How To Move Your Entire Life To Spain In 30 Days

Suitcase by the door, apartment tabs open, a consulate checklist on the table. As of October 2025, Spain will let you land, register, and become legal fast if you pick the right permit and run the paperwork in the right order. Thirty days is tight, not impossible.

You do not need shortcuts. You need a lane that matches your life, a one-page plan for week one, and the discipline to book every appointment before you start packing. Spain rewards people who arrive with documents, proof of health cover, and a simple phrase ready for every desk: cita confirmed.

Below is the clear, step-by-step map. The three residence routes most Americans actually use, how the legal pieces fit together, the exact 30-day checklist from airport to plastic card, what to do if a slot is sold out, how to keep rent contracts compliant, and a fee-and-income sanity check so you do not get surprised at a window.

How This Actually Works

Moving in 30 days is a logistics race wrapped around two legal pivots: the residence authorization and the TIE. Your route decides which comes first.

• Route A: Digital Nomad residence. If you work for a foreign employer or have foreign clients, you can apply in Spain during your 90-day visa-free stay or at a consulate. Apply in-country and you get a multi-year residence card once approved, then you finish the TIE. Requirements include proof of remote work, qualifications or experience, sufficient income, clean record, private health cover that meets residence standards, and a NIE. The in-country route exists, which is why a 30-day start is realistic.
• Route B: Non-lucrative residence. If you do not plan to work, you can live in Spain on savings or passive income. The rule of thumb is 400 percent of the IPREM for the main applicant and 100 percent per dependent. This is a consulate-first route. If you need to be in Spain in 30 days, this lane is usually too slow unless you already have a visa appointment.
• Route C: Student or family routes. Students can enter with a long-stay student visa and then TIE. Family of EU citizens follow EU family rules. If your reality does not match either, pick Route A or B.

No matter the route, your first month in Spain follows the same backbone: register your address on the padrón municipal, get your NIE sorted if not already assigned, take biometrics for the TIE within the legal window, and set up health cover, banking, and a compliant lease so every later renewal is easy.

The 30-Day Legal Checklist, Week By Week

This is the high-speed version that works for newcomers in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga, and Sevilla. Adjust the exact office names to your city.

Week 0: Before You Fly

Pick your lane. If you can qualify as a digital nomad, choose it. You may apply in Spain during your 90-day visa-free window and transition to residence without leaving. If you must use the non-lucrative route, you apply at the consulate before traveling and your 30-day plan starts after the visa is in your passport.

Book what you can. Reserve any available TIE appointments for two to four weeks out in your destination province, knowing you can adjust. Some cities post slots in waves. Check mornings and early afternoons. Processing lines quote 30–45 days from biometrics to card pickup, which fits inside a fast relocation if you begin booking now.

Insurance, clean record, qualifications. For residence, Spain expects private health insurance with no copays, no waiting periods, and hospital coverage. Print proof. Pull your FBI or state background check per your route’s rules and get apostilles and translations lined up. Digital nomad applicants also bring degree or three years of experience letters tied to their field.

NIE strategy. You can request a NIE at a consulate before you fly or obtain it in Spain. Some consulates require NIE for the digital nomad visa packet. If you are applying in-country, you will still get a NIE as part of your residence file and TIE. Print the NIE page from a consulate site so you know what an officer expects.

Lease target. Spanish landlords typically ask one month of rent as legal deposit and may ask up to two extra months in additional guarantees, but they cannot exceed those ceilings for normal homes. A compliant contract helps with padrón and later renewals.

Week 1: Land, Address, Padrón

Day 1–2. Check into a temporary rental with a host who will sign padrón paperwork or line up a standard lease quickly. Without an address you cannot finish later steps.

Day 2–5. Empadronamiento. Register your address at the ayuntamiento. In big cities this can be done online or in person with an appointment. You walk out with a volante or you pick up the certificado a few days later. These serve as proof of address for banks, schools, and TIE. Bring your passport and lease or landlord authorization.

Bank and phone. Open a euro account with passport and padrón or with passport only at a fintech that accepts new arrivals and lets you update the address later. Get a Spanish number for SMS codes and cita confirmations.

Week 2: File Your Residence, Then Book Biometrics

Digital nomad applicants in Spain. File the residence application as a telework residence under the Startup Act framework while you are within your 90-day stay. Include proof of income that meets the current threshold many firms cite at around 200 percent of the Spanish minimum wage, proof of employment or contracts with foreign clients, qualifications or experience, clean record, private insurance, and proof of address. Keep PDF receipts and case numbers.

Non-lucrative route. If you already have the D visa in your passport, enter Spain and go straight to TIE booking and padrón. If you do not have the visa yet, do not try to “flip” status on arrival. This lane is consulate-first by design.

NIE catch-up. If you did not request a NIE before travel, you will get or confirm it during residence approval and the TIE process. The NIE is the number. The TIE is the plastic card with your photo.

Book biometrics. As soon as your residence is approved or you have the D visa, lock your cita for toma de huellas at the Comisaría de Policía or Oficina de Extranjería. The rule of thumb is to start the TIE process within 30 calendar days of arrival or approval. Bring the fee form Modelo 790 Código 012, passport photos, and your documents.

Week 3: Biometrics, Health Cover, Social Security

Biometrics appointment. Bring your passport, resolution or visa, padrón, fee receipt, photos, EX-17 or local form, and proof of your insurance. You will be fingerprinted and given a pickup slip or a date range when your card will be ready, often 30–45 days later. Keep the resguardo. It is proof you are in process and is accepted for many practical tasks while you wait.

Social Security number. If you will work in Spain under a local contract later, request your número de afiliación now so it is ready. Digital nomads paid from abroad may not need to enroll immediately, but understanding the process now avoids scrambles if your situation evolves.

Insurance verification. Keep your policy certificate handy. Residence-grade policies require no copays, no waiting periods, and hospitalization coverage. Officers check for these phrases.

Week 4: Pickup Prep, Lease Hygiene, Final Admin

TIE pickup. Many stations ask you to return in 30–45 days with your slip and passport. Some let you check status online. If your pickup window lands just after the 30-day mark, that is fine. The law expects you to start the TIE within 30 days, not to finish it.

Lease hygiene. Make sure your deposit equals one month of rent and that any extra guarantees do not exceed two months for standard homes. Ask your landlord to register the deposit with the regional housing authority where required. This matters later when you change addresses or renew.

Paper folder. Put the following in one sleeve you carry for the next three months: passport, padrón certificate, insurance certificate, residence resolution, TIE resguardo, bank IBAN page, lease, and two spare photos. Spanish desks love paper that matches exactly.

Exactly What To Bring To Each Desk

You can clear most Spanish counters with seven items.

1. Passport valid beyond your intended stay.
2. Proof of address: lease plus padrón, or landlord authorization plus padrón.
3. Insurance: residence-grade certificate showing no copays, no waiting periods, hospitalization included.
4. Income proof: for non-lucrative, savings statements that meet 400 percent IPREM plus dependents; for digital nomad, contracts and pay statements meeting the published income bar.
5. Clean record: FBI or state check with apostille and translation per route.
6. Qualifications or experience for digital nomad if you use the experience option rather than a degree.
7. Fee forms: Modelo 790 012 for TIE, printed and paid at a bank before biometrics.

If a clerk asks for something strange, ask which modelo or article they are enforcing. Spanish admin culture runs on forms and codes. Naming the form gets you a cleaner answer.

If You Are Running The Numbers

Income and means

• Digital Nomad: many official pages and reputable firms quote about 200 percent of the Spanish minimum wage per month for the worker, with add-ons for family members. Use this as your floor and bring more if possible.
• Non-lucrative: 400 percent of IPREM for the main applicant and 100 percent per dependent. For 2025, that is widely cited around €28,800 per year for the main applicant and €7,200 per dependent, subject to the exact IPREM base.

Fees

• Visa filing: small consular fee by route and nationality.
• TIE: €16–€22 depending on the permit type, paid via Modelo 790 012.
• Translations and apostilles: plan a few hundred euros if you translate multiple certificates.

Timing

• Residence decision: in-country digital nomad decisions vary, but you control your start by filing quickly. Consular visas often quote 1–3 months.
• TIE manufacture: 30–45 days after biometrics in many provinces. Build this into your pickup plan.

Housing cash flow

• Deposit: one month of rent as legal deposit, plus up to two months in extra guarantees if a landlord insists, but not beyond that for standard homes. Regions require deposit registration. Keep receipts.

Pitfalls Most Movers Miss

Chasing a leased apartment before you can padrón. Some landlords refuse to padrón tenants. Ask the question before you sign. No padrón means friction with banks, schools, and extranjería. Large cities allow padrón without a classic lease using landlord letters, but you need a willing owner.

Buying the wrong insurance. Tourist cover with copays is not residence-grade. Officers look for the magic phrases. If your PDF does not say no copays and no waiting periods, fix it before your cita.

Confusing NIE with TIE. The NIE is your foreigner number. The TIE is the card. You can receive a NIE on paper and still need biometrics for the card. Do both.

Missing the 30-day start rule. You have roughly 30 days after entry on a D visa or after approval in Spain to start TIE. Book the cita even if it is for day 35. The system cares that you initiated.

Letting a clerk flip your lease guarantees. If an agent asks for three extra months or a giant bank guarantee, remember the caps. Standard homes follow the deposit rules. Push back politely with the law’s structure.

Assuming padrón is optional. Municipalities are tightening enforcement. Use your real address and renew padrón when you change districts.

Costs Nobody Warns You About

Appointment time. Popular cities drop slots in batches and they go in minutes. Set calendar alerts and keep a tab open. You are not doing anything wrong. You are playing the game everyone plays.

Translation creep. A single name mismatch can require extra sworn translations. Line up your names now so certificates match exactly.

Banking friction. Some banks want a TIE to finish onboarding. Start with a fintech IBAN on your passport and switch when your card arrives.

Card pickup windows. You might be told to return between 11:00 and 13:00 on weekdays only. Plan one random weekday light for admin during week five.

Winter electricity. You moved fast and grabbed a charming older flat. Budget a higher winter bill if heating is electric. Spain will not punish you for living at home, but older radiators do sip euros.

Exactly How To Do It In 30 Days

Here is the day-by-day skeleton you can paste into your calendar.

Day 0–1

• Land, check in, photograph ID and lease.
• Buy SIM, schedule empadronamiento.

Day 2–5

• Register padrón.
• Open bank and get IBAN.
• Finalize insurance PDF and printed certificate.

Day 6–10

• Digital Nomad: file your residence application in Spain with all PDFs.
• Non-lucrative with D visa: book TIE biometrics and print fee form.
• Everyone: print fee form Modelo 790 012, pay at a bank.

Day 11–15

• Attend biometrics if your route allows without waiting for resolution, or lock your cita for as soon as approved.
• Save the resguardo.

Day 16–21

• Finish any missing translations, get padrón certificate if the volante was not enough.
• Request Social Security number if relevant to your route.

Day 22–30

• Confirm TIE pickup window.
• Collect extra photos.
• Do a dry run to the police station so the pickup day is boring.
• If approval is still pending, you are fine. Your month’s goal was to file, padrón, bank, and schedule biometrics. You did it.

Who This Works For

Remote employees and freelancers with foreign clients. The digital nomad route is built for you. If your income clears the bar and your insurance is clean, in-country filing lets you start within the 30-day window.

Retirees and sabbatical movers with savings. If you have time to wait for a consular decision, the non-lucrative path is calm. If you must land in 30 days, start with a scouting trip and file at home, then return on your D visa.

Students on accepted programs. Your school will guide the student-TIE steps. The 30-day start rule still applies after arrival.

Next Steps This Week

Tonight. Pick your lane. If you can qualify as digital nomad, commit. If you cannot, book a consulate appointment for non-lucrative and plan your move date around it.

Tomorrow. Buy residence-grade insurance. Print the certificate. Start your background check and apostilles if you need them.

In 48 hours. Reserve a TIE biometrics slot two to four weeks out in your city even if your approval is pending. You can adjust later.

Before you fly. Pack a paper folder with passport, degree or experience letters, income proofs, insurance, lease template, and two photos. Put every PDF on a USB stick and in a cloud folder.

After landing. Padrón first, residence filing second, biometrics third. Everything else bends around those three.

Spain does not require a miracle. It requires a calendar and a printer. Move the paper. Keep the appointments. Thirty days later you will have done the hard part and the rest of your life can get on with the good parts.