My move to Spain
Your length of stay, personal circumstances and timetable are used to create an organised list of tasks and documents.
Personal action plan with document folder · about 7 minutesView the process →Spain Services · complete self-study course
Settling in Spain
A clear guide to NIE, registration, residence, healthcare, banking and vehicles
7 chapters · 28 learning unitsAround 3 hours, including practical exercisesAs at 29 August 2026
Introduction
You do not need to know everything. You need to understand the order.
Arriving in Spain is not a single visit to a government office. It is a chain of decisions, evidence and appointments. If you start at the wrong end, you may already have a Spanish bank account number but still lack reliable proof of where you live or how you are covered for healthcare. Understand the dependencies, however, and you can turn a series of counters into an orderly process.
That is why this course does not take you through an encyclopaedia of Spanish forms. It guides you step by step: first, clarify your residence arrangements; then build your document folder; distinguish between the NIE, the municipal register and residence rights; secure healthcare cover; and only then set up the digital and practical essentials of everyday life.
The course is primarily for nationals of the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland. Third-country nationals are often subject to different visa, residence and card procedures. Where relevant, the course explains the limits and refers you to official verification. It does not replace legal, tax or insurance advice.
Free taster lesson
It is the residence model, not the move, that determines things
Start with a simple question: are you staying temporarily, living mainly in Spain or moving your centre of life there permanently? Your answer affects residence registration, healthcare, tax checks, vehicles and many ongoing contracts. A holiday stay, a seasonal life in two countries and a permanent move may look similar from the outside, but administratively they are three different projects.
Create an annual calendar showing planned days in Spain, accommodation, work, family and regular return visits. The calendar is not a tax self-assessment. It simply makes clear which questions you need to resolve with a professional before making a binding decision. Nationality alone determines neither social security nor tax residence.
What you will take away
- Consider length of stay and centre of life separately
- Take work, family and living arrangements into account
- Seek professional advice on tax matters where there are cross-border ties
The complete learning path
Seven chapters take you from your initial plans to a settled daily life.
- 01Preparing before departureYou know which residence model applies to you and have a reliable folder of documents and appointments.
- 02NIE and identity in dealings with the authoritiesYou can distinguish an identification number, proof of residence and a foreigner identity card, and will not apply for one expecting another.
- 03Empadronamiento and residence registrationYou distinguish municipal registration from the right of residence and know which proof of address applies to your situation.
- 04Health and social securityYou know which country is responsible and can distinguish temporary cover from an ongoing entitlement to healthcare.
- 05Banking, digital identity and ongoing contractsYou establish a working administrative routine without confusing bank accounts, phone numbers and digital identity.
- 06Vehicle and driving licenceYou make the bring-or-buy decision early and understand the sequence involving the ITV, taxes, the DGT and insurance.
- 07Your personal 90-day roadmapYou turn what you have learned into a realistic sequence with responsible parties, deadlines and a Plan B.
Included in Spain Services
Unlock the complete course
With all 28 learning units, narrated presentation, practical exercises, knowledge checks and printable 90-day folder.
From your question to the next step
What specifically would you like to resolve in Spain?
Traditional Spain guides provide general answers. Spain services go further: answer a few straightforward questions and receive an organised checklist, a document folder and links to relevant up-to-date services.
Property due diligence pathway
Organises the checks to make before a reservation, private purchase contract and notary appointment – including the land register, encumbrances and additional costs.
Saveable due diligence checklist · about 6 minutesView the process →Retirement compass
Brings together residency, health insurance, tax residence, housing and regional climate risks in a robust assessment plan.
Personal retirement checklist · about 6 minutesView the process →My interactive Spain travel guide
Your region, time of year, mobility and interests are used to create personalised travel preparations with direct links to services.
A personalised travel plan instead of a standard list · about 5 minutesView the process →Spain courses
Knowledge that lasts beyond the next news story
Each course includes practical tasks, knowledge checks, editable checklists and a documented update status. Full courses open directly in the protected service area.
Settling in Spain
Tackle NIE, registration, residency, healthcare, banking and your vehicle in the right order.
7 chapters · 28 lessons · around 3 hoursView the syllabus
- Preparing before departure
- NIE and Spanish identity in everyday dealings with the authorities
- Empadronamiento and residence registration
- Health and social security
- Banking, digital identity and ongoing contracts
- Vehicle and driving licence
- Personal 90-day roadmap
Buying property in Spain – without costly mistakes
Check the legal position, registry, building condition, costs and contracts before a deposit turns assumptions into facts.
10 chapters · 40 lessons · 6 to 8 hoursView the syllabus
- Market and regions
- Budget and additional costs
- Nota Simple and ownership
- Cadastre and planning permission
- Community and ongoing charges
- Technical inspection
- Reservation and arras
- Financing
- Notary and registry
- Handover and first 100 days
Planning your retirement in Spain
Bring healthcare, pensions, tax, housing and climate risks together to make a sustainable life decision.
8 chapters · 40 lessons · 6 to 7 hoursView the syllabus
- Ideal vision and reality
- Residence options
- Pension and evidence
- S1 and healthcare
- Tax residence
- Housing, inheritance and provision
- Regions in a changing climate
- Moving roadmap
Self-employment and business in Spain
Prepare thoroughly for autónomo or company status, tax, social security and business culture.
11 chapters · 55 lessons · 7 to 9 hoursView the syllabus
- Business model, market and founder’s role
- Autónomo, S.L. or existing business
- NIE, NIF and digital identity
- Formation and registration
- Social security
- Tax
- Invoices, accounting and cash flow
- Contracts, data protection, brand and risk
- Employees
- Financing, grants and growth
- Business culture and 90-day launch plan
Understanding Spain
Understand regions, languages, politics and everyday culture without getting stuck in Spanish stereotypes.
8 chapters · 40 lessons · 6 to 7 hoursView the syllabus
- One country, many Spains
- Autonomous Communities
- Languages and identities
- Political system
- Family and social closeness
- Time, work and keeping commitments
- Festivals, food and public life
- Act with cultural confidence
Travel safely in Spain
Take heat, wildfires, water, transport and emergencies into account from the earliest stages of travel planning.
8 chapters · 40 lessons · 6 to 7 hoursView the syllabus
- The journey as a changing system
- Weather, heat and physical strain
- Wildfires, heavy rain and terrain
- Sea, sun and leisure
- Roads, hire cars and accidents
- Train, plane, bus and ferry
- Health, documents and personal safety
- The emergency plan that really works
The real promise
Spain won’t get any simpler. But it can be more manageable.
Spain Services does not sell an infallible oracle. It continuously organises available news and services so that a general country platform becomes a personal working tool.
My Spain
Your region and places take centre stage – not some abstract national average.
Stay informed in time
You can change your newsletter choices at any time in your service account.
Take practical action
Traffic, appointments, wildfires and other services are brought together in one place.
No subscription trap
3 months’ access, one-off payment and no silent renewal.
A clear distinction
Free offers and additional services
Explore Spain
- latest news and overviews
- Regional news with a free choice of region
- Official weather warnings, AEMET warning map and weather forecast
- Hotels and holiday rentals
- Emergencies, important numbers and immediate assistance
- general search across news
Organise my Spain
- Newsletters for current affairs, a topic, briefings and football results
- protected service pages within the service interface
- personal dashboard and country compass
- interactive advice and personal travel guide