Register in Spain: The Complete Step by Step Route

Before you start: Empadronamiento

The Padrón is Spain's municipal address register. Signing up at your local Ayuntamiento gives you a Volante or Certificado de Empadronamiento, a document that proves your registered address in Spain. Almost every step that follows will ask for this document, so it is worth arranging first.

Read our full guide to the Empadronamiento in Spain before booking any other appointments.

Step 1. NIE Number

The NIE, the Número de Identificación de Extranjero, is Spain's foreign identification number. It is the first official document almost every foreigner needs before anything else can happen. Property purchases, bank accounts, tax filings, employer registration: all of these require a valid NIE number before anything else moves forward.

EU citizens apply using the EX-18 form at a Comisaría de Policía Nacional via a Cita Previa appointment. Non-EU citizens, including British and American nationals, apply using the EX-15 form. Booking the wrong form is one of the most common reasons appointments are rejected. Read about the 9 most common NIE appointment mistakes in Spain so yours goes smoothly.

For a full breakdown of what the NIE is and how to apply, visit our NIE Number Spain page.

Step 2. Green Card (EU Citizens) or TIE (Non-EU Citizens)

For EU citizens, the Green Card, officially the Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Unión, is the official proof of residency in Spain. It is a paper certificate, not a physical ID card, and your NIE number is printed on it. EU citizens apply using the EX-18 form, the same form used for the NIE, and most police stations process both at the same appointment.

Non-EU citizens do not receive a Green Card. They apply for the TIE, the Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero, which is a physical residency card. The TIE is issued after your visa has been approved and is the non-EU equivalent of legal residency proof. Read more about the difference between NIE and TIE in Spain.

Step 3. Digital Certificate

The Certificado Digital is your electronic identity for dealing with Spanish government institutions online. Once installed on your computer or phone, it gives you direct access to the Agencia Tributaria for tax filings, IMPORTASS for your Seguridad Social records and your local municipality for administrative processes. Without it, almost every official task requires a physical appointment. With it, most of those tasks can be done from home.

The certificate is issued by the FNMT and is tied to your NIE number. You apply via your browser or via the FNMT app. Either route requires one unavoidable step: a single in-person identity verification at an official office. Read more on our Digital Certificate Spain page.

Step 4. Seguridad Social

The Seguridad Social is Spain's national social security system. Registering gives you access to public healthcare, determines your entitlements as an employee and is required if you plan to work or run a business in Spain.

If you are employed, your employer registers you. If you are self-employed, you register yourself via the RETA, the Régimen Especial de Trabajadores Autónomos. If you are not working but need access to the public health system, other routes exist depending on your situation and residency status.

The full route at a glance

If you are an EU citizen moving to Spain to live and work, the standard route is:

1. Register your address at the Ayuntamiento (Empadronamiento)

2. Apply for your NIE number and Green Card (EX-18 form, same appointment for EU citizens)

3. Get your Digital Certificate

4. Register with the Seguridad Social

Non-EU citizens follow a slightly different path. The TIE replaces the Green Card, and depending on your visa category, certain steps happen in a different order. If you are a British national, read our guide to moving to Spain after Brexit for everything that changed.