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 to shortcut the identity requirement.
In personWho: You
3
Verify the connection at the specific address, especially outside the core
Fibre in central Murcia is comprehensive. In the pedanías and in the dispersed huerta housing between them, coverage varies street by street and sometimes property by property. Check the operators' coverage checkers against the exact address before signing a lease, and ask the landlord which operator is already installed.
OnlineWho: You
4
Bundle fibre with mobile, which is how Spain prices it
Spanish operators price convergent bundles aggressively, and mobile alone is poor value by comparison. Symmetric gigabit connections in the city are ordinary and inexpensive.
OnlineWho: You
5
Consider the low-cost operators seriously
The virtual operators reselling the main networks are substantially cheaper and use the same masts. For a newcomer without a Spanish credit history they are also more willing to take a customer on a passport plus NIE without extensive checks.
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

The cheap huerta house is exactly where the connection is least reliable.

Murcia's appeal for a remote worker is a large property with outdoor space for a fraction of coastal prices, and much of that stock sits in the dispersed huerta housing between the pedanías. That is also where fibre roll-out is patchiest and where a mobile-broadband fallback may be the only option. Verify the actual address rather than the municipality — this is the single most common expensive mistake remote workers make here.

Source: community-reported

The NIE, not the money, is what gates a good tariff.

Contract plans are far better value than prepaid and almost always bundle fibre, but they require a NIE and usually a Spanish IBAN for the direct debit. There is no premium you can pay to skip this. Plan on several weeks of prepaid while the residency paperwork completes.

Source: community-reported

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, because the incumbent and its competitors overbuilt aggressively. Symmetric gigabit connections are ordinary and inexpensive, and central Murcia is comprehensively covered. It is one of the strongest and least advertised practical arguments for the country.

Source: Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia

Common mistakes to avoid

Signing a lease on a huerta property without verifying the connection at that exact address.
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.
Buying mobile alone when Spain prices convergent bundles far better.
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.