Expert Tips for Moving to Spain: Your Ultimate Guide

Moving to a new country, whilst thrilling, is not often a walk in the park; there is just so much to do, plan for, and search up. Having dual citizenship in both Italy and the US, I’ve been able to learn about the process of moving to Spain for both sides.

To help in making your preparations easier, here is everything you need to know about moving to Spain! In this post, I’ve included topics on driver’s licenses, opening a bank account in Spain, health insurance, taxes, and more; all of which come with resources that can dive deeper.

Table of Contents

EU Citizen vs Non-EU Citizen

Being a native Italian who’s lived half her life in both Italy and the United States, I’ve come to learn a bit about the process for both EU citizens and Non-EU citizens. As an EU Citizen, the only important paperwork I had to do was apply for the NIE and sign up for AIRE (the Italian Consulate) in Granada. However, having lived my most recent years in the US, I need to apply for health insurance, get a Spanish bank account, and soon will need to learn about the tax situation.

For EU citizens, you will not need any visas or work permits to live, study, or work in Spain – this goes for Swiss and EEAA citizens as well. The only important paperwork you will need if you plan to stay longer than 3 months is the NIE.

For Non-EU citizens, you will have to apply for a visa of some sort to enter. As of recent, Spain introduced the Digital Nomad Visa, which gives people the chance to work and live in Spain for up to 5 years. The other types of visas that Spain offer is:

Work Visa
Nomad visa
Non-lucrative visa
Golden Visa
Family Visa
Student Visa
Schengen/Tourist Visa (Listing it just so you know of it, but this doesn’t help with moving).

Exchange Your Driver’s License

When you first move, you will have a 6-month window to exchange your driver’s license – if applicable. After 6 months of living in Spain, your driver’s license won’t be valid anymore and you will need to get a Spanish one by taking the Spanish driving and theoretical exam. It is possible to test with an automatic car, but it is harder to find places that offer the option.

I personally decided to go back to Driver’s Ed and learn how to drive a manual stick – my reasoning being: in Europe, most cars are manual. Due to this:

Renting an automatic car is more expensive.
If there’s ever an emergency where you need to drive, you most likely won’t be with an automatic car.

In addition, I personally didn’t want to exchange my driver’s license as it’s my ID in the United States.

NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero)

The NIE is your tax identification number and is specific to foreigners, both EU and non-EU citizens, and you will need this if you plan to stay in Spain for more than 3 months. To apply for your NIE you will need to get an NIE appointment at a Police Station or Oficina de Extranjeros and do so within 30 days of arrival. To make your reservation at the Oficina de Extranjeros, you will need to go to this page. Here you will select your province and the office. If you are getting a NIE in Granada, Spain, you will put:

Oficina: Oficina de Entranjería en Granada, San Agapito, 2
Trámites Oficinas de Extranjería: Solicitud de Autorizaciones
Trámites Cuerpo Nacional de Policía: Policia-Certificados y Asignacion NIE

After filling out the various questions on this page and confirming your NIE appointment, you will need to fill out form EX15. Both on that form and at your meeting, you will be asked for your motive behind requesting an NIE, which can be as simple as “I need it to open a bank account“.

Even though Spain is infamous for its bureaucracy, the process in Granada was very quick (personally). I had to bring my passport and photocopy of it, a bank statement to prove I have sufficient funds, the filled-out form, and proof of the appointment. When signing up for your NIE appointment, pay close attention to what’s written and what they require you to bring.

As mentioned earlier, the process is extremely easy when you are an EU citizen; in fact, the lady even told me it wasn’t necessary for me to apply for residency and that there was no “time limit” to my stay. When you are a non-EU citizen, you will obviously need to have a Visa and NIE.

Opening a Bank Account in Spain

Getting a Spanish bank account will save you money and time in the long run, and will also allow you to pay certain bills – like your phone plan, in which you must use a Spanish bank account. It’s important to note that when I mention “it allows you to pay certain bills”, I mean that you cannot even access certain services without a Spanish bank account.

Personal Choice: I personally decided to go with Santander due to how global they are. They have endless branches throughout the US. The process was overall very smooth, you just have to provide some documents.

Get a Local Sim Card – Spanish SIM Card

If you are not an EU citizen, getting a Spanish SIM card will be an important step to avoid paying large sums for roaming. As mentioned above, to purchase a phone plan, you will need to have a Spanish bank account.

Personal note/Heads up: I got my plan via Vodafone, as it’s the “brand” that I’ve grown up with. Something interesting that happened while buying the SIM was that I needed to provide a Spanish phone number; (couldn’t even be my Italian one) which is ironic given I was there to buy a phone number.🧐😂 Maybe my situation was just a special case, but thought I should mention it just in case!

Apply for Health Insurance

When it comes to health insurance, the accessibility to the Spanish public healthcare system can depend on some different scenarios:

Are you a student, specifically a non-EU citizen? If so, you won’t be able to access the public healthcare system as you don’t contribute to it. You will need to pay for private insurance or see if your health insurance has an international plan.
Are you a student from a country with bilateral agreements with Spain, like Brazil or Morocco? If so, you qualify for public health insurance.
Are you self-employed? If so, you will need to apply for your social security number at the Tesoreria General de la Seguridad Social-TGSS. To become eligible for SNS medical care you will need to make sure that you pay your social security contributions correctly.
Are you a retired expat? If so, you can voluntarily register with the SNS, buy private insurance, or get both for the best of both worlds.
Are you a US Expat? If so, check if your insurance has an international plan that can cover you while abroad. You can also choose between private insurance or benefit from public healthcare (if eligible).
Are you an EU Citizen? If so, simply make sure your European Health Insurance Card is valid before leaving for Spain you will be able to access healthcare services freely. If you’re staying for over three months, you will need to sign up for the National Health Care plan.

Public Health Insurance

Spain has one of the best healthcare systems in Europe. The Spanish National Healthcare System has full coverage for all types of visits except for dental care (unless it’s an emergency) and optical care.

Private Health Insurance

The price of private health insurance in Spain can range between $50 to $200 per month; which depends on factors like age and your insurance company. Private health care will give you access to English-speaking doctors and can be great for more timely appointments and care.

Note: If you are staying in Spain for less than 181 days, it’s best to simply get travel health insurance. Read more here to learn further about SNS, Spanish National Healthcare System.

Overall Note on Spain’s Healthcare and Health Insurance

As it naturally happens, there are pros and cons to both public and health insurance. From what I’ve come to understand, public health care is better than private health in terms of equipment, higher doctor qualifications, better tech equipment, and free services. Private health insurance, on the other hand, is better in terms of the ability to choose your doctor, individual approach to patients, and immediately make an appointment without needing to consult a therapist first.

The general consensus is that the best way to go is with both types of health care!

Taxes

Oh… it’s everyone’s favorite word…Taxes! I hope you read that with sarcasm ahaha. Everyone has to pay taxes, and when you are a US citizen, you will need to look into double treaty conventions to avoid paying taxes twice. Here are some great resources that go into deep detail about taxes in Spain!

Why I Moved to Spain

I moved to Spain for three reasons:

I’ve always wanted to move back to Europe.
My boyfriend.
Taking a chance on myself and my biggest dream.

Both my boyfriend and I decided to take a chance on ourselves and our dreams; I have to give credit to my boyfriend for taking the initiative in this “jump” and for inspiring me endlessly. In addition, thanks to my boyfriend and his family, I did not need to worry about renting a place to stay – which consequently hasn’t forced me to look for a job.

Living in the US, I was highly influenced by corporate life and began working at 15. Since then I have had various jobs and internships – once I even had a job and internship while studying full-time in college. Due to this and craving my own “money independency”, I never had the time to understand what I really wanted in life and what my biggest dreams and aspirations were. The silver lining is that with my 2 years of full-time corporate life as a social media marketing specialist, I’ve gained crucial knowledge and experience; in addition, I was able to save up a good amount of money that is supporting me now.

Since a young age, I’ve been saying “I want to be a traveler when I grow up”. This sentence fluctuated with being a marine biologist, but traveling has always been my dream at the core. My biggest passion is diving deep, exploring new places, their cultures, and learning languages. I’m not making an income yet, but I am working more than full-time to turn my dream into a reality – and I couldn’t be more thankful, or blessed, for this opportunity and the support.

Final Note

With all this being said, if you have any questions or need clarifications, let me know in the comments! My main goal with my blog is to help you out, so please know I’m here for you.

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Finally, and as always, thank you for being here; I am so glad you are.❤️