First month checklist for Spain

Overview

This checklist covers the core administrative tasks most newcomers need to complete within their first month in Spain — a condensed action list to pair with our detailed first 30 days guide.

Requirements

• Relevant to anyone in their first month of residency in Spain

Step-by-step process

• Complete empadronamiento registration at your local town hall
• Apply for your NIE, if you don't already have one
• Apply for your TIE, if your residency status requires one, within the required window after entry
• Open a Spanish bank account
• Register for healthcare through the route that applies to your situation (employment, self-employment, EU S1, or private insurance)
• Set up mobile, internet and any other household utilities
• If applicable, complete Social Security registration confirmation with your employer, or your own RETA registration if self-employed

Required documents

• Passport
• Visa/residency approval, if applicable
• Empadronamiento certificate, once obtained (needed for several of the following steps)

Common mistakes

• Attempting later steps (bank account, healthcare) before completing empadronamiento, when many require it as proof of address
• Leaving TIE or NIE applications until close to any legal deadline, when appointment availability is the real limiting factor

Practical tips

• Complete steps in the order listed where possible — several genuinely depend on an earlier one
• Once this list is done, shift focus to our annual administrative checklist for what comes next across the rest of the year

How Tuchati can help

Tuchati can help you track which of these steps are done, which are pending, and what's specifically blocking you if something stalls.