Moving to Spain as an EU Citizen (2026): No Visa, But You Must Register

If you hold a passport from an EU member state, the EEA (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) or Switzerland, you do not need a visa to live, work or retire in Spain. Free movement does the heavy lifting. But "no visa" does not mean "no paperwork": if you stay longer than three months, Spanish law requires you to register in person and get the EU registration certificate, the small green paper everyone calls the green certificate. This guide covers the 2026 process with the official forms, the current €12.00 fee and the mistakes that send people home from the police station empty-handed. Not sure this is your route? Run our free Spain Move Path selector first.

1. Who this covers

This process applies to citizens of:

• All 27 EU member states.
• EEA states: Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
• Switzerland (covered by its own agreement with the EU).

It does not cover UK nationals arriving after Brexit: unless you fall under the Withdrawal Agreement (you legally resided in Spain before 2021), you are a non-EU national and need a visa, for example the digital nomad visa or the non-lucrative visa.

2. The 3-month rule

You can be in Spain up to three months with just your passport or national ID card: as a tourist, house-hunting, or preparing your move. Once you intend to reside in Spain for more than three months, you are obliged to apply personally for registration in the Registro Central de Extranjeros (Central Register of Foreign Nationals).

• Deadline: the application must be filed within three months of your entry into Spain.
• Where: the Oficina de Extranjería of the province where you will live, or the corresponding Policía Nacional station (Comisaría).
• Result: the certificate is issued immediately, on the spot, when your documents are in order.

In practice nobody fines you for registering at month four, but banks, employers and the tax office will all ask for the certificate, so delaying only hurts you.

3. The green certificate (certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión)

The certificate is a small green paper document that states your name, nationality, address, date of registration and your NIE (foreigner identification number). Key facts:

• Your NIE is assigned automatically with this registration. If you are registering as an EU resident, you do not need a separate NIE application (the EX-15 procedure from our NIE guide is for people who need the number without residing).
• It does not expire. It remains valid while you live in Spain; permanent residence comes later (section 10).
• It is not a work permit because you do not need one: as an EU citizen you can be employed or self-employed in Spain under the same conditions as Spanish nationals.

4. Requirements by situation

Registration is not automatic: you must fit one of the situations in article 7 of Real Decreto 240/2007 and prove it. The categories:

• Employees: a work contract or an employer's declaration that you are hired. Registration with the Spanish social security also proves it.
• Self-employed (autónomo): proof of registration in the census of economic activities (alta censal) or in the Registro Mercantil.
• Not working (early retirees, remote living off savings): proof of sufficient financial resources for yourself and your family, plus full-coverage health insurance valid in Spain. There is no fixed official amount for this category, but offices commonly use the IPREM benchmark (€600/month in 2026) as a reference; bring clear bank statements.
• Students: enrollment in a recognized school or university, health insurance (the European Health Insurance Card is accepted), and a signed declaration that you have sufficient resources.
• Family members of an EU citizen who accompanies or joins you: the relationship documents (marriage or birth certificates, registered partnership proof).

5. Documents checklist

Per the Policía Nacional's official procedure, bring:

• Form EX-18 (Solicitud de inscripción en el Registro Central de Extranjeros - Residencia ciudadano de la UE), filled in and signed. It is a free, editable PDF on the government sites.
• Proof of payment of the fee: modelo 790, código 012 (see next section).
• Your passport or national ID card, valid and in force, plus a photocopy. If the document is expired, bring the copy plus proof you have requested its renewal.
• Proof of your situation from section 4: work contract, alta censal, bank statements plus insurance policy, enrollment letter, or family documents.

6. The €12.00 fee (modelo 790, código 012)

The registration fee is €12.00 (2026 rate, per the Policía Nacional's official extranjería fee table: "Certificado de registro de residente comunitario o Tarjeta de residencia de familiar de un ciudadano de la Unión"). It is paid with the modelo 790, código 012 form:

1. Open the Policía Nacional's online generator for the 790-012 (sede.policia.gob.es/Tasa790_012).
2. Select the EU registration certificate option, fill in your details and print the PDF with barcode.
3. Pay it at almost any Spanish bank, savings bank or credit cooperative. You do not need an account with them: you present the printed form and pay in cash or by card. Keep the stamped copy as your proof.

Do not confuse this with the NIE assignment fee (€9.84, same form, different concept): for EU registration the correct line is the €12.00 one.

7. Step-by-step plan

1. Register at your town hall (empadronamiento) as soon as you have an address.
2. Fill in form EX-18 and gather the proof for your situation (contract, resources plus insurance, enrollment, family documents).
3. Generate and pay the modelo 790 código 012 fee (€12.00), one per person.
4. Book a cita previa at sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es: choose your province and the procedure "Policía - Certificados UE" (wording varies by province).
5. Prepare your pack: EX-18 signed, paid 790 form, passport or ID (original plus copy), padrón certificate, and your situation proof, with copies of everything.
6. Attend in person. If everything is in order, you leave with the green certificate in hand, issued on the spot.
7. Use the NIE printed on it for everything that follows: bank account, work contract or autónomo registration, and social security.

8. Non-EU family members

A spouse, registered partner or dependent relative who is not an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen does not get the green certificate. Instead they apply for the tarjeta de residencia de familiar de ciudadano de la Unión (residence card of a family member of an EU citizen):

• Form EX-19, filed within three months of entry, at the same offices.
• Same modelo 790 código 012 fee line: €12.00.
• The card is valid for five years and allows work in Spain.
• They must prove the family relationship (apostilled and translated certificates when issued abroad) and that the EU citizen they join meets one of the section 4 situations.

9. Healthcare

How you access the Spanish system depends on your situation:

• Working in Spain (employed or autónomo): you pay into social security and get full public healthcare from day one. See our public healthcare guide.
• Pensioners: the S1 form from your home country's health system transfers your coverage to Spain.
• Short stays and students: the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) covers medically necessary care.
• Not working: you need private health insurance with full coverage for registration (see what policies qualify), or, after one year of registered residence, the public convenio especial buy-in (€60/month under 65, €157/month at 65+).

10. Permanent residence after 5 years

Five years of continuous legal residence in Spain gives you the right of permanent residence: unconditional, no need to keep proving resources or insurance. "Continuous" allows absences of up to six months per year, and longer single absences for reasons like military service, pregnancy, serious illness, study or work posting (up to 12 months). You can then request the certificado de residencia permanente de ciudadano de la Unión; it is declaratory, not constitutive, meaning the right is already yours, but the paper makes life easier. Permanent residence is also the standard stepping stone to Spanish nationality for those who want it (note that Spain generally requires renouncing your previous nationality, with exceptions for nationals of Latin American countries, Portugal and a few others).

11. Common mistakes

• Thinking "EU citizen = no paperwork". After three months, registration is a legal obligation, and banks, employers and the padrón will all ask for the certificate.
• Paying the wrong fee line. The 790-012 form covers several concepts; select the EU registration certificate line (€12.00), not the NIE assignment (€9.84) or a TIE line.
• Weak proof of resources. For the non-working route, a vague ATM receipt will not do: bring stamped bank statements showing stable funds and a full-coverage insurance policy with no copayments and no waiting periods.
• No cita previa. Most provinces require an appointment; in big cities slots disappear fast. Check the portal early in the morning, the same tactic as for the TIE appointments.
• Skipping the padrón. Even where not formally demanded, arriving without the empadronamiento certificate is the most common reason people are told to come back.
• Assuming the card for non-EU family is automatic. It needs its own EX-19 application within three months of their entry; an expired tourist stay complicates everything.

This guide is free and independent. It contains no sponsored links. If we recommend services in the future and have a commercial relationship with them, we will label it clearly. This is not legal advice: confirm your case with the Oficina de Extranjería or a licensed gestor.