Moving to Spain from the UK: Complete Checklist

This checklist covers moving to Spain from the UK in 2026, in order, from the residence visa application to exchanging your driving licence.

What changed for UK movers in 2025 and 2026

Five changes affect anyone moving from the UK to Spain in 2026: biometric border checks are now fully in force, UK-issued EU pet passports no longer work, cheap voluntary National Insurance from abroad has ended, the Golden Visa has closed, and the ETIAS travel authorisation is still on the way, although its launch has slipped. If you are working from an older checklist, check every item below against it.

Change	Date	What it means for a UK mover
EU Entry/Exit System (EES) fully in force	10 April 2026	Passport stamps have been replaced by fingerprint and photo registration for short-stay visitors at Schengen borders. Once you hold a TIE residence card, UK government guidance says you do not need to register with EES.
EU pet passports restricted to EU residents	22 April 2026	Pet passports issued to people living in Great Britain may no longer be accepted. UK-based owners need an Animal Health Certificate for each pet.
Voluntary Class 2 National Insurance closed to people abroad	6 April 2026	You can no longer protect your UK State Pension record at the old Class 2 rate of £3.50 a week. Class 3 costs £18.40 a week in 2026/27, and new applicants need 10 consecutive years of UK residence or 10 years of qualifying contributions.
Golden Visa abolished	New applications closed 3 April 2025	Buying a €500,000 property no longer gives you the right to live in Spain.
New Spanish immigration regulation (Real Decreto 1155/2024)	In force 20 May 2025	Revised permit lengths, renewals and family reunification rules across most routes.
ETIAS travel authorisation	Not yet in operation; reported in July 2026 to be delayed until 2027	Visitors will pay €20 for an authorisation expected to be valid for up to three years. The European Commission will announce the start date several months in advance.

Which visa route fits you: a comparison

British citizens who were not living in Spain before 1 January 2021 are treated as non-EU nationals, so you must choose a visa route before you move. The right route depends on how you will support yourself.

Route	Who it suits	Money test (2026)	Can you work?	Where you apply
Non-lucrative visa	Retirees and people living on savings, pensions or rental income	€28,800 a year for one person, plus €7,200 per dependant	No work of any kind, including remote work	Spanish consulate in the UK, before you travel
Digital nomad visa	Remote employees and freelancers with mainly non-Spanish clients	About €2,849 a month: 200% of the 2026 minimum wage (€1,221 in 14 payments), spread over 12 months	Yes, remotely; up to 20% of work may be for Spanish clients	Consulate in the UK, or from inside Spain if you entered legally
Work permit or EU Blue Card	People with a job offer from a Spanish employer	A salary at or above the EU Blue Card threshold; your employer can confirm the current figure	Yes, for that employer	Employer starts the process in Spain
Withdrawal Agreement residence	UK nationals legally resident in Spain before 1 January 2021	Not applicable	Yes	Already resident; must hold a TIE
Golden Visa	Nobody: closed to new applicants	Not applicable	Not applicable	Closed since 3 April 2025

Both main routes require comprehensive private health insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain. For the non-lucrative visa, the Spanish consulate in London says the policy must cover all the risks covered by Spain’s public health system, so travel insurance is not enough.

Checklist: 6 to 12 months before you move

Start the visa paperwork at least six months ahead, because UK documents must be obtained, apostilled and often translated before the consulate will accept them.

• Check your passport. For visits, the passport must have been issued less than 10 years before you arrive and expire at least three months after you plan to leave the Schengen area. Renew early if it is close to either limit.
• Choose your visa route using the table above, and read the full requirements in our complete guide to moving to Spain.
• Order a criminal record certificate (required for most residence visas) and have it legalised with an apostille from the FCDO Legalisation Office. The Spanish consulate in London asks for certificates covering the past five years, issued no more than six months before you apply.
• Gather proof of funds or income: bank statements, pension statements, employment contracts or client contracts, covering the period the consulate asks for.
• Arrange sworn translations of any document not in Spanish. Our guide to certified translation services in Spain explains what a sworn translator (traductor jurado) is.
• Take tax advice on your timing. Your arrival date can affect which country taxes you for the year, and if you will be employed in Spain, the Beckham Law has a strict six-month application window.
• Decide where to live. Our guides to the best places to live in Spain and the cost of living in Spain compare cities.

Checklist: 1 to 3 months before you move

In the final months, the priorities are the visa appointment, health insurance, removals and somewhere to live on arrival.

• Attend your consulate appointment and submit your file. The legal decision period for the non-lucrative visa is two months from the day after submission, though it can be extended if documents are requested.
• Buy compliant private health insurance that starts no later than your arrival date. Our guide to health insurance for expats in Spain covers what consulates accept.
• Get removal quotes. See how much it costs to move to Spain and international moving companies for Spain.
• Book temporary accommodation for the first weeks. You will need a rental contract or deeds to register on the padrón, so plan to sign a lease quickly. Read renting in Spain first.
• Open a bank account you can use from day one. Some Spanish banks open non-resident accounts that you convert later; see how to open a bank account in Spain.
• Book a vet appointment if you are taking a pet (see the pets section).
• Request school records if you have children, and read international schools in Spain.

Checklist: tying up your affairs in the UK

Before you leave, tell HMRC, deal with your State Pension record, and sort out anything that depends on a UK address.

Task	Why it matters	Notes
Tell HMRC you are leaving	Ends UK tax residence correctly and can trigger a tax refund	Usually done with form P85 if you have been employed
Review your National Insurance record	Gaps reduce your UK State Pension	From 6 April 2026, Class 3 at £18.40 a week is the only voluntary option abroad; new applicants need 10 consecutive years of UK residence or 10 years of qualifying contributions
State Pension (if already claiming)	Payments continue to Spain	Tell the International Pension Centre about your new address
Healthcare funding	State pensioners can have Spanish healthcare funded by the UK	Request an S1 from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services before you go
Register as an overseas voter	Keeps your vote in UK elections	The 15-year limit on overseas voting was removed in January 2024
Driving licence	You cannot renew a UK licence once resident in Spain	Exchange it in Spain within six months of becoming resident
Blue badge	Not valid once you live abroad	Return it to the UK issuing authority
Banks, ISAs and investments	Some UK providers restrict non-resident customers	Check each provider’s rules before you change address

Checklist: your first month in Spain

The one-month deadline for your TIE is the most important date on this list, and appointment shortages in large cities make it easy to miss. English-speaking gestors and relocation firms are listed in our Spain directory.

Step	Where	Deadline or timing	Cost (2026)
Sign a rental contract	Landlord or agent	Week 1	Deposit and any agency fee
Register on the padrón (empadronamiento)	Town hall (ayuntamiento), by appointment	As soon as you have an address	Usually free
Pay the TIE fee	Bank or online, form 790 code 012	Before your fingerprint appointment	About €16.08 for a first temporary residence card
Fingerprint appointment for your TIE	National Police foreigners’ office	Within one month of entering Spain on your visa	Included in the fee
Collect your TIE	Same police office	Usually a few weeks later	None

• Book your TIE appointment on the day you arrive. Many people use a gestor or a relocation service for this step.
• Carry your passport and residence document whenever you travel in the Schengen area. GOV.UK advises showing both at the border so your passport is not stamped.
• Register with a doctor through your private insurer, or with the public system if you are employed or have an S1.

Our guide on how to get residency in Spain explains the difference between the NIE, the TIE and the padrón in full.

Checklist: months 2 to 6 in Spain

Within six months, exchange your driving licence, register an S1 if you have one, and understand your Spanish tax position.

• Exchange your UK driving licence. GOV.UK says you can drive on a UK licence for up to six months as a resident, and should apply to exchange it before that period ends, because processing takes time. You will need a check code from the DVLA (or the DVA for Northern Ireland licences). Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man licences cannot be exchanged. See how to exchange a UK driving licence in Spain.
• Register your S1 with the INSS (state pensioners). The INSS then sends you a social security number to take to your health centre.
• Apply for the Beckham Law if you are employed and eligible; the six-month window runs from your Spanish Social Security registration.
• Diary your padrón renewal. Non-EU residents without long-term residence generally have to confirm their padrón registration every two years.
• Diary your first Spanish tax deadlines (see the tax section).

Moving with pets from the UK

Since 22 April 2026, a pet moving from Great Britain to Spain needs an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) rather than an EU pet passport issued to a UK resident.

Requirement	Detail
Microchip	Required, with proof of microchip history
Rabies vaccination	Given at least 21 days before travel
Animal Health Certificate	One per pet, from your vet; valid for entry within 10 days of issue; the cost depends on the vet
Onward travel	The AHC then covers onward travel within the EU and re-entry to Great Britain for six months
Once you live in Spain	A Spanish vet can register your pet in Spain and issue a Spanish EU pet passport

Healthcare: what replaces the NHS

Once you live in Spain, the NHS no longer covers you, and a UK GHIC is designed for visits rather than residence. Your Spanish healthcare route depends on your status.

Your situation	Healthcare route	Key point
UK State Pension recipient	S1 registered with the INSS	Funded by the UK; you also receive a UK-issued GHIC for travel
Employed or self-employed in Spain	Public healthcare through Social Security contributions	Register at your health centre with your social security number
Non-lucrative or digital nomad visa holder, not paying into Spanish Social Security	Private health insurance	Required for your visa and residence card
Resident for over a year, not working	Possibly the convenio especial (public pay-in scheme)	Requires at least one year of actual residence in Spain and registration on the padrón; not available if the UK funds your care through an S1

Prescriptions in the public system usually carry a co-payment of between 10% and 60%. Read healthcare in Spain for expats and how to register for healthcare in Spain for the detail.

Tax: the UK and Spain side by side

You usually become a Spanish tax resident if you spend more than 183 days a year in Spain or your main economic interests are there, and Spanish residents are taxed on their worldwide income. The UK–Spain double taxation agreement is designed to stop the same income being taxed twice, but it does not remove your reporting duties.

	United Kingdom	Spain
Tax year	6 April to 5 April	Calendar year (1 January to 31 December)
What residents are taxed on	Worldwide income (UK residents)	Worldwide income (Spanish residents)
Leaving or arriving	Tell HMRC you are leaving	Become resident through day count or centre of interests
Foreign asset reporting	Not applicable to UK residents for Spanish assets in the same way	Modelo 720 if assets abroad exceed €50,000 in any one category
Special regime for new arrivals	Not applicable	Beckham Law: flat 24% on Spanish employment income up to €600,000, for eligible employees

Modelo 720 is the Spanish declaration of assets held abroad. The €50,000 limit applies separately to each category (bank accounts, securities and property), and the filing window runs from 1 January to 31 March for the previous year. After a 2022 European Court of Justice ruling, Spain repealed the very heavy penalties that once applied; general penalties now apply instead (€20 per item of data, with a minimum of €300 and a maximum of €20,000). UK savings, ISAs and pensions can all be caught, so many UK movers file this form in their first full year.

Frequently asked questions