Settling in Spain: your first steps after the van leaves
The removal van pulling away is the start, not the finish. The first weeks in Spain are a flurry of small administrative firsts, and doing them in a sensible order makes the whole thing feel manageable rather than overwhelming.
Register on the padrón
Your first official act in most towns is registering on the padrón municipal at the ayuntamiento. It is the local census, and it quietly unlocks a lot: healthcare registration, school enrolment, and proof of where you live for other paperwork.
Take more documentation than you think you need — passport, residency paperwork, proof of address — and be patient with the appointment system. It is a small hurdle that makes everything after it easier.
Healthcare and banking
How you access healthcare depends on your residency route — the state system, private cover, or arrangements tied to a pension. Sort this early; it is not something to leave until you need a doctor.
A Spanish bank account makes daily life vastly simpler, from paying utilities by direct debit to receiving anything locally. You will generally need your NIE to open one, which is another reason to have that number in hand before you arrive.
Utilities, connectivity and the home
Transferring or setting up electricity, water and internet is a rite of passage. Community properties often bundle some of this through the comunidad de propietarios, so understand what your building or urbanisation already covers before you arrange your own.
If you have shipped a household with us, delivery and placement means you start from furnished rooms rather than a stack of boxes — but the connective tissue of a home, the contracts and accounts, is on you. Tackle one a day rather than all at once.
Driving and getting around
Think carefully before relying on a UK car long term. Cities increasingly enforce low-emission zones, and re-registering a foreign vehicle in Spain must be done within the window the authorities allow and involves inspection and paperwork. For many movers, a locally bought car — or no car at all in a well-connected city — is the simpler answer.
Whatever you drive, learn the local rhythm: the long lunch, the late dinner, the shops that close in the afternoon heat. Settling in is as much about adjusting to the pace as ticking off the admin. Give yourself permission to take your time.
Planning a move to Spain?
We handle the whole UK–Spain corridor — packing, transport, customs and delivery. Tell us your move and we’ll take it from here.