Guides to moving to Spain

Start with the order of the steps, then read about the residency option that fits you.

• Moving to Spain from the US: the steps in orderWhat to do, in what order, from the consulate appointment to your first tax return as a Spanish resident.
• Spain residency for Americans: the visas and how to get oneThe residence visas open to Americans, what each requires, and the steps from the consulate to long-term residency.
• Spain non-lucrative visa: requirements, income and stepsSpain's visa for retirees and others who can live without working: the money required, the documents and the consulate process.
• Spain digital nomad visa: requirements and how to applyThe visa for remote workers with employers or clients outside Spain: income, documents, where to apply and tax.
• Spain golden visa: it has ended, and what to use insteadSpain stopped giving residency for property and other investments in April 2025. What that means and the routes that remain.
• NIE number, TIE card and empadronamiento in SpainThe identity number, the resident card and the town hall registration: what each is for and how to get it.
• Spanish citizenship for Americans: how long it takes and how to applyTen years of residence for most Americans, the shorter routes, the exams, and what Spain says about keeping your US passport.
• Best places to live in Spain for AmericansSeven cities and regions compared on climate, cost, language, healthcare and getting home.
• Cost of living in Spain for AmericansTypical monthly budgets, rent by city, and the costs people forget.
• Living in Spain as an American: what daily life is likeThe pros and cons, and how everyday things work: schedules, paperwork, banking, driving and housing.
• Retiring in Spain: the visa, healthcare, taxes and where people settleThe visa retirees use, healthcare without Medicare, tax on pensions and Social Security, and where retirees live.
• Buying property in Spain as an AmericanAmericans can buy freely in Spain. The steps in a purchase, the taxes, and what to check before you sign.
• Taxes in Spain for Americans: residency, rates, wealth tax and the Beckham lawWhen you become a Spanish tax resident, what Spain taxes, and how the Beckham law and the US treaty fit in.
• Healthcare in Spain for Americans: public, private and who gets whatWho can use the public system, when you need private insurance, and how residents combine the two.