Before you start

A valid passport (non-EU) or national ID/passport (EU/EEA/Swiss), plus photocopies of every page you will present.
Non-EU only: an approved entry route before you arrive or apply from inside Spain (job offer + employer filing, Highly Qualified Professional, or Digital Nomad Visa under the Startups Law).
Proof of a Madrid address you can register at (rental contract in your name, deed, or owner's authorisation) for the empadronamiento.
Funds and private health insurance with no co-pay and full coverage (required for the EU 'sufficient means' route and for the Digital Nomad Visa).

Step-by-step

1
Get your NIE (the number every other step needs)
The NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is a permanent ID number, not a card and not residency. EU citizens receive it on the green registration certificate; non-EU applicants get it bundled with their visa/permit approval. You can also request a standalone NIE via form EX-15 for a one-off transaction. Pay the fee with Modelo 790 code 012 before the appointment.
In personWho: All foreigners (EU and non-EU)Issued same-day at the appointment; the bottleneck is securing the cita previa, which can take weeks in MadridModelo 790 fee around €9.84
2
EU/EEA/Swiss: register for the green certificate (Certificado de Registro)
If you are an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen staying over 3 months you must register in the Central Register of Foreigners within 3 months of arrival. Book a cita previa at an Oficina de Extranjería or designated Policía Nacional station, bring form EX-18, your passport/ID, proof of the Modelo 790-012 fee, and evidence you are working, self-employed, a student, or have sufficient funds plus health insurance. You walk out with a green A4 certificate showing your NIE — there is no plastic card and no TIE for EU citizens.
In personWho: EU / EEA / Swiss citizens onlyCertificate issued immediately at the appointmentAround €12 (Modelo 790-012)
3
Non-EU: secure your residence route, then collect the visa
Pick a route. Employer-sponsored 'cuenta ajena' is the default but slow, because for most jobs the employer must clear the Situación Nacional de Empleo. The Highly Qualified Professional (HQP) route under Ley 14/2013 skips that test, runs through the centralised UGE-CE in Madrid, and is decided in roughly 20 business days. The employer files first; you cannot apply until Spanish authorities approve. If applying from abroad, collect the visa at the Spanish consulate.
Via employerWho: Non-EU professionals (employer leads the filing)HQP/UGE around 20 business days; standard 'cuenta ajena' often 2-3 months or moreGovernment filing fees plus legal/sponsorship costs borne largely by the employer
4
Digital Nomad Visa: the Startups Law fast route for remote workers
Under the 2023 Startups Law (Ley 28/2022), non-EU remote workers employed by, or invoicing, companies outside Spain can get residency. You must show income of about 200% of the SMI (around €2,850/month for a single applicant), that no more than 20% of income comes from Spanish clients, a remote-work authorisation letter, and that the foreign company has existed at least a year. Apply at a consulate for a 1-year visa, or from inside Spain at the UGE for a 3-year residence authorisation (renewable to 5 years). Employees can elect the 24% flat 'Beckham Law' tax regime.
OnlineWho: Non-EU remote employees and freelancers working for non-Spanish companiesConsulate route 4-6 months; in-Spain UGE route 2.5-4 months, with a 20-business-day legal decision windowConsulate visa around €90; UGE fee around €73 per person
5
Empadronamiento + TIE: the quiet master-step and your physical card
Empadronamiento (the padrón) is registering your home address at the Madrid town hall (Ayuntamiento). It is not residency, but it gates almost everything downstream: your public healthcare card, school enrolment, and many extranjería/TIE appointments. Book the padrón cita previa via madrid.es or the free 010 line. Then non-EU residents must apply for the TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero), the plastic residence card with your photo, fingerprints and NIE, within 30 days of arrival. EU citizens skip the TIE entirely.
In personWho: Everyone empadrona; only non-EU residents take the TIEPadrón certificate often same-day; TIE card ready roughly 30-45 days after fingerprintingPadrón is free; TIE card around €16 (Modelo 790 code 012)

Documents you’ll need

Valid passport (non-EU) or national ID/passport (EU/EEA/Swiss), with photocopies of all relevant pages.
Completed extranjería form: EX-18 (EU registration), EX-15 (standalone NIE), or EX-17 (TIE), plus the Modelo 790 code 012 fee receipt.
Proof of Madrid address for the padrón: rental contract in your name, property deed, or a signed authorisation from the owner.
Digital Nomad Visa pack: apostilled criminal-record certificate, private health insurance with no co-pay, proof of income (~€2,850/month), remote-work authorisation letter, and proof the foreign employer has operated 1+ year.

Things most newcomers don’t know

NIE and TIE are not the same thing, and conflating them causes endless confusion.

The NIE is a permanent number; the TIE is a plastic card that proves residency. EU citizens get a number (green paper) and never a TIE; non-EU residents get both. Knowing which document your passport entitles you to tells you exactly which form (EX-15 vs EX-18 vs EX-17) and which queue to join.

Source: Policía Nacional — extranjería

Empadronamiento is the quiet master-step — do it the week you have an address.

It is just registering your address, costs nothing, and feels trivial, yet it gates your public health card, school places, and even some TIE/extranjería appointments. People defer it, then discover they can't get a healthcare card or finalise residency without the padrón certificate.

Source: Ayuntamiento de Madrid

The Digital Nomad Visa is the genuine fast lane — and applying from inside Spain gives you 3 years, not 1.

Most guides default to the consulate route, but if you can legally enter (e.g. visa-free 90 days) and file in-country at the UGE, you get triple the validity and a faster, deadline-bound decision. Employees can also lock in the 24% flat Beckham-Law tax rate.

Source: Global Citizen Solutions

The real 2026 obstacle is not the rules — it's getting a cita previa at all.

Madrid appointments for NIE/TIE/padrón regularly book out weeks ahead, bots hoard free slots, and scammers resell them for €30-200. You can be fully eligible and still stall for a month. Refresh the system at off-peak times daily, and never pay a reseller for a slot the state gives free.

Source: Jobbatical — Spain appointment delays

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming EU rules apply to you (or vice versa) — EU/EEA/Swiss just register for the green certificate and never get a TIE; non-EU need a visa or permit first plus a TIE. Following the wrong path wastes appointments and money.
Skipping or delaying the empadronamiento — without the padrón certificate you can be blocked from the public health card, school enrolment, and some residency steps.
Paying touts for a cita previa — appointments are free from the state; paying funds the 'mafias', risks a scam, and the booking can be rejected.
Digital Nomad Visa income and source slips: falling under ~200% of SMI, letting more than 20% of income come from Spanish clients, or an unapostilled / too-old criminal-record certificate — any of these triggers a refusal.