Your life in Spain, sorted
How to Live in Spain.
Free, step-by-step checklists for life in Spain, whether you’re planning a move or already call it home. Book appointments, renew your paperwork, sort your home and make the most of living here.
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Step-by-Step Checklists
Know what to do, in what order, and what to bring.
Free to use
For everyone making a life in Spain.
New arrivals and long-time residents, students, remote workers, families and retirees.
Students
Digital nomads
Families
Retirees
Freelancers
Founders
Holidaymakers
Why How to Live in Spain
Less Searching. More Living. Spanish admin is confusing and the rules keep changing. We turn every process into a clear checklist, written in plain English and linked to the official source.
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No Jargon, Just Steps
Every checklist explains what to do, what to bring and what happens next, in plain language.
{ in order }
The Right Order, Every Time
Know which step comes first, so you never get stuck between offices.
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For Every Stage of Life Here
From planning a move to renewing paperwork, working, raising a family and retiring.
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Checked When Rules Change
We review checklists when procedures change and link to the official source.
Explore by topic
Find the Checklist You Need. From booking your first appointment to starting a business, learning Spanish and feeling at home. Pick a topic and start ticking.
Start here
The Checklists Everyone Needs.
The checklists people use most, whether you arrived last week or years ago. Free to read, print and share.
Checklists are general information, not legal advice.
How it works
Three Simple Steps. One Less Thing to Worry About.
What’s your situation?
Moving to Spain
Already living here
Just visiting
Show Checklists
{ step 01 }
Find Your Checklist
Search by topic or stage and open the checklist that matches where you are.
Book your cita previa
Step 1 · Done
✓
Gather your documents
Step 2 · 3 of 5 ready
60%
Attend your appointment
Step 3 · Up next
—
{ step 02 }
Tick It Off
Work through each step at your own pace, on screen or on a printed PDF.
Milestone
NIE certificate collected
Next: register on the padrón
{ step 03 }
Get It Done
Walk into every appointment prepared, then move on to the next checklist.
One checklist at a time, life in Spain gets simpler.
Recommended
Trusted Services, Hand-Picked. The money apps, insurers, phone plans and booking sites that make moving to, living in and visiting Spain easier.
{ money }
Wise
Send money to and from Spain at the mid-market exchange rate with an upfront fee, and hold euros and pounds in one account.
{ health insurance }
Sanitas
Private health cover across Spain, including plans with no co-payments, the kind many visa applications ask for.
{ phone & internet }
Digi
Low-cost Spanish mobile and fibre plans with no long contract, popular with new arrivals.
{ housing }
HousingAnywhere
Furnished mid-term rentals you can book online before you arrive, with payment protection on your first rent.
{ learning spanish }
Preply
One-to-one online Spanish lessons with tutors you choose and pay for lesson by lesson.
{ car hire }
DiscoverCars
Compare car hire at Spanish airports and cities, with fuel and deposit terms shown before you book.
{ tours & tickets }
GetYourGuide
Tours and timed tickets for Spain’s busiest sights, with free cancellation on many bookings.
{ trains }
Renfe
Spain’s national rail operator. Book high-speed AVE and regional trains direct, with no booking fee.
Some of these are affiliate links and some aren’t. Any booking or sign-up you make through them helps us help you live and experience Spain more easily, at no extra cost to you. Services are listed for what they do, not for what they pay.
The Spain Life Planner
Spain Life Planner · Notion
Notion dashboard screenshot
61 checklists, 628 steps
Deadlines that work themselves out
Document, budget and phrase trackers
Notion and Excel versions
Your Life. Your Pace. Your Paperwork. The Spain Life Planner brings every checklist into one Notion workspace, with deadlines that work themselves out and trackers for documents, budgets and the Spanish you’ll need. Excel version included.
Wherever you’re starting
Built for Every Stage of Life. Life in Spain at 22 looks nothing like life at 65. Our checklists are written for students, remote workers, families and retirees, so you only see what applies to you.
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Students & Young Movers
Study visas, Erasmus, first jobs
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Remote Workers
Nomad visa, autónomo, coworking
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Families
Schools, childcare, family homes
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Retirees
Pensions, healthcare, quieter towns
Photos are illustrative.
Our promise
Small Steps. A Whole New Life.
From your first appointment to your tenth renewal, the right checklist makes every step feel manageable.
“Every checklist starts with the official source and ends with you ticking the last box.”
We research each process from official sources, write it in plain English and review it when the rules change. If something is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it.
Christian Lee
Founder, How to Live in Spain
From the blog
Guides for Life in Spain. In-depth guides, local tips and rule changes explained, to help you plan, settle in and enjoy life here.
Free membership
Join How to Live in Spain.
A free account does more than save your checklists. Members get a monthly guide to their city, a directory of numbers to call when something goes wrong, and first access to offers and events as we add them.
Monthly local picks
News, rule changes and the best places to eat, drink and go out in your city, in one email a month.
Help directory
Emergency, health, council and consulate numbers with addresses, ready for the day you need them.
Checklists and documents
Tick off steps, keep your progress and store the paperwork for each step in one place.
Coming soon
Offers and events
Member offers from trusted services, plus meet-ups and events in your city.
Got questions?
Everything You Need to Know.
Answers to common questions about How to Live in Spain.