in Spain is a chain of appointments where each one unlocks the next. An address and a phone number come first, then the padrón, then your residence card, social security and health card.
In 30 seconds
- Day one: get a Spanish SIM (bring your passport) and book your TIE fingerprint appointment, which on a long-stay visa must be requested within a month of arriving
- Week one: register on the padrón at the town hall, then get your social security number and register at your local health centre
- Then: a bank account, school places, Cl@ve, and your driving licence, which must be exchanged within 6 months of becoming resident
The order of things
| When | Task | Why now |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Get a Spanish SIM (phones and internet) | Banks and Cl@ve send codes to your mobile. For prepaid SIMs, operators must record your ID, so bring your passport |
| Days 1 to 3 | Book your TIE fingerprint appointment online (NIE, TIE and tax) | On a visa for more than 6 months you must apply within a month of entering Spain, and appointments can be scarce |
| Days 1 to 7 | Register on the padrón at your town hall | You need the certificate for healthcare, schools and many other steps |
| Week 1 | Get your social security number (NUSS) | Needed to work and to register for public healthcare |
| Week 1 to 2 | Register at your local health centre (centro de salud) for your health card (tarjeta sanitaria), or check your private cover is active (healthcare) | So you are covered if you need a doctor |
| Week 1 to 2 | Open or upgrade your bank account (bank accounts) | Rent, bills and payroll all go through it |
| Week 2 to 4 | Register for Cl@ve, the government login | For tax, social security and appointments online |
| As soon as you have an address | Apply for school places (schools) | Children aged 6 to 16 must be in school |
| Within 6 months of becoming resident | Exchange your UK driving licence (driving) | After 6 months your UK licence is no longer valid for driving in Spain |
Why the order matters
Many steps depend on others. The town hall wants your passport and proof of address for the padrón. The health centre wants your social security number. Banks want your NIE or TIE and address. Your employer needs your NUSS and bank details to pay you. Doing them in order saves repeat visits. Many offices, including the police for your TIE, work by appointment (cita previa) booked online.
Healthcare from day one
If you work in Spain and pay social security, you and your dependants get state healthcare on the same basis as Spanish workers: register at your local health centre with your social security number. UK State Pensioners can get an S1 form from the NHS and must register it with the INSS (the social security institute). If you are not working and can’t get an S1, you will need private health insurance; after a year on the padrón you can apply to pay into the public scheme (Convenio Especial). See Healthcare in Spain.
Schools
Children who arrive during the school year are placed according to their age. In Madrid, pupils from Year 3 of primary (tercero de primaria) upwards who don’t speak Spanish can get extra support in an “Aula de Enlace” while in a normal class. In Alicante, places outside the normal admission period are given in order of application through the municipal schools office, by appointment, and foreign documents need a sworn translation into Spanish. In regions with a co-official language (Catalan, Valencian, Basque or Galician), ask how lessons are split between languages and whether a late arrival can be exempted for a time. See Schools in Spain.
Your driving licence
GOV.UK says you can drive in Spain with a UK licence for 6 months once you are resident. To keep driving, exchange it for a Spanish one under the UK–Spain agreement, and apply before the 6 months are up, because processing takes time. You will need a check code from the DVLA (or the DVA in Northern Ireland). See Driving in Spain.
Do I register with the British consulate?
No. The UK stopped its old consular registration system (LOCATE) in 2013. Instead, sign up for email alerts on the FCDO’s Spain travel advice. Do register to vote as an overseas voter if you want to keep voting in UK elections. In Spain you can vote in local elections after 3 years of residence if you are on the electoral register.
What the first month costs
- Temporary accommodation while you look for a home
- The deposit (fianza), any extra security and the first month’s rent
- Furniture, if you rent unfurnished or your shipment is still on the way
- Transport passes or a car
- Phone and internet set-up, plus small fees: €16.08 for a first TIE and sworn translations of documents
The moving fund calculator adds these up for your city and household. See also Moving money from the UK.
Look after yourselves
Don’t try to do everything in the first week. Book in time to explore your new area: see Working life and culture.
What to do next
- Book your TIE fingerprint appointment the day you arrive
- Register on the padrón as soon as you have an address
- Diary the date 6 months after you become resident to exchange your driving licence
- BOE: Real Decreto 1155/2024, Regulation on foreigners in Spain (consolidated text)
- Jobbatical: Relocating employees to Madrid, TIE and padrón (reviewed Oct 2026)
- BOE: Ley 25/2007 on communications data, additional provision on prepaid SIM cards
- BOE: Ley 7/1985 on local government, articles 15 and 16 (padrón)
- Universidad Autónoma de Madrid: Getting a social security number (NUSS)
- GOV.UK: Healthcare in Spain, including the Balearic and Canary Islands
- GOV.UK: Living in Spain
- Cl@ve: How to register
- Comunidad de Madrid: Late integration into the Spanish school system
- Papelea: Alicante school places outside the normal admission period (from the Ajuntament d’Alacant)
- GOV.UK: Important changes to consular registration (2013)
- GOV.UK: Spain travel advice (email alerts)
- BOE: Ley 29/1994 on urban tenancies (LAU), consolidated text