An official website of the Government of Ireland. About ireland.ie

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New to Spain

If you have recently moved to Spain, it can take some time to adapt to your new surroundings.

We have put together some information to help those of you who already live in or intend to move to Spain.

Whilst every care has been taken in preparing this information as accurately as possible, the Embassy cannot accept any liability for the information contained here.

Living and working in Spain

Irish citizens resident in Spain are largely concentrated in Madrid, Cataluña, Andalucía, the Canary Islands, Valencia, the Balearic Islands and the Basque Country.

Before leaving Ireland please consult our current travel advice for Spain and check that you have:

  • Valid passport
  • European Health Insurance card (EHIC, known before as E111) so as to regularise your entitlement, in the short term, to health services in EU states (apply to your local Health Board)
  • Long Form Birth Certificate, including the Multilingual Standard Form
  • Adequate funds to maintain you while you establish yourself
  • Private comprehensive medical insurance (EHIC does not cover repatriation to Ireland)

The Embassy recommends that you ensure your passport is up to date and shows next-of-kin details on back of passport. You should also keep your family informed of your address and contact details in Spain at all times.

We recommend that you always carry some proof of identity. We recommend applying for a Passport Card before you leave Ireland

We recommend that Irish citizens travelling or living abroad register their contact details with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The information will allow us to contact you, and provide assistance, if necessary and possible, if there is an unforeseen crisis such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, or if you have a family emergency while you are overseas.

We also suggest that you sign up to the Embassy mailing list for networking and cultural events and news on arrival in Spain. This can be a good way of meeting people and making contacts.

The following are guidelines to help you when living and working in Spain.

Advice to emigrants

If you are seeking employment in Spain you should be aware that proficiency in Spanish is a requirement for most jobs, with the possible exception of English-language teaching. It is highly advisable to acquire some knowledge of the language prior to moving to Spain.

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Driving licence

Do I exchange my Irish driving licence for a Spanish one?

We advise that you consult with your local Traffic Authority Office (Jefatura de Tráfico) in Spain.

You can find out more about how to renew your Irish driving licence on Citizens Information.

If you want to import your car to Spain, you can find out more information on the Tax Agency website.

Find out more about European driving licences on Europa.EU

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Police clearance certificates (“Penales”)

You may be asked for a Police clearance certificate (“certificado de penales”) if you lived and worked for a period of time in Spain.

To apply for a Spanish police clearance certificate, which certifies the absence or existence of a criminal record in Spain, the website of the Spanish Ministry of Justice has comprehensive information on the procedure in English.

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Recognition of qualifications

Find out more about the procedure involved in attaining recognition of a degree for the purposes of employment or study.

For full information on recognition of EU degrees, you should consult the website of the relevant section within the Spanish Ministry for Education:

Centro NARIC

NARIC Centre of Spain

Subdirección General de Títulos,

Convalidaciones y Homologaciones,

Paseo del Prado,

28 28014 Madrid,

Spain

Tel: +34 91 506 5593
Fax: +34 91 506 5706

Website: enic-naric.net

As a rough guide, you will generally need to provide the following documentation (you should confirm this with the NARIC centre):

an authenticated photocopy of degree i.e. a copy which has been stamped as being a true copy of an original document, at the Irish Embassy in Madrid or the Department of Foreign Affairs, Dublin*

a certificate from Registration Section of the Irish Department of Education which certifies that the applicant is recognised as being qualified according to the degree (this section of the Department of Education is located in Athlone)*

course syllabus*

authenticated photocopy of applicant´s passport.

* 1, 2 and 3 will require authenticated translations into Spanish.

If you are facing difficulties in having your professional qualifications recognised in Spain, SOLVIT EU may be able to assist you. Website: ec.europa.eu/solvit

SOLVIT provides a fast, free and online resolution of cross-border problems caused by the incorrect application of EU internal market law by the public authorities of EU states and can help you to resolve issues connected with the free movement of goods, people and services within the EU.

Remember...

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Registration (Empadronamiento)

The padrón is a list of all the people who live in a certain city or town. Empadronarse is the act of registering yourself on the list with your local Town Hall (Ayuntamiento). Once you have become a resident in Spain, it is obligatory by Spanish law to register at the Ayuntamiento where you are living.

Once you have become a resident in Spain, you need to register with your local Ayuntamiento. You will need to bring along official identification, such as a passport, and also your NIE or residence certificate/card, a recent utility bill in your name, and the deeds to your house or a copy of your rental contract. They will give you a form there which you will need to fill out. Although you may have to return to collect your certificate, the actual registration is completed on the same day.

When you have registered, this means that you are considered an official resident of the community, which is a necessity for a variety of administrative procedures. For example, you will generally need a volante or certificado de empadronamiento to do the following:

  • Enrol your children in local schools
  • Voting in local or European elections
  • Register your car with Spanish number plates
  • Get married
  • Apply for a local health card (el carnét para la asistencia sanitaria)

You need to register on the padrón if you wish to vote in local or European elections.

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Residency and entry requirements

If you have recently moved to Spain and require your Certificate of Registration, we have put together some useful information on the application process.

Residency and entry requirements

In compliance with Royal Decree 240/2007, EU citizens residing in Spain will no longer be issued with residence cards. EU citizens who wish to reside in Spain for less than three months do not need to apply for a registration certificate. Only those who want to reside in Spain for more than three months have to apply for a Certificate of Registration in the Oficina de Extranjeros (Foreigners Office) or if there is none in your region, at designated police stations. A list of Foreigners Offices is available on the website of the Dependencias. Sitio web de la Policía Nacional España (policia.es).

In place of a residence card, you will be issued with a certificate stating your name, address, nationality, identity number and date of registration. The certificate serves as confirmation that the registration obligation has been fulfilled, but it is not recognised by the local authorities as a valid form of identification and you are not obliged to keep the certificate with you. As an Irish citizen your passport remains your official form of photo identification.

Changes to the residency regulations

In 2012 the Spanish government introduced new residency requirements for all EU citizens, including Irish nationals.  Under the new rules, EU citizens applying for residency in Spain may be required to produce evidence of sufficient financial means to support themselves (and dependents). Applicants may also be asked for proof of private or public healthcare insurance.

Details on how to apply for a Certificate of Registration, which contains the NIE number, are available on the website of the Spanish Interior Ministry.

If you are not resident in Spain but need to apply for a NIE number ("número de identificación de extranjeros" - foreigner's ID number) for economic, professional or social interests, it is possible to apply via the Spanish Embassy/Consulate in your country of residence.

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Social security system

Read more here about the social security and social welfare system in Spain. Health information for Irish nationals travelling overseas can be found on the Citizens Information website.

Under Spanish law, social security payments must be made in respect of employees. Social security covers the person concerned in respect of health care entitlements (which is very important given that the European Health Insurance Card (known before as E111) does not provide indefinite cover), unemployment insurance and a range of benefits. The system is complex but, in general terms, payments amount to approximately 32% of gross salary with the employee’s portion being around 6% of this and the employer contributing the remainder. Collection of social security is generally taken at source.

You can find out more about the Spanish welfare system and labour law on the website of the Spanish Ministry of Employment and Social Security

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Spanish Irish business network

The Spanish-Irish Business Network (SIBN) was launched in January 2008. Its primary purpose is to serve as a dynamic network of companies and individuals working to promote business links between Spain and Ireland.

The SIBN currently has over 800 Irish and Spanish members, representing diverse industrial and commercial sectors, for example technology, education, banking, food products, property, and pharmaceuticals. Membership is free and open to individuals and companies with business links between Spain and Ireland or those interested in exploring new opportunities and making contacts. SIBN has also been a recipient of funding under the Emigrant Support Programme, administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Business and Networking events

Since its establishment, the network has organised a series of targeted events for members with the aim of providing a forum for discussing relevant business issues and opportunities to network.

Members are also kept informed of Spanish and Irish economic developments of interest.

The SIBN has an active group on Linkedin, a Twitter feed, and a dedicated SIBN website. In order to become a member of the SIBN, simply go the webpage and register online.

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Tax in Spain

The Spanish tax system is very complicated. If you are considered a resident in Spain or if you have any financial interests in Spain/abroad, your assets and income may be taxable under the Impuesto sobre la Renta de Personas Físicas IRPF during the tax year. There is a double taxation agreement between Ireland and Spain which was signed in 1994. Read more about income and property taxes in Spain on the Tax Agency website.

Taxes are levied by three tiers of government in Spain; central government, autonomous regional governments and local municipalities. Government taxes are administered by the Ministry of Economy and Taxation (Ministerio de Hacienda y Adminstraciones Públicas). However, it is advisable to obtain income tax advice before moving to Spain by consulting a tax adviser who is familiar with both the Spanish tax system and that of your previous country of residence.

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Voting for Irish citizens abroad

If you are an Irish citizen living abroad, you cannot be entered on the Register of Electors and cannot vote in an election or referendum in Ireland.

EU citizens who are resident in Spain and aged 18 or over on the day of a local or European election are entitled to vote if they have registered with their Town Hall ("Ayuntamiento").

Irish General Election or Referendum

In order to vote in an election or referendum in Ireland, you must be registered to vote on the Register of Electors. To be eligible to be included on the Register of Electors, you must:

  • Be at least 18 years old on the day the Register comes into force
  • Have been ordinarily resident in the State on 1 September in the year preceding the coming into force of the Register.

If you are an Irish citizen living abroad, you cannot be entered on the Register of Electors and cannot vote in an election or referendum in Ireland.  You can check online to see if you are currently registered in your local area. If you have any questions, please contact your local authority directly.

Only Irish officials (and their spouses) posted abroad, who are considered to be resident in Ireland for tax and electoral purposes, may register on the postal voters list.

Further information on voting is available on the Citizens Information website. 

Spanish Municipal or European Elections

EU citizens who are residents in Spain and aged 18 or over on the day of a local or European election are entitled to vote. You must be registered on the padrón (list of all the people who live in a town) and have explicitly expressed a wish to vote in municipal or European elections by signing on the electoral roll (censo electoral).

Information on how to register can be found on the Electoral Census Office website, while information on voting rights more generally can be accessed on the website of the Ministry of the Interior. 

Registration (Empadronamiento)

The padrón is a list of all the people who live in a certain city or town. Empadronarse is the act of registering yourself on the list with your local Town Hall (Ayuntamiento). Once you have become a resident in Spain, it is obligatory by Spanish law to register at the Ayuntamiento where you are living.

Once you have become a resident in Spain, you need to register with your local Ayuntamiento. You will need to bring along official identification, such as a passport, and also your NIE or residence certificate/card, a recent utility bill in your name, and the deeds to your house or a copy of your rental contract. They will give you a form there which you will need to fill out. Although you may have to return to collect your certificate, the actual registration is completed on the same day.

When you have registered, this means that you are considered an official resident of the community, which is a necessity for a variety of administrative procedures. For example, you will generally need a volante or certificado de empadronamiento to do the following:

  • Enrol your children in local schools
  • Voting in local or European elections
  • Register your car with Spanish number plates
  • Get married
  • Apply for a local health card (el carnét para la asistencia sanitaria)

Remember...

You need to register on the padrón if you wish to vote in local or European elections.

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Travel with minors

From 1 September 2019, Spanish minors should travel with a document (or declaration) signed by a parent or legal guardian authorising them to travel unaccompanied, with someone who is not their guardian, or in other similar circumstances. This is in addition to the usual requirement to hold a valid passport or travel document. 

This authorisation is not required for foreign minors, including Irish citizens, traveling to or from Spain on a short stay (e.g. a holiday, school tour, etc.) or who are transiting through Spain before making an onward journey.

Parents/guardians of foreign minors resident in Spain may be signposted to contact their local Honorary Consulate or Embassy in Spain to complete a written authorisation or document. Ireland is one of a number of countries which has informed the Ministry of the Interior that neither our consulates nor the Embassy issue written authorisations for minors to travel unaccompanied.

General, practical advice that you may find useful when traveling to Ireland with a minor or for minors traveling unaccompanied is available on the website of the Irish Immigration Service.

Answers to frequently asked questions in regard to this new requirement are available (in Spanish) on the website of the Ministry of the Interior.  

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Medical Practitioners in Madrid

Most Irish visitors to Spain do not experience problems. However, when things go wrong, difficulties encountered abroad can often seem more frightening and distressing than at home due to unfamiliarity with language and local procedures. For information on what to bear in mind when travelling to Spain, please see our current travel advice.

While we cannot give you legal or medical advice, or formally recommend or pay for doctors or lawyers, we can provide information on local medical practitioners. On the Comunidad de Madrid website, you can search for all public medical centres, including hospitals, in the Madrid region.

Information on medical services for other regions are also available on our individual Honorary Consulates pages.

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Funeral directors in Madrid

Interfuneraria 
C/ Comuneros de Castilla, 15
28019 Madrid
Tel: +34 91 524 24 24
Web: interfunerarias.es

Servisa
C/ Juan Mieg, 3
28054 Madrid
Tel: +34 91 329 46 25
Web: conoce.servisa.es

Empresa Muncipal de Servicios Funerario de Madrid
C/ Salvador de Madariaga, 11
28207 Madrid
Tel: +34 91 510 81 00
Web: emsf.es

Parcesa
Avda. de La Vega, 1. 4ª planta
28109 Madrid
Tel: +34 91 904 40 00
Web: parcesa.es

Funespaña
Tel: +34 900500000/+34 917003020
Web: funespana.es/traslados.asp
Services offered throughout Spain

Mémora International
Tel: +34 914849400
Web: memorainternational.com/es/memora-international
Services offered throughout Spain

Collfer
C/ Carril, 113
04600 Almería
Tel: +34 950 61 60 10
Web: collyfer.com
Services offered throughout Spain, except Ibiza

Iberian Funeral Directors and Funeral Plans
Plaza Baja 7
29120 Alhaurin el Grande
Málaga
Tel: +34 952 491 788
Web: iberianonline.com
Services offered throughout Spain

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