Barcelona, step by step
Your first 90 days in Barcelona
The procedures a newcomer goes through, in the order they usually come. Each page cites the official source behind every fact, and says plainly when your case needs a person.
Journeys
Step-by-step paths for common situations, built from the guides below.
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Home, money & driving
Register your address in Barcelona
Alta en el Padrón municipal de habitantes
Empadronamiento is registering the Barcelona address where you actually live on the city's padrón. It is free, does not require an NIE, and records where you live, not your immigration status. A correct online application is normally confirmed in about seven calendar days; you can also apply in person.
Identity & documents
Get your NIE
Asignación de NIE a instancia de interesado
The NIE is the identification number Spain gives foreign nationals with economic, professional or social dealings in Spain. It is not a residence or work permit. In Spain you apply in person to the Policía Nacional with form EX-15 and the Modelo 790-012 fee; from abroad, through a Spanish consulate. The official maximum is five days after filing.
Identity & documents
Set up your Spanish digital identity
Registro en Cl@ve / Certificado electrónico de ciudadano FNMT
Cl@ve and the FNMT electronic certificate are two ways to identify yourself online with Spanish public services. They are different mechanisms, both free, and each service accepts its own. Basic Cl@ve can be requested online with an invitation letter sent to your tax address; advanced Cl@ve, needed for more secure procedures, requires video, certificate or in-person identification.
Identity & documents
Book the government appointment you need
Cita previa de extranjería / cita previa del organismo competente
A cita previa is the official appointment you book before an in-person government procedure, with the authority that handles it. Booking is free and done online, but it is only a booking, and the wrong appointment type does not become the right procedure. Availability depends on the authority, province and procedure, and no official source sets a fixed release day or hour.
Identity & documents
Register as an EU/EEA/Swiss resident in Spain
Certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who meet a free-movement condition and stay in Spain for more than three months must register and get the certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión. Apply in person to the Policía Nacional or an Oficina de Extranjería within three months of entry and pay the Modelo 790-012 fee; the certificate is issued immediately when requirements are met.
Identity & documents
Get residence as a non-EU family member of an EU citizen
Tarjeta de residencia de familiar de ciudadano de la Unión
The tarjeta de residencia de familiar de ciudadano de la Unión is the residence card for qualifying non-EU family members, including spouses and registered or proven stable partners, of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen in Spain. Apply within three months of entry; the fee is €12.00 on Modelo 790-012. Holders can work without a separate work permit. Issuance can take up to three months.
Residence permits
Stay in Spain for qualifying studies
Autorización de estancia de larga duración por estudios
The long-duration study stay (estancia por estudios) lets a non-EU national stay in Spain for more than 90 days for qualifying higher education or post-compulsory secondary education. From abroad, apply for a student visa through the Spanish consulate. If you are lawfully in Spain and applying for higher education, you can apply from Spain on form EX-00. Apply at least two months before studies start. Higher-education students can work automatically when compatible with their studies, up to 30 hours a week; other categories have different work rules.
Residence permits
Apply for non-lucrative residence
Autorización inicial de residencia temporal no lucrativa
Non-lucrative residence (residencia no lucrativa) lets a non-EU national live in Spain without working, for example to retire, if they can cover living and housing costs. You apply in person at the Spanish consular office responsible for the place where you live, and must show 400% of IPREM a month for yourself plus 100% per family member. Whether your case qualifies depends on your own record.
Residence permits
Bring qualifying family to Spain under general family reunification
Autorización de residencia temporal por reagrupación familiar
General family reunification (reagrupación familiar) lets a non-EU resident in Spain bring qualifying family members to live with them. It requires means of 150% of IPREM for a two-person household plus 50% for each extra person, and housing assessed by the competent authority; siblings are not a standard category. Whether your family qualifies depends on your own record.
Work & social security
Get a work permit through a Spanish employer (initial employed-work authorization)
Autorización inicial de residencia temporal y trabajo por cuenta ajena
The initial employed-work authorization (cuenta ajena) is the permit for a non-EU national living abroad to move to Spain and work for an employer under contract. The employer, not the worker, applies. The national employment situation is assessed, with exceptions such as shortage occupations, and a visa step follows approval. Timing and eligibility depend on the route and your case.
Work & social security
Get a self-employed work permit (initial self-employed work authorization)
Autorización inicial de residencia temporal y trabajo por cuenta propia
The initial self-employed work authorization (cuenta propia) lets a non-EU national move to Spain to work for themselves, as a freelancer or with their own business. You apply from outside Spain on form EX-07, and the project's investment and job creation are assessed. The first authorization lasts one year, limited to one autonomous community and one sector; tax and Social Security registration follow separately.
Residence permits
Assess and apply for the correct arraigo route
Autorizaciones de residencia temporal por circunstancias excepcionales — arraigo
Arraigo is a group of residence authorizations for exceptional circumstances for non-EU nationals in Spain: social, sociolaboral, socioformativo, familiar and segunda oportunidad. Each has its own test. The social, sociolaboral and socioformativo routes use two years of continuous presence, which is not the same as two years of legal residence. Which route fits depends on your individual record.
Work & social security
Use a Ley 14/2013 mobility route
Autorizaciones Ley 14/2013 — profesional altamente cualificado o emprendimiento
Ley 14/2013 sets out Spain's residence routes for highly qualified professionals (including the EU Blue Card) and for entrepreneurs. The international teleworker route, often called the digital nomad visa, has its own guide. Residence decisions have a 20-day legal maximum; consular visa timing is separate.
Identity & documents
Get your TIE card
Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero
The TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) is the physical card that identifies a non-EU national in Spain and proves their legal situation. It documents an authorization already granted. Once your authorization calls for a TIE, you apply in person by appointment with form EX-17 and the Modelo 790-012 fee; the deadline depends on that authorization, often one month from the event it names.
Work & social security
Get your Social Security number
Afiliación y asignación de Número de la Seguridad Social
The Social Security number (número de la Seguridad Social, NUSS) is your personal number in Spain's Social Security system, needed before your first registration there, for example when you start a job. It is free. If you are being hired and have none, your employer must request it; you can also apply to the TGSS yourself. The official maximum is 45 days.
Health & education
Get your CatSalut health card
Targeta sanitària individual (TSI)
The TSI (targeta sanitària individual) is the Catalan public health card that carries your CIP number and coverage with CatSalut. You get it once CatSalut has your coverage and identity data, through CatSalut or your CAP. There is no separate card fee, and a digital TSI can be used once your CIP is assigned. Showing a TSI does not by itself mean private healthcare is covered.
Work & social security
Register as self-employed for tax and Social Security
Alta censal y alta en trabajo autónomo
Registering as autónomo means two registrations before you start working for yourself: the tax census with the Agencia Tributaria on Modelo 036 (Modelo 037 was abolished in February 2025), and the self-employed scheme with Social Security (TGSS). Tax registration is free; contributions depend on your net income. Registering late can cost you reductions and bring extra contributions or penalties.
Home, money & driving
Exchange an eligible foreign driving licence
Canje de permiso de conducción extranjero
Exchanging a foreign driving licence (canje) means swapping it for a Spanish licence through the DGT. Valid EU and EEA licences are generally recognised and need not always be exchanged; for other licences it depends on the agreement with the issuing country. On applicable routes the medical report is valid for 90 days, and the definitive licence arrives in about one and a half months.
Health & education
Recognize a foreign university qualification
Homologación o declaración de equivalencia de títulos universitarios extranjeros
Spain recognises foreign university degrees through two different procedures: homologación, for a regulated profession, and equivalencia, for an academic level or field. Choose by what you need the recognition for, because homologación is not automatically the right route. You apply online to the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities; the official fee is €166.50 on Modelo 790-107, and processing can take a long time.
Health & education
Enroll a child in a Barcelona school
Preinscripció i matrícula escolar / escolarització fora de termini
Getting a child a place in a Barcelona public or concertada school goes through the yearly pre-enrolment campaign (preinscripció), or the out-of-period route if you arrive mid-year. Applying is free. Your padrón address can count for proximity, so it must be your real habitual address, and missing the main campaign does not mean waiting a full year.
Home, money & driving
Open a Spanish bank account or understand basic-account rights
Cuenta de pago básica / apertura de cuenta bancaria
You can open a Spanish bank account under the bank's own identity checks, and credit institutions in Spain that offer payment accounts must also offer a regulated basic payment account (cuenta de pago básica) to qualifying applicants. It covers cash deposits and withdrawals, cards, direct debits and transfers, and cannot be tied to buying other products. Costs depend on the bank and product.
Residence permits
Renew your temporary residence authorization
Renovación de autorización de residencia temporal
Renewing a temporary residence authorization (renovación) keeps you in the same category. For several main categories you file from two months before to three months after expiry. Filing on time extends your current authorization while the renewal is decided; late filing can bring a sanction. For employees, the office has three months to decide, and a renewal lasts four years.
Residence permits
Modify your immigration authorization
Modificación de autorización de estancia o residencia
Modifying an immigration authorization (modificación) means moving from one status to another, for example from study to work. It is only possible where the rules provide a path from your exact current authorization to the one you want, and fees and timelines depend on that route. Long-term residence is a separate procedure, not a modification. Which path applies depends on your record.
Residence permits
Apply for long-term residence
Autorización de residencia de larga duración nacional / larga duración-UE
Long-term residence (residencia de larga duración) is the long-term status a non-EU national can apply for after, generally, five years of legal and continuous residence in Spain, in a national or an EU version. Absences of up to six continuous months, within the published totals, do not reset the clock. You also need no relevant criminal convictions in the previous five years.
Residence permits
Apply for Spanish nationality by residence
Nacionalidad española por residencia
Spanish nationality by residence generally requires 10 years of residence, with shorter periods of five, two or one year for specific categories, such as one year for someone married to a Spanish national. Applicants must also meet conduct and integration requirements, and usually renounce their previous nationality, with exceptions. The Ministry of Justice has up to one year to decide.
Identity & documents
Get a criminal record certificate
Certificado de Antecedentes Penales
A criminal record certificate (certificado de antecedentes penales) is the official record, from Spain or another country, that many immigration and nationality procedures ask for. The Spanish certificate is requested from the Ministry of Justice with Modelo 790-006; foreign ones follow the issuing country's rules. The receiving procedure sets how recent it must be and whether an apostille is needed.
Residence permits
Get residence as a family member of a Spanish citizen
Autorización de residencia temporal de familiares de personas con nacionalidad española
Non-EU family members of a Spanish citizen use a dedicated residence route on form EX-24, separate from the EU-family card on EX-19. It can cover spouses, proven stable partners (12 months of living together is accepted as evidence) and children under 26, and allows work anywhere in Spain. The residence procedure is free, and the decision period is two months.
Residence permits
Get authorization to leave and return while documents are pending
Autorización de regreso
The autorización de regreso (form EX-13) lets a non-EU resident leave Spain and come back while a renewal, extension or TIE duplicate is pending. It is a travel document, not a residence authorization, valid for up to 90 days and only for re-entry through Spanish border crossings. You request it in person before travelling and pay the Modelo 790-012 fee.
Residence permits
Stay after graduation to look for work or start a business
Autorización de residencia para búsqueda de empleo o inicio de proyecto empresarial
After finishing qualifying higher education in Spain, a non-EU graduate can get a residence permit to look for work or start a business, for up to 24 months and not renewable. Apply from 60 days before to 90 days after your study authorization expires, and show 100% of IPREM a month. The permit itself does not allow work. The decision period is 20 days.
Health & education
Get formal recognition of public healthcare entitlement
Reconocimiento del derecho a la asistencia sanitaria
Recognition of the right to public healthcare (reconocimiento del derecho a la asistencia sanitaria) is how INSS or ISM confirm you are covered by Spain's public health system, before you get a regional health card. Workers, pensioners and some benefit recipients are usually recognised automatically; others apply. It is free, and a NUSS or padrón registration alone does not prove entitlement.
Home, money & driving
Register or update your fiscal address and personal tax-census data
Modelo 030 — Censo de obligados tributarios / cambio de domicilio y datos personales
Modelo 030 is the Agencia Tributaria form individuals use to register or update personal tax-census data, such as their fiscal address, when they are not in the business or professional census, which uses Modelo 036. It is free and it is not an immigration form. After moving, you generally have three months to report the change of fiscal address.
Residence permits
Get residence for a foreign child born in Spain
Autorización de residencia temporal del menor extranjero acompañado nacido en España
Being born in Spain does not by itself decide a child's nationality or residence; nationality follows separate rules. For a qualifying foreign child born in Spain, a parent with the required residence applies on form EX-25 within six months of the birth or, in some cases, of the parent's later qualifying grant. The decision period is one month, and the authorization lasts five years.
Identity & documents
Get married at the Civil Registry (civil marriage)
Expediente matrimonial y celebración del matrimonio civil
A civil marriage in Spain starts with a marriage file (expediente matrimonial) at the Registro Civil of the place where one of you lives, which checks there is no legal impediment, and ends with the ceremony, in Barcelona usually before a city councillor. The Registro Civil file is free. Foreign documents need a sworn translation and legalisation or an apostille unless exempt.
Residence permits
Get Spain's digital nomad visa (international teleworker)
Visado y autorización de residencia para teletrabajo de carácter internacional
Spain's digital nomad visa is the international teleworker route under Ley 14/2013 for non-EU nationals working remotely for companies outside Spain. The rules differ depending on whether you are an employee or a professional, your relationship with the foreign company, Spanish clients, Social Security and where you apply. A legal assessment is recommended before applying, to confirm eligibility and the best immigration and work structure for your case.
Home, money & driving
Opt into Spain's tax regime for people moving to Spain (Beckham Law)
Régimen especial aplicable a los trabajadores, profesionales, emprendedores e inversores desplazados a territorio español
The Beckham Law is the common name for Spain's special tax regime for certain people who move to Spain for work or a qualifying professional activity. If you are eligible, it can change how your income is taxed for the year of the move and the following five tax years. Whether the regime applies, and how best to structure your move, depends on your work, income and wider circumstances, so a legal and tax assessment is recommended before opting in.
“Lawyer for complex cases” marks procedures where some situations need an immigration lawyer. Each guide lists those situations, so you can tell whether yours is one of them.