Moving to Spain: Your Complete Guide to Making It Happen
Important Disclaimer: Information about visa requirements, costs, regulations, and processes reflects general conditions as of early 2025 and is subject to change. Spanish immigration laws, visa requirements, and procedures are complex and vary based on individual circumstances. Always verify current requirements with Spanish consulates, official government sources, and licensed immigration attorneys. Cost estimates are approximate and based on reported averages - actual costs vary significantly by location and circumstances. International Van Lines is a moving company and does not provide immigration, legal, or financial advice.
Spain ranks near the top of every “best places to retire abroad” list, and for good reason. Incredible food, fascinating history, gorgeous weather, affordable living, and a lifestyle that values enjoying life over chasing productivity. What’s not to love?
But here’s what the glossy lifestyle blogs don’t always cover: Spain’s bureaucracy will test your patience. Finding an apartment without being in the country is challenging. Banking requires more paperwork than seems humanly necessary. And learning Spanish is pretty much non-negotiable unless you stick to tourist zones.
We’ve helped countless Americans relocate to Spain over the years, and those who do best are the ones who approach the move with realistic expectations and solid preparation. Let’s walk through everything you need to know.
Choosing Your Spanish City
Spain isn’t one homogenous experience. The vibe in Barcelona differs completely from Madrid, which feels nothing like Valencia, Seville, or the smaller cities scattered across the country. Where you choose to settle matters tremendously.
Barcelona
Barcelona draws the largest number of American expats. It’s cosmopolitan, entrepreneurial, beach-adjacent, and has a massive international community. English is widely spoken in tourist areas and among younger residents.
But Barcelona has downsides. It’s the most expensive Spanish city outside of Madrid. Finding affordable housing is increasingly difficult. The Catalan independence movement creates political tension. And tourist crowds can be overwhelming, especially in summer.
Cost of living: expect to pay €1,200-1,800 for a one-bedroom apartment in a decent neighborhood. Budget €2,500-3,500 monthly total for a comfortable lifestyle including rent, food, transportation, and entertainment.
Madrid
Spain’s capital offers big-city energy with slightly lower costs than Barcelona. The arts scene is phenomenal, job opportunities are better, and you’re centrally located for traveling around Spain.
Madrid has less international flair than Barcelona. Fewer people speak English casually. It’s further from the coast. Summers are brutally hot.
Cost of living: one-bedroom apartments run €1,000-1,600 in good neighborhoods. Total monthly budget: €2,200-3,200 for comfortable living.
Valencia
Valencia has exploded in popularity among American expats recently. It offers Mediterranean beaches, a thriving food scene, perfect weather, and costs significantly less than Barcelona while maintaining big-city amenities.
The international community is smaller but growing. English is less common than in Barcelona. Job opportunities outside of teaching English are limited.
Cost of living: one-bedroom apartments cost €700-1,100. Total monthly budget: €1,800-2,800.
Smaller Cities and Towns
Places like Granada, Malaga, Seville, Alicante, and San Sebastian offer authentic Spanish experiences with even lower costs. These cities have expat communities but they’re small. You’ll need Spanish language skills. Life moves slower, which is charming until you need to get something done quickly.
Cost of living: monthly budgets can drop to €1,500-2,500 total including rent in smaller locations.
Visa Options for Americans
You need a visa to live in Spain longer than 90 days. Spain offers several pathways depending on your situation.
Non-Lucrative Visa
This visa is for people who have sufficient financial means to live in Spain without working. Retirees, digital nomads working remotely for non-Spanish companies, and people with investment income commonly use this visa.
Financial requirements change yearly, but for 2025 you need to prove approximately €28,000 in savings or annual passive income for a single person, plus €7,000 for each additional family member. Some consulates want to see this amount available immediately in bank accounts. Others accept proof of regular pension or investment income.
You cannot work for Spanish companies or conduct business in Spain on a non-lucrative visa. The “non-lucrative” part is literal. Remote work for foreign companies exists in a gray area. Officially not allowed, but commonly done and rarely enforced.
The application process happens at the Spanish consulate in the US before you move. You need proof of health insurance with coverage in Spain, proof of accommodation (rental contract or property deed), a clean FBI background check, and your financial documentation.
Processing time runs 1-3 months, though some consulates are much faster than others. The Los Angeles consulate is notoriously slow. New York moves quicker. Your visa is initially valid for one year. You renew it in Spain for two-year periods after that.
Student Visa
Enrolled in a Spanish university or language school? A student visa lets you live in Spain for the duration of your studies. Language school enrollment is the easiest path since you only need to attend a few hours of classes weekly.
Student visas allow working part-time (up to 20 hours weekly during the school year, full-time during breaks). This gives you more flexibility than the non-lucrative visa if you need income.
Many Americans use a student visa as their entry point to Spain, then transition to other visa types after establishing themselves.
Work Visa
Getting a Spanish work visa is difficult because Spanish companies must prove no qualified Spanish or EU citizen can fill the position before they can sponsor a foreigner. In practice, this is challenging unless you have specialized skills in high demand.
The tech sector, English teaching, and certain professional services offer the best opportunities for work visas. Teaching English is probably the most common route for young Americans wanting to work legally in Spain.
Digital Nomad Visa
Spain launched a digital nomad visa in 2023 specifically for remote workers. If you work remotely for a company outside Spain or run an online business serving foreign clients, this visa might fit your situation.
Requirements include proving remote work, showing sufficient income (around €2,000-2,500 monthly), and having a clean criminal record. The process is newer so experiences vary by consulate. Some report easy approvals, others face pushback.
The digital nomad visa is technically separate from the non-lucrative visa and explicitly allows remote work for foreign entities. If you’re planning to work remotely in Spain, this is the legal way to do it.
Golden Visa
Invest €500,000 in Spanish real estate and you can get residency. This investor visa requires substantial capital but offers the fastest path to Spanish residency for wealthy individuals.
You barely need to spend time in Spain to maintain this visa. Just one visit per year keeps it active. After five years, you can apply for permanent residency or citizenship if you meet requirements.
Finding Housing
Spanish rental markets are competitive, and finding an apartment from abroad is complicated. Most landlords want to meet tenants in person before signing contracts.
Your best bet? Book short-term accommodation (Airbnb, temporary rental, hostel) for your first month in Spain. Use that time to apartment hunt in person. You’ll see neighborhoods, view apartments, meet landlords, and get a feel for different areas.
Spanish rental contracts typically require:
- One month’s rent as deposit (might be higher in tight markets)
- First month’s rent upfront
- Sometimes last month’s rent upfront
- Proof of income or employment
- NIE number (foreigner identification number)
- Sometimes a Spanish guarantor
That last one trips people up. Some landlords want a Spanish resident to guarantee your rent. As a new arrival, you don’t know anyone who can serve as guarantor. Some landlords accept extra deposit instead. Others simply won’t rent to you.
Working with a rental agency makes things easier. You pay a fee (usually one month’s rent) but they handle finding apartments, dealing with landlords, and navigating paperwork. For your first Spanish rental, the fee is worth it.
Furnished versus unfurnished: Spanish unfurnished apartments are aggressively unfurnished. We’re talking no light fixtures, no appliances, sometimes no kitchen cabinets. “Unfurnished” means empty box with walls. For short-term stays or your first year, furnished is much easier.
The Bureaucracy Survival Guide
Spanish bureaucracy is legendary. You’ll need patience, persistence, and the ability to laugh at absurdity.
NIE Number
The NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is your foreigner identification number. You need it for everything: renting an apartment, opening a bank account, signing utility contracts, buying a car, even getting a gym membership.
Getting your NIE requires visiting a police station or immigration office with your passport, proof of address in Spain, and paying a small fee. Sounds simple, except you usually need an appointment that might be weeks out, and the system for booking appointments varies by city.
Some cities let you book online. Others require calling during specific hours. Some assign random days you can’t change. Barcelona’s appointment system is notoriously difficult. People use appointment booking services that charge fees to secure slots.
Once you have an appointment, the actual process takes 30 minutes. You’ll receive a paper certificate with your NIE number. Guard this paper because you’ll need to show it constantly.
Empadronamiento
This is registration at your local town hall proving you live at a specific address. You need it for accessing healthcare, registering kids for school, and various other administrative processes.
You visit your local padrón office with your rental contract, passport, and NIE. They register you as a resident of that address. If you move, you re-register at your new address.
Landlords sometimes discourage empadronamiento because it provides official proof you live there, making eviction more difficult. Some rental contracts explicitly forbid it. But you need it for various services, creating a catch-22. Most people register regardless of what their landlord prefers.
TIE Card
Your TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) is your physical residency card. After entering Spain on your visa, you have 30 days to apply for your TIE at an immigration office.
The TIE application requires another appointment, more forms, more fees, and waiting 4-6 weeks for the card to be produced. You need your TIE to re-enter Spain after traveling abroad during your first year.
Banking
Opening a Spanish bank account takes a surprising amount of effort. You need your NIE, passport, proof of address (utility bill or rental contract), and sometimes proof of income.
Different banks have different requirements. Some cater to foreigners and make it relatively easy. Others seem determined to reject your application for obscure reasons.
Popular banks for expats include Sabadell, Santander, BBVA, and CaixaBank. Online banks like N26 and Revolut work for some things but aren’t accepted everywhere in Spain for direct debit payments.
Expect to spend 1-2 hours at the bank branch opening your account. Everything is paper forms in duplicate or triplicate. They’ll tell you your debit card arrives in 7-10 days, online banking access in a few days, and maybe give you a temporary checkbook nobody uses anymore.
Healthcare in Spain
Spain’s public healthcare system (Sistema Nacional de Salud) is excellent and mostly free at point of use. As a legal resident, you’re entitled to access.
Once you have your TIE card and empadronamiento, you register at your local health center. They assign you a primary care doctor. You can visit your doctor, specialists (with referral), and hospitals without paying. Prescriptions have small co-pays.
The system works well but moves slowly. Waiting times for specialist appointments can stretch weeks or months for non-urgent issues. Emergency care is fast and efficient.
Many expats supplement public healthcare with private insurance. Companies like Sanitas, Asisa, and AXA offer plans for €50-150 monthly depending on age and coverage level. Private insurance gives you faster access to specialists, English-speaking doctors, and more appointment flexibility.
Your non-lucrative visa requires proof of health insurance for the application. Some people buy international insurance specifically for the visa application, then switch to Spanish public healthcare after registering. Others maintain private insurance for the convenience.
Cost of Living Reality Check
Spain is cheaper than major US cities, but it’s not dirt cheap anymore, especially in popular expat destinations.
Housing is your biggest expense. Budget 30-40 percent of your income for rent in cities like Barcelona, Madrid, or Valencia. Smaller cities offer cheaper housing.
Groceries cost less than the US. Fresh produce, bread, wine, and seafood are particularly affordable. You can eat well on €200-300 monthly for one person. Eating out is also cheaper than the US, with menu del día lunch specials offering three-course meals with wine for €12-18.
Transportation is affordable. Monthly metro/bus passes cost €40-55 in major cities. Gas prices are high (around €1.60 per liter), but Spain’s train network is excellent for intercity travel.
Utilities run €80-150 monthly for a one-bedroom apartment including electricity, water, internet, and gas. Air conditioning in summer drives costs up significantly.
Healthcare is cheap or free depending on whether you use public or private.
Entertainment and activities are reasonable. Movie tickets cost €8-12. Gym memberships €30-60. Museum entry fees are low, and many offer free days.
Overall, living in Spain on $2,500-3,000 monthly is comfortable in most cities. You can live on less if you’re frugal or choose a smaller town. Barcelona and Madrid center might require $3,500+ for a similar lifestyle.
The Language Question
Can you get by without Spanish? In Barcelona, Madrid’s expat areas, and tourist zones, yes. Plenty of people do. But your experience will be limited and frustrating.
Administrative tasks require Spanish. Dealing with utilities, banking issues, healthcare appointments, rental contracts—all of this happens in Spanish. Sure, you can find English speakers or pay translators, but you’re making life much harder than necessary.
Outside major expat areas, English is uncommon. Ordering at restaurants, shopping at local stores, chatting with neighbors—you need at least basic Spanish for daily life.
Spanish isn’t a particularly difficult language for English speakers. The grammar has complexities, but pronunciation is straightforward and the language is phonetic. Six months of serious study gets you conversational. A year gets you functional.
Start learning before you move. Use apps like Pimsleur or iTalki for speaking practice. Watch Spanish TV with subtitles. Take classes after arriving. Immersion accelerates learning dramatically.
In Catalonia, you’ll encounter Catalan. It’s the co-official language with Spanish. Most people speak both. Learning some Catalan shows respect for local culture, but Spanish will serve you fine for practical purposes.
Working in Spain
Finding legal work in Spain is challenging without EU citizenship or specialized skills. English teaching is the most common path for Americans.
Language schools and private academies hire native English speakers for teaching positions. Pay isn’t great (€1,000-1,500 monthly for full-time work), but it provides legal working status and enough income to live on when combined with modest savings.
International schools pay better (€2,000-3,000 monthly) but require teaching credentials and experience.
Remote work for US companies while living on a non-lucrative visa happens frequently, though it’s technically not allowed. The digital nomad visa makes this legal if you qualify.
Starting a business in Spain as an autónomo (self-employed person) involves registering, paying monthly social security contributions (around €300 minimum), filing quarterly taxes, and dealing with substantial paperwork. Many digital nomads and freelancers choose this route for legal work status.
Making Spanish Friends
Spanish social culture differs from American culture. Friendships develop more slowly. People are friendly and helpful but don’t immediately invite new acquaintances into their established friend groups.
Joining clubs, taking classes, playing sports, or participating in activities helps you meet locals. Language exchange meetups connect you with Spaniards wanting to practice English.
The expat community is substantial in major cities. Facebook groups, Meetup events, and expat-focused activities make finding other foreigners easy. Some people live in Spain for years primarily socializing with other expats. That’s a valid choice, though you miss out on deeper cultural integration.
Spaniards eat dinner late (9-10 PM), stay out late (bars get busy at midnight), and prioritize socializing over work. If you embrace this lifestyle, you’ll integrate better. If you need to be in bed by 10 PM, Spanish social life will feel inaccessible.
Making Your Move Smooth
Timing matters. Arrive in Spain with at least 2-3 months of living expenses in savings beyond what you need for deposits and setup costs. The bureaucracy takes time, unexpected expenses pop up, and having a financial cushion reduces stress.
Join Facebook groups for expats in your Spanish city before moving. Ask questions, read past threads, and get current information. These communities are goldmines of practical advice.
Bring apostilled copies of important documents from the US. Birth certificates, marriage certificates, university diplomas, FBI background checks—get official copies with apostilles before leaving. You might need them for various processes in Spain, and getting them from abroad is complicated.
Set up a US address for mail through family or a mail forwarding service. You’ll need it for maintaining US bank accounts, receiving replacement credit cards, and official correspondence.
Don’t cancel your US phone number immediately. Port it to Google Voice for $20. You’ll need that number for two-factor authentication on US accounts.
Open a TransferWise (now Wise) account for moving money between the US and Spain. Bank wire transfers have high fees and bad exchange rates. Wise saves significant money on international transfers.
When you’re ready to move your belongings to Spain, working with an experienced international moving company makes the process significantly less stressful. We’ve helped countless Americans make this move and know exactly what customs documentation and processes are required.
Is Spain Right for You?
Spain offers an incredible lifestyle at a reasonable cost with excellent weather and fascinating culture. But it’s not paradise. The bureaucracy is real. The job market is challenging. The language barrier is significant if you don’t speak Spanish.
The Americans who thrive in Spain are those who embrace the slower pace, enjoy the social culture, and approach challenges with humor and patience. If you need everything to be efficient and English-spoken, you might struggle.
But if you’re drawn to the Spanish lifestyle—long meals with friends, afternoon siestas, beach weekends, and a culture that values living over productivity—Spain might be exactly what you’re looking for.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can I stay in Spain without a visa?
American tourists can stay 90 days within any 180-day period in the Schengen zone without a visa. This is for tourism only. You cannot work or establish residency. For stays longer than 90 days, you need a proper visa.
Can I travel to other European countries while living in Spain?
Yes, Spain is part of the Schengen zone, so you can travel freely to other Schengen countries. Your Spanish residency card allows this movement. Some restrictions apply during your first year before you have permanent residency status.
How hard is it to get Spanish citizenship?
After 10 years of legal residency, you can apply for Spanish citizenship. This timeline is shorter for citizens of Latin American countries (2 years) and some other special cases. You need to pass Spanish language and culture exams and demonstrate integration.
Do I have to file Spanish taxes?
If you spend more than 183 days per year in Spain, you’re considered a tax resident and must file Spanish income taxes on your worldwide income. Spain has a tax treaty with the US to prevent double taxation, but the rules are complex. Consult a tax advisor specializing in expat taxes.
Can I buy property in Spain as a foreigner?
Yes, foreigners can buy property in Spain without restrictions. Many people buy property and use it to qualify for the Golden Visa. Property ownership doesn’t automatically grant residency, though.
What if my spouse and kids come with me?
Your spouse and minor children can be included on your visa application as dependents. You need to show additional financial means for each dependent and provide their documents. They receive residency cards with the same validity period as yours.
