Before you start

Passport, for a prepaid SIM
NIE and a Spanish bank account, for a contract
An unlocked or eSIM-capable handset
A Spanish address, for fibre installation

Step-by-step

1
Buy a prepaid SIM on your passport on arrival
Available at the airport, phone shops and supermarkets. Registration against your passport is required by law. A Spanish number in your first hour unlocks bank verification and appointment systems.
In personWho: YouDay 1
2
Wait for the NIE before taking a contract
Contract tariffs need a NIE and usually a Spanish IBAN for the direct debit. They are considerably better value than prepaid and typically bundle mobile with fibre, but there is no way around the identity requirement.
In personWho: You
3
Bundle fibre with mobile, which is how Spain prices it
Spanish operators price convergent bundles aggressively and mobile alone is poor value. Fibre coverage across the Bilbao metropolitan area is good and symmetric gigabit connections are ordinary.
OnlineWho: You
4
Check coverage for the mountains and the coast
The Basque Country's terrain is steep and folded, and coverage in the valleys behind the city, along the coast and in the Pyrenean foothills varies substantially between operators. If your weekends will involve hills — and living here they will — compare coverage maps rather than choosing on city performance.
OnlineWho: You
5
Consider the low-cost operators seriously
Virtual operators reselling the main networks are substantially cheaper and use the same masts. Euskaltel, the historic Basque operator now part of a larger group, retains strong local coverage and market share.
OnlineWho: You
6
Check the risers in older buildings before assuming fibre
Getting fibre into a nineteenth-century building in Casco Viejo or an older block in Deusto depends on the existing risers and sometimes the building community's agreement. Ask what is already installed before signing a lease if a fast connection matters to your work.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport, for prepaid registration
NIE and Spanish IBAN, for a contract
Proof of address, for fibre

Things most newcomers don’t know

There is no anonymous SIM in Spain, unlike the UK.

Every Spanish SIM must be registered against an identity document at activation. A passport is enough for prepaid, so this is not a barrier — but arriving expecting to buy one off a supermarket shelf and use it immediately, as in Britain, means an unexpected counter visit with documents in hand.

Source: Ministerio para la Transformación Digital

Euskaltel's legacy means local coverage differs from the national picture.

The Basque Country had its own regional telecoms operator for decades, which built out cable and fibre in places the national incumbent was slower to reach. It is now part of a larger group but the infrastructure legacy remains, and coverage and pricing in Bizkaia do not always match what national comparison sites suggest. Check locally rather than assuming the Spanish average applies.

Source: Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia

Terrain, not population, drives mobile coverage in the Basque Country.

The region is steep and folded, with settlements in narrow valleys and a mountainous interior. Coverage can fall away sharply a few kilometres from a well-served town, and the four networks differ substantially in which valleys they cover. This matters more here than in flat Spain because so much of the weekend life involves hills and coast.

Source: Ofcom-equivalent national coverage data / CNMC

Spanish fibre is genuinely excellent and cheap, which surprises people.

Spain has among the highest full-fibre coverage in Europe, well ahead of Germany or the UK, and symmetric gigabit connections are ordinary and inexpensive. For remote workers this is one of the strongest and least advertised practical arguments for the country, and Bilbao is well served within it.

Source: Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia

Common mistakes to avoid

Expecting to buy an anonymous SIM as in the UK.
Signing a long contract before you have a NIE and being pushed onto a worse tariff.
Choosing a network on city performance without checking valley and coastal coverage.
Assuming fibre is available in an old Casco Viejo building without checking the risers.
Cancelling your old service before porting the number.

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