First 30 Days in Spain — Complete Checklist for Migrants (2026)
📅 Last updated: March 14, 2026⏱️ 10 min read✓ Verified information
Your first month in Spain is a sprint through bureaucracy. The good news: if you do things in the right order, most of it falls into place quickly. The bad news: doing things out of order can cause weeks of delays — like discovering you need a padrón for a procedure you thought was independent.
This checklist is ordered by priority and urgency. The items marked No NIE needed can be done on arrival. The items marked Needs NIE require your NIE first.
📋 Legend
Urgent Do this as soon as possible | No NIE needed Passport only | Needs NIE Wait for NIE first
📅 Day 1 — Airport and first hours
Get a prepaid SIM card UrgentNo NIE needed
Buy a Lebara, Lycamobile or Orange prepaid SIM at the airport. Passport only. €5-10. You need a Spanish number to open Revolut and for most Spanish services.
Open Revolut with your passport and a Spanish address (hotel, friend's place). Get a Spanish IBAN (ES87) in 10 minutes. You'll need this for paying your first rent, receiving salary and everything else.
You need a stable Spanish address for padrón, NIE and all other procedures. Confirm where you'll be staying for at least the first weeks. A friend's address works for Revolut — but for padrón you'll ideally have your own rental.
📅 Week 1 — First essentials
Book your NIE appointment Urgent
Go to sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es immediately. In Madrid and Barcelona, appointments are 4-12 weeks away. The earlier you book, the sooner you get it. Don't wait — start looking from day one.
Go to your local ayuntamiento (town hall) with your passport and rental contract or landlord's letter. The padrón takes 1-2 weeks to arrive. You need it for: health card, some government documents, school enrollment. It does NOT require NIE.
Open Wise (optional) No NIE needed
If you regularly send money to your home country, open Wise for better exchange rates. Belgian IBAN (BE97) — not suitable for receiving salary but excellent for international transfers.
Give your employer your Revolut Spanish IBAN (ES87) for salary payments. It works exactly like a traditional bank account. Your employer does not need to know it's a neobank.
Register with a GP (médico de cabecera) No NIE needed
Go to your nearest centro de salud (health centre) with your passport and padrón. Register and get your tarjeta sanitaria (health card). This gives you access to Spain's public health system. No NIE required in most regions.
Set up direct debits for utilities
If your accommodation has utility bills in your name, set up direct debits from your Revolut IBAN. Electricity (Endesa, Iberdrola), water and internet all accept ES IBANs for domiciliación bancaria.
Pay your €12 NIE fee (Form 790-012)
Before your NIE appointment, pay the €12 fee using Form 790-012 at a bank. Pay in advance — you need the stamped receipt at your appointment. Keep the original receipt safely.
📅 Week 4+ — After your NIE appointment
Attend NIE appointment and collect certificate
Bring: original passport + photocopy, two EX-15 forms, 790-012 receipt, appointment confirmation, and justification document. Collect your NIE certificate — same day in most provinces.
Open N26 (optional) Needs NIE
N26 gives you a second Spanish IBAN (ES20) — useful as a backup or for specific needs. Requires NIE since 2026. No padrón or rental contract needed — just NIE plus passport.
Register with Social Security (if employed) Needs NIE
Your employer does this — give them your NIE and they register you with the Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS). This activates your social security number (número de afiliación) and contributions.
Update your Revolut profile with NIE Needs NIE
Once you have your NIE, update it in your Revolut profile. This unlocks higher transaction limits and any NIE-dependent features. Go to Profile → Personal details → Tax identification.
Open a traditional bank account (if needed) Needs NIE
For Social Security payments (paro, autónomo contributions), you'll eventually need a traditional bank or EVO Banco — the only neobank on Spain's TGSS list. Only needed if you claim unemployment benefits or register as autónomo.
Start with the most important step
Open Revolut today — passport only, no NIE needed. Spanish IBAN in 10 minutes. Everything else follows from having a bank account.
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Frequently asked questions
What's the single most important thing to do on day one?
Get a prepaid SIM card and open Revolut. In that order. The SIM takes 10 minutes at the airport. Revolut takes 10 minutes on your phone. With a Spanish number and a Spanish IBAN, you can start functioning financially from day one — regardless of NIE status.
Do I need padrón to open a bank account?
No. Revolut and Wise accept a temporary address — hotel, friend's place, future accommodation. Padrón is needed for health card registration and some government documents, but not for neobank accounts.
How long does the whole NIE process take?
In Madrid or Barcelona: 6-14 weeks total (appointment wait + processing). In smaller cities: 2-4 weeks. Start the appointment booking process on day one — it runs in the background while you set up everything else.
Can I rent a flat without NIE?
Many landlords in Spain are flexible, especially in the private rental market. Having a Revolut Spanish IBAN to show you can pay rent is more important than having NIE for most landlords. Some formal agencies and large property companies may require NIE.
