The non-lucrative money test stream by stream, what each U.S. consulate accepts as proof, health coverage from the private policy to the convenio and Medicare, and when Spain taxes you.
Moving to Spain from the U.S.
Guides written for U.S. citizens, from the visa options and U.S. taxes to banking, housing and healthcare. Each one cites the official pages and carries its date.
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Six Spanish cities side by side on official figures only: the region that taxes you, median rents, stressed zones, the language of your child's school, AEMET climate normals and recorded crime.
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What an arras deposit can cost you, the checks before you sign, the notary deed and the Property Registry, transfer tax or VAT by region, and the yearly taxes a Spanish home brings in both countries.
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Taking over the supplies after the keys: the CUPS code, the regulated PVPC and gas TUR against free-market offers, water through the town's utility, VAT, the bono social and complaints.
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How to check the owner in the Property Registry, test the asking rent against the state index, spot a fake listing, pay safely, and get from the first viewing to a signed lease in 7 days.
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Who files Modelo 720, the three 50,000 euro blocks, the March 31 deadline, how U.S. accounts, IRAs, a 401(k), a house, an LLC or a trust land on it, the fines since 2022, and Modelo 721 for crypto.
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The U.S. side of life in Spain: Form 1040 deadlines abroad, the FBAR and Form 8938, the exclusion or the credit, Spanish funds, the treaty and a nonresident spouse, beside the Spanish dates.
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Who files a first Spanish income tax return, the 15,876 euro limit for U.S. pay, Renta WEB access, rates, joint filing, dollar conversion, the double taxation deduction and where U.S. income goes.
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The rolling 90 days in any 180, a worked count over three trips, what the EES records instead of stamps, ETIAS and its missing start date, the U.S.-Spain extension and the fines for overstaying.
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What a U.S. consulate's refusal letter must state, the optional 1-month reconsideration appeal, the 2-month court deadline in Madrid, silence, and when a corrected new file is the better route.
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The main long-stay routes open to a U.S. citizen, side by side: the 2026 money test, whether you may work, where you file, how long the first permit lasts and when long-term residence opens.
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Registering a U.S.-born child at a Spanish consulate, the declaration due by 21, the option for children of Spain-born parents, pending Democratic Memory files and the 1-year residence route.
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The 1-year and 2-year routes of Spain's Civil Code: why a U.S. marriage must be registered in Spain first, which exams still apply, the Puerto Rico question and the renunciation Americans declare.
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Name certificate, NIEs, deed and registry with their deadlines and fee caps, the 2026 corporate tax rates, RETA for directors, permits, and the IRS forms an American owner files.
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Which permits allow it, when U.S. clients pay Spanish VAT, the invoice and Modelo 303 boxes, Modelo 130 without withholding, the certificate that ends U.S. self-employment tax, and the U.S. forms.
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Which permits still need a private policy after arrival, what Spain's insurance contract law gives you at signing and renewal, how premiums are taxed, and how to complain to the insurer and the DGSFP.
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What a U.S. prescription is worth in a Spanish pharmacy, how much medicine to bring, the AEMPS permit for controlled drugs, ADHD medicines, refills and buying online.
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What the public system pays for by age and region, why a non-lucrative permit usually keeps you out, and how to check a private clinic, get an estimate, finance safely and complain.
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The 183-day and economic-interest tests, the Agencia Tributaria certificate and its Basque and Navarra equivalents, Form 6166, and why a Spanish certificate never ends U.S. tax for a citizen.
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Why Cl@ve waits for your TIE, how to register without the video route, how to get the free FNMT certificate in Spain or at a U.S. consulate, and which procedures take which ID.
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Who apostilles a U.S. birth certificate, FBI check or diploma and what it costs, which translators each consulate and Spanish office accepts, and how to apostille Spanish documents for U.S. use.
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Who runs Spain's trains, the 2026 passes and discounts open to U.S. residents, what EU law, Renfe and Ouigo pay when a train is late or canceled, and where to take a complaint.
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The rules that change on October 1, 2026, the V-16 beacon, speed and alcohol limits, what a fine costs and how it reaches you, points, tolls and the low-emission zones of Madrid and Barcelona.
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Which pass to buy in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and Málaga, the papers a newcomer needs for a personal card, the 2026 state discounts, the Abono Único, bikes and e-scooters.
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What an American needs for a Spanish number and home internet: unlocking, SIM identification, contracts, switching, cancelling, complaints, roaming, 112, ES-Alert and the universal service.
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Where each of Spain's languages is official, public Spanish classes and their 2026 fees, the DELE and SIELE, regional language courses, and the language rules for your residence file and children.
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What a Spanish bar or restaurant may put on your bill: taxes, cover and bread charges by region, tipping, tap water, leftovers, allergens, card and cash rules, smoking and complaint forms.
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What a parcel from the United States costs in Spain in 2026: import VAT, the 3 euro duty, carrier fees, gifts, moving boxes, banned items, USPS rules, certified letters and electronic notices.
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The order that gets a dog or cat from the U.S. into Spain in 2026: microchip, rabies shot, USDA endorsement and airport checks, then the regional registry, boosters and breed rules.
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Why no agreement covers a U.S. license, the medical report, the 94.05 euro fee for two sittings, the theory and road tests, the driving school rule and which novice rules apply to you.
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How long a U.S. license stays valid in Spain for visitors, residents and students, whether you need an IDP, who can exchange a U.S. license, and the likely 500 euro fine after month six.
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What an American resident pays and files to buy a car in Spain: the regional transfer tax, the registration tax, road tax, insurance, the ITV and what shipping a U.S. car involves.
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Who holds the right to public care in Spain, why a non-lucrative permit keeps you on private insurance, how to apply to the INSS and get the health card, and what prescriptions cost.
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What Spain's consulates in 9 U.S. cities ask of a long-stay visa health policy, how to check the insurer, what renewals need, and what Medicare Parts A, B and D do once you live in Spain.
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The 60 and 157 euro monthly fees, the one-year residence rule, what the basic portfolio leaves out, and how Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia and Andalusia handle the file and the cancellation.
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Public and concertado schools, the 2026-2027 spring windows of four regions, the birth-year rule, placement of pupils schooled in the U.S., mid-year admission and Spanish support.
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Homologation to the Spanish Bachiller, the state apostille and sworn translation, the 49.76 euro fee, the volante for conditional enrollment, and university access through UNEDasiss.
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Homologation or equivalence under Royal Decree 889/2022, the apostille on U.S. documents, sworn translation, DELE B2, the 166.50 euro fee, the 6-month clock and where a PhD goes.
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Seasonal leases under state law, Catalonia's 2026 rules, the annulled short-term registry, tourist rentals, and the lease length Madrid and Barcelona ask for on the padrón.
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The 5 or 7 years a home lease must last, leaving after 6 months, the IRAV cap on yearly updates, the fees the landlord pays, stressed zones, repairs and a sale of the flat.
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The one-month fianza, the 2-month cap on extra guarantees, lodging rules in Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia and Andalusia, what a landlord may deduct and how to claim the deposit back.
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The permit that comes first, written and oral contracts, the trial period, fixed-term limits, pay in 12 or 14 installments, payroll contributions, severance and unemployment benefit.
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Who qualifies after 5 years of non-residence, what the 24 percent rate covers, the 6-month Modelo 149 deadline, your spouse and children, and what the regime changes for an American's filings.
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The self-employed permit or the telework route, the tax and Social Security registrations, contributions on real net income, the disputed 80 euro flat rate, and quarterly VAT and income tax.
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The renunciation declared at the Spanish oath, why U.S. law presumes you keep your citizenship, the passport rule that meets Spain's three-year clause, and formal renunciation.
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The two Instituto Cervantes tests behind Spanish nationality: 2026 fees and dates, pass marks, U.S. exam centers, who is exempt, and why the CCSE can expire before you file.
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The residence that counts, the nationwide U.S. criminal record, the DELE A2 and CCSE, filing online or on paper, the one-year decision clock and the 180 days to swear the oath.
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Who files, the ways around Spain's labor-market test, the employer's solvency proof, the 3-month decision and the string of short deadlines that follows approval.
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The two versions of the permit, the salary and degree tests updated in June 2026, the 20-day UGE decision, and where the consulate's page and the ministry's sheet disagree.
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What ENISA scores in a business plan, the 2026 money test, the two-stage filing at the UGE and the Washington consulate, and where entrepreneur files stall.
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The 2026 money test, who may work and for how many hours, what the Washington consulate checks, and the two routes open to you after graduation.
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The absence limits behind the five-year count, national versus EU long-term status, the income test only one of them has, and the card that follows approval.
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The one-year wait, the income and housing tests, who counts as family, and the routes that skip the wait: filing together, a student or telework permit, or a Spanish spouse.
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Spain's mortgage law covers any individual borrowing against a home, with no residence condition. Why dollar income can make a euro loan a foreign-currency loan, and the timeline to the deed.
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Living in Spain does not change your answer on a Spanish bank's FATCA form. What the self-certification asks, what the bank reports, and how the police certificate of non-residence works.
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The card that proves your legal status in Spain follows your authorization. Fees, the EX-17 form, renewals, the changes you must report within a month, and lost cards.
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The 2026 income bar, why remote work for a U.S. employer or U.S. clients is ruled out, and the residence condition every renewal checks.
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The 2026 income bar, what a U.S. employer or U.S. clients must prove, the Social Security registration the permit requires, and the visa versus the permit requested in Spain.
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The NIE is a number, not a residence permit. When the police assign it through your residence file, when you must apply, and how the consulate and Spanish offices handle it.
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Your town hall registration feeds the rest of your paperwork. What Madrid and Alicante ask for, the lease problem, volante versus certificado, and the 2-year renewal.
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Your broker's policy decides what you can still buy, the PFIC rules make a European fund an expensive fix, and Spain reports the account on Modelo 720 and counts it for the wealth tax.
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Keep a U.S. account, get your broker's policy for customers abroad before any address changes, and open the Spanish account knowing why the FATCA question comes up at the counter.
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A wire funded from your U.S. bank account is outside the 1 percent remittance tax. The exchange-rate margin is the cost that matters, and Spain declares cash, not wires, from 10,000 euros.
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Payments continue for U.S. citizens in Spain and can land in a Spanish euro account. Spain taxes the benefit and deducts the U.S. tax, and the 1986 agreement still governs totalization.
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Once you are a Spanish tax resident, the treaty hands your 401(k) and IRA withdrawals to Spain. The United States taxes you anyway and credits the Spanish tax; rollovers and Roths follow other rules.
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Federal tax follows your citizenship to Spain. State tax follows your domicile, and California and New York keep former residents on the books unless the move is documented. What each state tests.
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The Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures let Americans in Spain file three years of returns and six years of FBARs without penalties. Eligibility turns on 330 days abroad, and the window moves.
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Sell before you become a Spanish tax resident and only the IRS looks at the gain. Sell after, and Spain taxes it too, with a credit for the U.S. tax. The order of the dates decides the bill.
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The FBI check, its apostille, the medical certificate and your U.S. accounts, sequenced so nothing expires before your consulate appointment.
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The costly mistakes after a move to Spain come from rules that apply on a date. Eight of them, from tax residency to the padrón, with the official rule and the fix.
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The residence card deadline runs from your entry into Spain. How to sequence the TIE appointment, the padrón and your address in the first weeks.
Moving from the United Kingdom? Guides for Britons
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