Your First Weeks in Spain: Papers, Address, Health and Work in Order

Covers: all of Spain (national rules). Where a step is run by your region or city council, the guide says so.

This guide is for EU and non-EU citizens who have just arrived in Spain and want to understand the main administrative steps in a sensible order. After reading it, you will be able to tell which steps are national, which are run by a region or city council, and where the official sources stop giving details.

• Residence papers: EU and non-EU
• Registering your address
• Social Security and tax
• Health care
• Transport and driving
• FAQ

Residence papers: EU and non-EU

This step is national, because immigration rules apply across Spain. It also depends on your nationality.

EU citizens. According to Your Europe, during the first 3 months you cannot be required to apply for a residence document, although some countries ask you to report your presence on arrival. After 3 months you may be required to register your residence with the relevant authority, often the town hall or local police station, and receive a registration certificate. You need a valid identity card or passport plus proof that fits your situation:

• Employees: a certificate of employment or confirmation of recruitment from the employer.
• Self-employed: proof of your status.
• Pensioners: proof of comprehensive health insurance and proof that you can support yourself without income support.
• Students: proof of enrolment, comprehensive health insurance and a declaration of sufficient resources.

The certificate should be issued immediately and cost no more than nationals pay for identity cards. If registration is required and you do not do it, you may be fined, but you cannot be expelled for that reason alone. That page is a general EU explanation. It does not name the Spanish office, the form or the amount of any fine, so the office handling your registration decides those details.

Non-EU citizens. The Barcelona International Welcome page on non-EU citizenship says that if you come from outside the EU, the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or Switzerland, you must complete immigration formalities. Laws 14/2013 and 28/2022 create a fast track for entrepreneurs, researchers, highly qualified professionals, intra-company transfers and digital nomads. For researchers, highly qualified professionals and intra-company transfers, the hiring organisation requests the residence permit. Anyone studying for over 90 days who is outside Spain needs a study visa. Relatives of EU, EEA or Swiss nationals staying more than three months apply for a residence card for family members, and relatives of Spanish citizens apply for a temporary residence permit for family members. Everyone else follows the general procedure under Organic Law 4/2000, and the page points to the Spanish Government Immigration Portal. It warns that procedures change often and that only the regulations in force at the time apply.

NIE and TIE. The same page says that once you have your visa or permit and are in Spain, you can apply for the identity card for foreign nationals (TIE). The Barcelona page also lists the NIE (foreigner identity number) among its identification procedures. The pages used for this guide do not say who needs a NIE, what it costs or how long it takes.

Registering your address

The empadronamiento (registering your address on the municipal register, the padrón) is run by your city council, so the steps differ from one town to another. The Barcelona page lists “registration in the municipal register of residents of the city of Barcelona” and two certificates, the volant de convivència and the volant de residència. It says its instructions are specific to Barcelona and that anyone moving to another town, even within the Barcelona area, should validate them locally. The sources here give no deadline, fee or document list for the padrón. Your town hall sets those out.

Social Security and tax

The Barcelona page lists three formalities under “Start working”: registration with the Tax Office, registration with the social security system, and obtaining a Social Security Number (NUSS). It says that, other than the formalities specific to Barcelona, the listed formalities are valid throughout Catalonia and Spain. Registration with the Tax Office and with the social security system are therefore described as national in nature. The page gives no fees, deadlines or required documents, and the authorities concerned decide what they ask for.

The page also lists two digital certificates, FNMT-RCM and idCAT. The first is a national certificate and the second is Catalan. It gives no further detail on either.

Health care

Health care is run by Spain’s regions (comunidades autónomas), so the route depends on where you live. The Barcelona page lists an “application for recognition of the right to access public healthcare” and the individual healthcare card (TSI), described there for Barcelona. Other regions run their own procedures, and the pages used here do not describe them. For pensioners and students from the EU, Your Europe lists comprehensive health insurance among the documents for registering residence, so the insurance requirement and the public health system are separate matters.

Transport and driving

Transport is local. The Barcelona page lists the T-16 travel card application and a Bicing subscription for public transport in Barcelona, and says nothing about other cities. For driving, it lists the exchange of driving licences, vehicle registration and an AREA resident permit for on-street parking. It does not say which licences can be exchanged, how long a foreign licence stays valid or what the deadlines are. The page names no national traffic authority for these steps, so check with the office that handles them before relying on any timing.

FAQ

Do EU citizens need a residence document in the first 3 months?

Your Europe says an EU national cannot be required to apply for a residence document during the first 3 months. Some countries may ask you to report your presence on arrival. After 3 months you may be required to register your residence and receive a registration certificate.

What happens if an EU citizen does not register when required?

Your Europe says you may be fined but may continue to live in the country and cannot be expelled just for this. The page does not state the amount of any fine for Spain.

Who applies for the permit of a non-EU researcher or professional?

The Barcelona page says that for researchers, highly qualified professionals and intra-company transfers, the hiring body or company requests the residence permit. If the person is outside Spain, the granted permit is a requirement for the visa. Other profiles, such as students, apply for a visa or a stay permit, and everyone else follows the general immigration procedure.

Do the Barcelona steps apply in Madrid or Valencia?

Not automatically. The Barcelona page says some of its formalities are specific to Barcelona and others are valid throughout Catalonia and Spain, and that people moving elsewhere should validate the information. Padrón, health card and transport steps are run locally or regionally, so the town hall or regional health service decides.

Sources: barcelona.cat · europa.eu · barcelona.cat

Last verified: 13 November 2026 against the pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the responsible authority always has the final word.

This is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. For your own situation, ask the office that handles your case (the Oficina de Extranjería, your ayuntamiento, the Seguridad Social or the Agencia Tributaria), a lawyer (abogado) or a gestor administrativo.