Moving to Spain: the Paperwork for Living on the Costa del Sol

Moving to Spain by nationality

Your first step depends on your passport. Arriving from Germany is not the same as arriving from the UK, the United States or Norway.

If you come from outside the EU, buying a home does not give you the right to stay. Without a visa you can spend 90 days in every 180 in the Schengen area. To live here all year, read our guide to the non-lucrative and digital nomad visas.

Your first 30 days on the Costa del Sol

1. Register on the padrón at the town hall with your deeds or rental contract. You will need the certificate for almost everything.
2. Apply for your TIE, the foreigner's identity card, if you came on a visa. EU citizens apply for the registration certificate instead. Appointments in Málaga go fast.
3. Open a resident bank account to pay electricity, water, IBI and community fees by direct debit.
4. Put the utilities in your name if the home is new: electricity, water, internet and gas if there is any.
5. Register at your health centre if you are entitled to public healthcare.

Healthcare: public, private or with an S1 form

If you work in Spain, you pay social security and get public healthcare. If you do not work, you have three routes.

• EU or UK pensioners: with an S1 form from your country, Spanish public healthcare covers you. British pensioners request it from the NHS and then register it with the INSS.
• Special agreement (convenio especial): after a year on the padrón with no other cover, you pay €60 a month under 65, or €157 a month from 65.
• Private insurance: compulsory for the non-lucrative and digital nomad visas. It must cover you in Spain with no co-payments or waiting periods.

The Costa del Sol has public hospitals in Marbella, Estepona and Málaga, and a wide private network with English-speaking staff. Compare several policies, as prices change a lot with age.

Tax: when you become a Spanish tax resident

You are a Spanish tax resident if you spend more than 183 days here in a calendar year. You also are if your main economic interests are here, or if your spouse and minor children live in Spain.

From then on you pay tax in Spain on your worldwide income. Double tax treaties stop you paying twice, but you file your return here.

• Income tax (IRPF): the return is filed between April and June of the following year.
• Form 720: if you hold more than €50,000 in accounts, securities or property outside Spain, you must declare them.
• UK pensions: the State Pension is taxed in Spain; government service pensions are usually taxed only in the UK.

Cars, schools and daily life after moving to Spain

With an EU licence you can drive without exchanging it. British residents can swap their licence for a Spanish one under the 2023 agreement between both countries. Book an appointment with the DGT.

If you are moving with children, there are state schools, semi-private schools and plenty of international schools with British or IB programmes. International places fill early, so contact them a year ahead.

To choose an area, think about your daily routine. If you will fly often, Torremolinos and Benalmádena are under 20 minutes from the airport. If you want peace and quiet, look at Estepona or Mijas. We cover both in the best areas on the Costa del Sol and the cost of living.