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 and takes a few minutes at the counter. 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
Buy hardware locally, not from a mainland site
A phone or laptop shipped from the peninsula clears customs as an import: IGIC is assessed, a DUA is raised and the courier's agent charges a handling fee. A local price that looks higher than a mainland one frequently is not once clearance is included, and the local purchase has a warranty you can walk into a shop with.
In personWho: You
4
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 Las Palmas is good and symmetric gigabit connections are ordinary and inexpensive.
OnlineWho: You
5
Check the specific building before signing a lease
The older stock in Vegueta and Triana, and some of the mid-century blocks in Guanarteme, depend on existing risers for fibre. Two flats on the same street can have very different options. Ask which operator is already installed if a fast symmetric connection is load-bearing for your work.
OnlineWho: You
6
Keep your number when you switch
Portability between Spanish operators is a legal right and is handled by the receiving operator within a short statutory period. Never cancel first — you lose the number.
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 means an unexpected counter visit with documents in hand.

Source: Ministerio para la Transformación Digital

Telecoms is one of the few things here that is NOT affected by the customs border.

Calls, data and roaming treat the Canaries as ordinary Spanish and EU territory: domestic tariffs apply, EU roaming applies, and there is no island surcharge. This surprises people who have absorbed the customs and VAT position and assume it extends to everything. It does not — the border applies to goods, not to services delivered over a network.

Source: Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia

The hardware trap catches almost every new arrival once.

You order a phone, a monitor or a mechanical keyboard from a peninsular retailer at what looks like a fair price, and then pay IGIC plus a customs agent's handling fee on delivery — a fee that is often a flat charge and can exceed the tax on a modest item. Buy electronics on the island, or from a retailer that explicitly quotes a delivered-and-cleared price to the Canaries.

Source: community-reported

Spanish fibre is genuinely excellent and cheap, and Las Palmas is well inside that.

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. The city is comprehensively covered, which combined with the climate and the cost of living is the substantive reason the remote-work community here has lasted a decade rather than a season.

Source: Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia

Common mistakes to avoid

Ordering a handset or laptop from a mainland retailer and paying customs clearance on top.
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.
Assuming fibre is available in an old Vegueta or Triana 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.

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