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 Seville — a rental contract, a utility bill or an 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 the number is normally assigned as part of that process; otherwise you apply through the Oficina de Extranjería or a Spanish consulate.
In personWho: YouBefore or immediately on arrival
2
Register on the padrón at the ayuntamiento
Take your passport and rental contract or proof of address, and book through the Ayuntamiento de Sevilla. The certificate is required for your TIE, your health card, school places and driving licence procedures. Do this in your first fortnight.
In personWho: YouWeek 1–2
3
Start hunting for the TIE appointment immediately
You have a limited window after entering Spain to apply for the residence card, and in Seville the appointment queue is the binding constraint. Begin checking for slots before you have the rest of the documents assembled — you can gather paperwork while waiting for a 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 and copies, 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; self-employment means registering as autónomo. The social security number is what converts into public healthcare entitlement, and it is separate from both the NIE and the padrón.
In personWho: You
6
Avoid scheduling anything around Semana Santa or the Feria
Administrative Seville effectively closes for Holy Week and again for the April fair. Offices run reduced hours, appointments are scarce either side, and the centre is physically impassable. Build this into any timeline that runs through the spring.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport and photocopies of every used page
Residence visa or authorisation
Padrón certificate from the Ayuntamiento de Sevilla
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 proof of address

Things most newcomers don’t know

The empadronamiento is the keystone and delaying it blocks everything else.

The padrón certificate is required for your TIE, your health card, a school place, a driving licence exchange and most renewals. It costs nothing and takes one appointment. Newcomers treat it as a minor errand and then find three processes stalled behind it. Register in your first fortnight even if nothing else is ready.

Source: Ayuntamiento de Sevilla

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

Spain requires a cita previa for almost every immigration and tax procedure, slots are released irregularly, and demand exceeds supply. A grey market in resold appointments grew up around this and the authorities have repeatedly tried to shut it down. Assume securing a date takes longer than preparing for it, and never book travel around an appointment you do not have.

Source: Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones

The Sevillian spring calendar genuinely stops administrative life.

Semana Santa and the Feria de Abril fall within a few weeks of each other and between them consume a large part of the spring. Government offices run reduced hours, appointment availability collapses either side, and the city centre is closed to traffic for extended periods. Anyone planning a residency timeline through March, April or May should treat this as a hard constraint rather than a local colour detail.

Source: community-reported

The digital nomad visa carries a tax regime that must be elected on a deadline.

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 period. It must be elected within a strict window after social security registration and is not easily undone. It favours higher earners. Take advice before your first filing, not after.

Source: Agencia Tributaria

Common mistakes to avoid

Delaying the empadronamiento and blocking the TIE, the health card and school places behind it.
Booking flights or a start date around a cita previa that has not yet been secured.
Planning a residency timeline through Semana Santa and the Feria.
Assuming the NIE alone gives you healthcare — social security registration is a separate step.
Electing or failing to elect the impatriate tax regime without advice, inside a strict deadline.

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