SPANISH VISAS & PERMIT REQUIREMENTS for working, living and retiring in Spain

Citizens of full European Member Countries are able to live and work in Spain without a visa or work permit; there are no visa requirements for Spain or work permits for Spain anymore.

You do need to obtain an NIE number - a tax number for foreigners in Spain - if you are going to buy a house or a car, if you are going to open a bank account, if you are going to work for a Spanish company or if you want to apply for a residency card (residencia).

To get an NIE number, you need to go to the extranjeros department at your nearest Comisaria (the police station for the national police force, not the local police). You will need to take your passport. The forms are pretty straightforward and you will have your NIE number within two to six weeks of applying.

The rules on residencia cards in Spain have been changed recently.  If you are an EU citizen and you have a job in Spain - either as an employee or as a self employed person - you do not have to apply for a residencia card. If however you are from outside the EU or if you are retired/unemployed, then you should apply if you stay in Spain for more than six months.
Either way, the British Consulate advises to obtain a residency card anyway as it saves you from having to carry your passport around as ID and makes many bureaucratic processes much easier.

For residency you will need:

• proof of income (a job, very healthy savings account, pension etc)
• proof of either social security payments or private medical insurance
• your passport
• if you are married and one of you will be co-dependent, you will need your marriage certificate.

Institute for Employment - INEM for Spain information LINK HERE