Relocating to Spain
Understand the country before you commit to the move.
53% verifiedSpain is a Western European constitutional monarchy on the Iberian Peninsula, EU/Eurozone member, official national language Spanish (Castilian).
Ask about moving to Spain
Answered only from Atlas's verified Spain guides — if it's not covered yet, we'll say so rather than guess.
Life in Spain
What will life actually be like?
Where should I live?
Barcelona
What will daily life cost?
Living: Cost of Living
What is healthcare like?
Healthcare: Average Medical Costs
What about schools?
Living: Education
How will I bank?
Banking: System Overview and Account Types
How will I get around?
Living: Transportation
Cities
Where should I live?
Madrid, Spain's capital, is the largest city and main financial/political hub, with the highest average rents nationally alongside Barcelona. Barcelona, Catalonia's capital, is the second-largest city and a major tech/tourism/startup hub, second only to Madrid in rent levels. Valencia offers a lower cost of living than Madrid/Barcelona while retaining a large expat and digital-nomad community. Other significant cities for relocation purposes include Málaga and the Costa del Sol area (large international/retiree community), Seville (Andalucía's capital, historic and lower-cost), Bilbao and San Sebastián (Basque Country, high quality of life, cooler climate), and Alicante (coastal, popular with British and Northern European expats).
Barcelona
Barcelona is the capital of the autonomous community of Cataluña (Catalunya) and of the province of Barcelona. Per INE's Padrón continuo …
Costa del Sol
"Costa del Sol" is not an autonomous community, a province, or any other formal administrative unit — it is a touristic and geographic na…
Madrid
Madrid is both the capital of Spain and the capital of its own single-province autonomous community, the Comunidad de Madrid. The city of…
Valencia
Valencia's city council reported 844,424 inhabitants on 1 January 2025 in its municipal register, of whom 165,636 (19.61%) were foreign n…
Residency
Find your residency route
Your best route depends on how you plan to live, work and invest. These are the guides Atlas currently holds for Spain.
How do you plan to support yourself in Spain?
Residency: Citizenship
Spanish naturalization by residence generally requires 10 years of continuous, legal, verified residence; reduced to 5 years for recognized refugees; reduced…
Residency: Digital Nomad Visa
Spain's Digital Nomad Visa (DNV), under Law 28/2022 (Startup Law), can be applied for via the Spanish consulate abroad (initial 1-year visa) or in-country vi…
Residency: Permanent Residency
Long-term (permanent) residency in Spain requires 5 years of continuous, legal residence holding a valid temporary residency permit. To avoid resetting the r…
Residency: Processing Times
Spain's foreign ministry does not publish a single processing time for visas and residence permits; the time depends on the visa category, the consulate hand…
Residency: Required Documents
The documents required for a non-working (non-lucrative) residence visa in Spain depend on the nationality and purpose of stay. Applicants are generally expe…
Residency: Non-Lucrative Residence Visa
Spain's Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV) is tailored strictly for retirees, self-sufficient individuals, and passive investors, explicitly prohibiting any remote or …
Residency: Visa Overview
Spain distinguishes between short-stay Schengen visas and long-stay national visas for foreign nationals intending to reside in the country for employment, s…
Residency: Highly Qualified Professional Permit
Spain's Highly Qualified Professional Permit is a fast-track corporate employment visa for non-EU professionals in high-level managerial or highly technical …
Property
A home is a relocation decision
Taxes
Understand the cost of your move
Banking
Banking
Banking: System Overview and Account Types
Verified guideBanking: Credit History and Regulatory Reporting
Verified guideBanking: International Transfers
Verified guideBanking: Online Banks and Digital EMIs
Verified guideBanking: Opening an Account
Verified guideBanking: Required Onboarding Documents
Verified guideHealthcare
Healthcare
Lifestyle
Lifestyle
Business
Business
Business: Accounting
Verified guideBusiness: Annual Compliance
Verified guideBusiness: Company Formation
Verified guideBusiness: Hiring Employees
Verified guideBusiness: Limited Company (Sociedad Limitada)
Verified guideBusiness: Payroll
Verified guideBusiness: Social Security (Employer Obligations)
Verified guideBusiness: Sole Proprietorship (Autónomo)
Verified guideFrom the Journal
Latest on Spain
Safety Concerns Loom Over Spain’s High-Speed Rail Network
A recent fatal train collision in Spain has raised questions about the safety of the country's hi…Fatal Train Collision on High-Speed Line in Spain
A tragic train collision on Spain's Madrid-Andalucía high-speed line has resulted in at least 30 …High-Speed Train Collision Near Toledo, Spain; Rail Line Suspended
Two high-speed trains collided near Toledo, Spain, causing at least 10 deaths and suspending the …Ready to turn this into a plan?
Explore Spain for free. Atlas Individual is the workspace that holds your timeline, budget, documents and next steps.
Start your Spain plan →