Barcelona

Get your NIE (and TIE)

The foreigner ID number everything else in Spain hangs off.

30 min at the office · weeks for the cita · €9.84 (tasa 790-012) · €16+ for TIE

Register your address (empadronamiento)

The free town-hall registration that gets you on the list for healthcare and schools.

20 min at the OAC · Free

Get a Spanish SIM card

Working number and data in 15 minutes. Passport is all you need.

15 min · €10–20

Get a T-mobilitat transit card

Metro, bus, tram, and Rodalies on one contactless card.

15 min · €4.50 card + €21–40/mo

Open a Spanish bank account

For rent, salary, and the Bizum payments everyone assumes you have.

45 min · Free at most banks (with conditions)

Register with CatSalut (get your TSI)

Your Catalan health card. Public GP, hospital, and prescriptions.

20 min at the CAP · Free

Set up home internet

Fibre is everywhere and fast. Pick the right contract length.

15 min to order · 3–10 days to install · €25–40/mo

Exchange your driving licence

EU licences barely need anything. Non-EU depends on the country list.

1 hour at the DGT · €28.87

Register as an EU resident (certificado de registro)

EU/EEA citizens: the green certificate you need after 90 days.

20 min at the office · €12

Sign a lease (without getting burned)

Fianza, aval, and the temporada trap. Keys in hand with your rights intact.

1–4 weeks of hunting · 3–4 months' rent upfront

Get your social security number (NUSS)

Needed before your first day of work. And your employer can usually do it for you.

10 min online · days for the reply · Free

Set up electricity, water & gas

CUPS codes, the cambio de titularidad, and why the previous tenant's contract is your friend.

1 hour total · 1–5 days activation · €80–140/mo combined

Set up Bizum

How Spain actually pays. By phone number, instantly, from your bank's own app.

5 min · Free

Register as a freelancer (alta de autónomo)

The double registration that lets you invoice from Spain. And the €80 first-year quota.

1–2 hours with a gestor · ~€80/mo first year (tarifa plana) · then €200–590/mo