Settling in Altea

1. Why the order matters

Spanish administration builds one step on the next. Banks generally want the NIE for a resident account; no bank account, no direct debit for electricity and water; no town-hall registration, no health card; no passport, health insurance and proof of means, no EU residence certificate. Each step is simple on its own. The difficulty lies entirely in doing them in the right order.

The chain below is the route that works for most people. If you already have parts of it, join further down.

2. The chain

1. Apply for the NIEThe foreigner identification number opens everything else: purchases, accounts, contracts, tax. It is issued by the national police station in Benidorm (C/ Apolo XI, 36); appointments through sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es. It can also be applied for at the Spanish consulate in your home country. Immigration office
2. Secure a homePurchase or rental. Before buying, a land registry extract and the cédula urbanística are worth the money — they show what is permitted on the plot. Planning office
3. Register at the town hallThe empadronamiento. It underpins the health card, school enrolment (proof of address, points in the baremo) and voting rights. From here on, nothing works without it. Town hall
4. Open a bank accountWith NIE and passport. For a resident account banks usually ask for the NIE and proof of residence; non-resident accounts can cost more — hence the order.
5. Transfer electricity and waterAfter a purchase the contracts often stay in the previous owner’s name. Transfer them, set up the direct debit, check the meter reading. Water · Electricity
6. Health card (SIP)With the registration certificate and proof of cover, at the health centre. EU pensioners need form S1 from their home scheme — register it with the INSS first, then get the SIP at the health centre. Health and support
7. Digital certificateFrom here everything gets easier: applications, decisions and deadlines run online. The FNMT’s locator (Localizador) lists the offices that carry out the identity check; nearby these include Suma offices (Cl@ve) — check first. Digital certificate
8. EU registration certificateWithin three months of arrival, in person: the green document, with passport, health insurance, proof of means, form EX-18 and the fee (modelo 790, code 012). It is handled by the provincial Oficina de Extranjería in Alicante or, failing that, by a Policía Nacional station. Immigration office
9. Taxes and chargesProperty tax and refuse charges run through Suma — set up a direct debit and you will never miss a deadline. Suma

3. What runs alongside

Not everything hangs on the chain. These can be slotted in at any point:

• Mobile contract — possible with the NIE, with some providers also with a passport
• Home and liability insurance — in apartment buildings the building cover often runs through the owners’ association; contents and liability cover are yours to arrange
• Vehicle — exchanging your licence and re-registering the car have deadlines of their own. Car and traffic
• School enrolment — deadlines follow the school year, not your move. School

4. The most common mistakes

• Documents without copies — original and photocopy are often expected (for the NIE, explicitly).
• Changing your address in one place only — in our experience the register, Suma, the water company and your bank each hold their own; bills go to the one they hold.
• Waiting for a letter — if delivery fails, publication in the official gazette counts as notification (Law 39/2015, art. 44). If nothing arrives, you have to ask.
• Letting an appointment lapse — at the immigration office, in our experience, the next one can be weeks away. Cancel and rebook rather than not turning up.
• Foreign documents without an apostille — birth and marriage certificates from EU countries need neither apostille nor translation if issued with the multilingual EU form (Regulation (EU) 2016/1191); those from non-EU countries need an apostille and a sworn translation. Sorting that out in advance saves weeks.

5. What to carry

• Passport or identity card, original and copy
• NIE, once you have it
• A registration certificate, usually less than three months old
• A Spanish mobile number for appointment confirmations
• A folder with everything already done — Spanish offices like to see proof of earlier steps

One practical habit: photograph every document the moment you receive it. Losing a certificate usually means losing the weeks it took to obtain.

6. When it stalls

Many steps can be handled by someone else with a power of attorney; the EU registration certificate, however, must be applied for in person. A gestoría — an administrative agent — will handle applications for a fee and knows the routes. It is worth it for inheritance, company formation, complicated residence questions, and whenever a deadline is running.

For emergencies see Police and emergency services; for hardship, Health and support.