Move to Spain the right way — with expert guidance at every step

Planning your move: the right sequence matters

The single biggest mistake people make when relocating to Spain is starting with the fun parts — choosing a neighbourhood, enrolling the children in school, looking for a house — and leaving the legal and administrative steps until the last minute. This creates problems, because many practical steps (opening a bank account, signing a lease, registering the children) depend on legal steps that come first.

The correct sequence is: visa/legal status, then NIE, then empadronamiento (town hall registration), then TIE (if applicable), then tax registration, then everything else. BMC designs a personalised relocation timeline for each client that sequences these steps correctly and avoids the bottlenecks.

EU citizens and free movement

Citizens of EU and EEA member states (plus Switzerland) have the right to live and work in Spain without obtaining a visa. But free movement is not the same as administrative invisibility. EU citizens who intend to remain in Spain for more than three months must register at the Registro Central de Extranjeros and obtain a certificate of registration. This certificate, combined with an NIE, is what enables banking, property purchase, company formation, and tax registration.

Brexit has had an important impact on British nationals. UK citizens who were not resident in Spain before 31 December 2020 no longer have EU free movement rights and must obtain a visa like any other non-EU national.

The first 12 months: building your foundation

Your first year in Spain sets patterns that are hard to change. The tax regime you are in, the Social Security contributions you do or do not make, the declarations you file or miss — these have compounding consequences. BMC’s relocation onboarding service covers the full first year: we set up your legal status, handle your first annual tax return, file any required asset declarations, and check your position at the end of year one before your second year begins.

Connecting the dots: banking, insurance, healthcare

Legal status alone does not make daily life in Spain work. You also need a bank account (banks are not obliged to open accounts for non-residents without an NIE and proof of address), private health insurance (required for most visa types and very advisable for everyone else), and access to the healthcare system for your specific status.

BMC maintains a network of trusted partners — banks, insurance brokers, healthcare advisors, schools liaison services, and removals specialists — and will connect you with the right contacts for each aspect of your relocation.