First 30 days in Spain for Russian speakers: padrón, NIE and TIE, Social Security, tax residence

In brief: in Spain the first month turns on four things. You register at the town hall (empadronamiento); if you will stay more than 90 days you apply for the foreigner identity card (TIE), and the sources we found give 30 days for that, from entry or from approval; you get a Social Security number once you have an NIE; and you keep in mind that 183 days in a calendar year can make you tax resident. The TIE usually arrives 30 to 60 days after the appointment, according to advisory sites. Status as of November 2026; town halls and foreigners' offices differ, so confirm with yours. This is not legal advice.

Who this checklist is for and what changes it

It is written for people with Russian, Belarusian, Kazakh or Ukrainian passports who have arrived in Spain or are about to, for example after buying a flat there. What shapes your list is your basis of stay (visa, visa-free stay or a residence authorisation), how long you will stay (up to 90 days or longer) and whether you are an EU citizen. Most readers are not, and the deadlines below are for non-EU citizens. NIE and TIE are not the same thing: the NIE is a number, the TIE is the card that proves your residence authorisation.

All figures come from search summaries of municipal forms, a university guide and advisory sites, checked in November 2026. We did not open the official foreigners' office page or the tax agency page, and where sources disagree we say so. The list is a map of what to ask, not a replacement for the office.

First 3 days

• Gather one folder: passport, entry stamp or visa, rental contract or title deed, passport photos, and the documents that prove your residence authorisation if you have one.
• Find your town hall's rules for the padrón. The forms we saw from Madrid and Seville ask for an identity document (passport, NIE or foreigner card) and proof of housing such as a rental contract with the last receipt. Foreign documents may need an apostille and a sworn translation in some places; this varies by town hall.
• Register at the town hall (empadronamiento) as early as you can. One adviser recommends doing it on the first day because almost everything else needs it, and several sources say some foreigners' offices ask for the certificate with the TIE application.
• If you hold a visa, note the entry date stamped in it: the TIE deadline is counted from it according to a university source.

Week 1

• Get your NIE if you do not have one yet. The NIE is issued by the National Police or a Spanish consulate and is used as a tax and administrative identifier for banks, purchases and contracts.
• Apply for the Social Security number if you will work or need it for health care. One guide says you need a valid NIE first; the application is made online in the Social Security electronic office with Cl@ve or a digital certificate using form TA.1, or in person at a TGSS office by appointment.
• Book the TIE appointment in the electronic office of the foreigners' administration. The appointment can be hard to get, so start now.
• Pay the fee on form 790 code 012 before the appointment. The amounts differ between sources (see the costs section), so use the official form for the current figure.
• Open a bank account. We did not find a sourced description of non-resident accounts or of the requirements for Russian and Belarusian passport holders; see our guide to a resident bank account abroad.
• Arrange health cover; the options are in health insurance and doctors after moving abroad.

Weeks 2 to 4

• Attend the TIE appointment with the passport, the form, the fee receipt, photos and the padrón certificate. The Complutense University of Madrid page gives the deadline as 30 days from the entry date stamped in the visa, and says it can still be filed within 90 calendar days, without prejudice to a sanction procedure being opened.
• Wait for the card. Advisory sites say it usually takes 30 to 60 days after the appointment.
• Track the Social Security number, which advisory sites say can be done once you hold the NIE and the residence authorisation, without a signed work contract.
• Learn the tax residence test before the year ends. Under art. 9 of Law 35/2006 on personal income tax, you are resident in Spain if you spend more than 183 days in the calendar year, if the main base of your activities or economic interests is in Spain, or, as a rebuttable presumption, if your non-separated spouse and minor dependent children live habitually in Spain. Sporadic absences count towards the days. See also tax residency when relocating and the cost of living in Spain.
• If you plan to drive, check driving licence abroad.

Deadlines and what happens if you miss them

• TIE: 30 days from entry or from approval, depending on the source and on your visa. Complutense University of Madrid says a filing within 90 calendar days is still possible, but a sanction procedure may follow. Another adviser calls it a technical infraction and says practice varies.
• Padrón: we found that a person who does not register can be removed from the register by the town hall ex officio, without a hearing, but no fine amount.
• Tax residence: counted over the calendar year; the 183-day test includes sporadic absences.
• A TIE is obligatory for foreigners who plan to live in Spain for more than 90 days, and for students for more than six months, according to one source.

Residence authorisation versus visa-free stay

A visa-free stay is limited to the permitted period and does not by itself give you a TIE. A residence authorisation does, and the card is then the document you use for the bank, the Social Security number and contracts. If you are on a visa that becomes a residence authorisation after entry, note which date starts your 30 days. Our guides on the digital nomad visa and the golden visa describe the main routes that lead to a card; do not assume that owning a flat gives you one.

Costs we could confirm

• Form 790 code 012: the amounts conflict. One fee table lists 16.08 euros for the first TIE, while other sources give 38.28 euros, which may relate to a different procedure. We state no figure; read the amount on the official form before paying. The amounts can change every year.
• Padrón certificate, NIE and Social Security number: we found no sourced fee, so we give none.

We give no figures for rent, deposits, bank fees, translations or apostilles.

Common mistakes

• Waiting for the TIE appointment until the 30 days are almost gone, and then missing the date.
• Paying the 790 fee in the wrong code; code 012 is described as the one for the TIE, and code 026 is for the nationality fee.
• Registering at the padrón with documents the town hall does not accept, which sends you back to the start.
• Confusing NIE and TIE and thinking one number is enough.
• Staying in Spain longer than 183 days without checking your tax position, or assuming that a stay under 183 days always keeps you non-resident when your economic centre is in Spain.
• Forgetting that a flat in Spain does not by itself give you the right to live there.

One-page checklist

• Day 1: folder with documents, entry date written down, town hall's padrón rules checked.
• Days 1 to 7: padrón, NIE if missing, TIE appointment booked, fee on form 790 code 012 paid.
• Week 1: Social Security number started, bank account, health cover.
• Weeks 2 to 4: TIE appointment attended within 30 days, card collected within the 30 to 60 days window.
• Before the end of the year: 183-day count, economic centre, family presumption checked.
• Always: copies and receipts of every filing and payment.

What we could not confirm

• The exact start of the 30-day TIE deadline for each type of visa.
• The current amount of the fee on form 790 code 012.
• Padrón requirements in your town hall (apostille, translation, legality of residence).
• Non-resident bank account rules and Hacienda registration steps.
• The effect of a residence certificate and tax treaty on the 183-day rule, and form 030 for moving tax residence abroad.

Related reading

For buying property, see mortgage for foreigners in Spain and the general first 30 days after moving abroad. For living there, see Spain expat life.

FAQ

What is the difference between NIE and TIE? The NIE is your foreigner identification number; the TIE is the card that proves your residence authorisation and is required if you plan to stay longer than 90 days.

How long do I have to apply for the TIE? The sources give 30 days, counted from entry or from approval. A university source says filing within 90 calendar days is still possible, with a possible sanction procedure.

Do I need the padrón before the TIE appointment? Several sources say some foreigners' offices ask for the certificate, and an adviser recommends registering on the first day.

When do I become tax resident in Spain? Under art. 9 of Law 35/2006, after more than 183 days in the calendar year, or if the main base of your economic interests is in Spain, with a rebuttable presumption for a spouse and minor children living in Spain.

Can I get the Social Security number before the TIE? Advisory sites say you can apply once you have the NIE and the residence authorisation, without a signed work contract; confirm in the Social Security electronic office.