Legal Guides

Residence, NIE, town hall registration, healthcare and tax: what to arrange before and after moving to Spain, and in which order.

Whoever owns the home on 1 January owes the whole year, but since 2016 the seller may pass part of it to the buyer, and unpaid IBI follows the house.

The Mortgage Act gives the nota simple purely informative value, and unpaid IBI, community fees and a sitting tenant can all follow the house without appearing on it.

There is no official ten per cent. The tax may be charged on the cadastre's reference value rather than your price, and the law puts part of the costs on the seller.

Spain's golden visa closed to new applicants on 3 April 2025. Existing permits can still be renewed, and a home in Spain now gives a non-EU buyer the keys, not a right to stay.

The plot is taxed at the standard rate and the construction at the reduced one, which is the reverse of what most guides say. And rural land has its own closed list of uses.

The regional relief works on the child's bill. The parent gets a separate Spanish assessment on a gain never received, and a loss cannot be claimed.

The guarantee on money paid during construction starts at the building licence, and much of what buyers pay to reserve a unit is paid before it.

A tourist let and a residential let are two different legal regimes, with different licences, tenancy rules and tax. And the big letting relief is closed to non-residents.

Ley 5/2019 applies to every individual borrower, resident or not: ten days, a free notary meeting, the bank pays most costs, and a currency right for sterling and dollar earners.

Article 739 of the Spanish Civil Code revokes an earlier will in full when a later one is made. What that means for owners with a will in Spain and one at home.

The 100 per cent tax on non-EU buyers is not law and the golden visa is gone. What a purchase actually requires, and the deposit clause that traps people.

Choosing the law of your own nationality changes who inherits, not who is taxed. The deadlines, the extension trap and the reliefs non-residents can claim.

The income threshold rose again in January, and the law most guides cite is not the one that governs this route. What the rules actually require in 2026.

The article everyone cites for the TIE was repealed in May 2025. What the card is, who must hold one, and what changed about how long it lasts.

Three per cent of the price never reaches you, and the town hall looks to the buyer for the plusvalia. What Spain charges on the gain, and what you get back.

Spain taxes a holiday home even when it stands empty. What you owe turns on where you live, not on the passport you hold, and the gap is wide.

The completion date is fixed and you cannot be there. A Spanish power of attorney is a notarial deed with an apostille, and that takes longer than a week.

Book a NIE appointment in Dublin from Belfast and it will not be accepted. Where you live, not what is convenient, decides which office takes your application.

The advice that you cannot buy without a NIE is not quite right. The deed can be authorised. The registration cannot happen, and that is where the risk sits.

The cita previa is a queue tool, not a legal requirement. What Ley 39/2015 actually says, and why appointment resellers are best avoided.

Most guides say you need 28,800 euro sitting in a bank account. Article 47 of RD 557/2011 says something else, and the Supreme Court has already settled the pensioners question.

A NIE number is assigned once and never expires. What does expire, why a second application returns the same number, and how to check one yourself.

Registering as a resident in Spain after three months: what the green certificate is, what to bring, and the requirement most guides get wrong.

Already in Spain and need a NIE? There are three ways to apply. The options, the documents and the mistakes that cause most delays.

Is there an online NIE application? What can and cannot be done digitally, and how the remote route compares to applying in person.

Registering at a Spanish town hall: what the padrón is, who must do it, and the one requirement most guides get wrong.

A child can need a Spanish NIE from the day they are born. When it applies, who signs the form, and the two documents that trip families up.

The Spanish consulate or a remote application: an honest comparison of both routes, including when the consulate is the better choice.

There is no official fast track for the NIE. It can still be quicker. Where the delay actually sits and what genuinely helps.

The official fee is under ten euros. The real cost and the real timeline are a different conversation, and depend entirely on the route you take.

Living outside Spain and need a NIE? Through a Spanish consulate, in Spain itself, or by power of attorney. The three routes compared.

A field-by-field walkthrough of the EX-15, the form behind every Spanish NIE application, including the fee and the usual pitfalls.

Four Spanish identification numbers, endlessly confused with each other. Which one applies to you, and how to read the number itself.

The consulate route explained for applicants in the UK and Ireland: jurisdiction, documents, fees and realistic waiting times.