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 Valencia — 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 ajuntament
Take your passport, your rental contract or proof of address, and book the appointment through the Ajuntament de València. The certificate you receive 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
Book the TIE appointment the moment you are eligible
You have a limited window after entering Spain to apply for the physical residence card, and the appointment queue is the binding constraint rather than the paperwork. Start checking for slots before you have everything else assembled — you can gather documents while you wait for the 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 its 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; if you are self-employed you register yourself 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
Consider a gestor for the parts that go wrong
A gestor is a licensed administrative professional and using one is completely normal in Spain, not an admission of failure. They have practice at securing appointments, they know which office accepts which document, and they will save you weeks. For autónomo registration and tax filing in particular, most residents keep one permanently.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport and photocopies of every used page
Residence visa or authorisation
Padrón certificate from the Ajuntament de València
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 application, your public health card, a school place, a driving licence exchange and most residency renewals. It costs nothing and takes one appointment. Newcomers routinely treat it as a low-priority administrative errand, then discover three separate processes are stalled behind it. Register in your first fortnight even if nothing else is ready.

Source: Ajuntament de València

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 vastly exceeds supply at busy offices. An entire grey market grew up around reselling appointments, which the authorities have repeatedly tried to shut down. Plan on the assumption that securing a date will take longer than preparing for it, and never book travel around an appointment you have not yet confirmed.

Source: Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones

A gestor is a normal part of Spanish life, not an expat crutch.

Spaniards use gestores routinely for tax filing, vehicle transfers, autónomo registration and residency paperwork. The profession exists because the system genuinely rewards someone who knows which of several near-identical forms a particular office wants this month. For a newcomer without fluent Spanish, hiring one for the first year is among the highest-value few hundred euros you will spend.

Source: community-reported

The digital nomad visa comes with a tax regime worth understanding before you apply.

Spain's startups law created a teleworking residence route and extended the impatriate regime — often called the Beckham Law — to people arriving under it. That regime taxes Spanish employment income at a flat rate rather than the progressive scale for a limited number of years, which can be very favourable at higher incomes and worse at lower ones. It must be elected within a strict window after registering with social security, and the election is not easily undone. 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.
Missing the window to apply for the TIE after entering Spain.
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.