Before you start

A visa or residence authorisation appropriate to your situation, granted before travel for most non-EU nationals
A passport valid well beyond the intended stay
Proof of address in Alicante — a rental contract, a utility bill or a signed owner's authorisation
Passport photographs to Spanish specification and the paid Modelo 790 tax form

Step-by-step

1
Obtain the NIE number
The Número de Identidad de Extranjero is the foundational identifier and everything downstream needs it. If you arrived on a residence visa it is normally assigned as part of that process; otherwise apply through the Oficina de Extranjería in Alicante or a Spanish consulate before travelling.
In personWho: YouBefore or immediately on arrival
2
Register on the padrón at the ajuntament
Take your passport and proof of address to the Ajuntament d'Alacant with an appointment. The certificate you receive is required for the TIE, the SIP health card, school places and the driving-licence exchange. Register even if you are in a temporary flat — you update it when you move.
In personWho: YouWeek 1–2
3
Start hunting the TIE appointment immediately
You have a limited window after entering Spain to apply for the physical card, and Alicante's extranjería office serves one of the largest foreign-resident provinces in the country. Begin checking for slots before the rest of your documents are assembled — you can gather paperwork while you wait for the date.
OnlineWho: YouWithin the first month
4
Attend the TIE appointment with fingerprints taken
Bring the completed Modelo EX-17, the paid Modelo 790 code 012, passport photographs, your passport with copies of every used page, the padrón certificate and your residence authorisation. Fingerprints are taken at the appointment and the card is collected several weeks later.
In personWho: You
5
Register with social security and get a NUSS
Employment triggers registration by your employer. If you are self-employed you register as autónomo yourself, on the income-based contribution scale that replaced the old flat quota, with a reduced starter rate available for new registrations. The social security number is what converts into healthcare entitlement.
In personWho: You
6
Use a gestor, and pick one that works in Spanish too
Gestores are a normal part of Spanish life and the Costa Blanca has a whole industry of English-speaking ones. That convenience is real but it can leave you with no relationship to the Spanish-language administration at all. A gestor who will put you in front of the office rather than only in front of the form is worth more over five years.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport and photocopies of every used page
Residence visa or authorisation
Padrón certificate from the Ajuntament d'Alacant
Modelo EX-17 for the TIE and the paid Modelo 790 code 012
Passport photographs to Spanish specification — white background, 32×26 mm
Rental contract or signed owner's authorisation

Things most newcomers don’t know

Spain rewrote its immigration regulation in 2025, and older guidance is now unreliable.

Real Decreto 1155/2024 replaced the long-standing 2011 reglamento de extranjería and came into force in May 2025, reshaping the arraigo routes, student work rights, family reunification and several document requirements. A great deal of expat advice online — including material that was accurate for a decade — describes the previous system. Anything you read about arraigo or about switching status should be checked against the current text before you rely on it.

Source: Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones

On this coast the padrón gets skipped, and the consequences arrive years later.

Alicante province has an unusually large population of foreign residents who have lived here for years without registering — sometimes to avoid becoming visibly tax resident, sometimes because nobody told them. The padrón is what gets you a health card, a school place, a licence exchange and a residency renewal, and it is also the evidence of continuous residence for long-term status. Copying the neighbours here is the specific local mistake.

Source: Ajuntament d'Alacant

The appointment system, not the paperwork, is the real barrier.

Almost every immigration and tax procedure needs a cita previa, slots are released irregularly and taken within seconds, and a grey market in resold appointments persists despite repeated attempts to close it. Alicante's office serves a province absorbing very large numbers of new residents. Never book flights, a start date or a lease end around an appointment you have not yet confirmed.

Source: Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones

The digital nomad visa carries a tax election with a hard deadline attached.

Spain's startups law created a teleworking residence route and extended the impatriate regime — the Beckham Law — to people arriving under it, taxing Spanish employment income at a flat rate rather than the progressive scale for a limited number of years. The election must be made within a strict window after social security registration and is not easily undone. It favours higher earners and can be worse for lower ones, so take advice before your first filing rather than after it.

Source: Agencia Tributaria

Common mistakes to avoid

Following the local example and never registering on the padrón.
Relying on pre-2025 guidance about arraigo and status changes, which the new reglamento superseded.
Booking flights or a start date around a cita previa that has not been secured.
Assuming the NIE alone gives you healthcare — social security registration is a separate step.
Missing the strict window to elect the impatriate tax regime.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.