About How to Spain
Moving to a new country is one of the most exciting things you can do, but it is also one of the most bureaucratically challenging. Spain, for all its sunshine, relaxed pace of life, and strong sense of community, is notorious for paperwork that takes patience, from the NIE to the empadronamiento.
How to Spain was created by expats, for expats. We know what it feels like to stand in line at the extranjerÃa with a folder of documents, unsure if you have the right stamp. We built this site because we wished it had existed when we first arrived.
Our mission is simple: provide clear, accurate, and up-to-date information about every aspect of expat life in Spain, from obtaining your NIE or TIE and registering your address to understanding the tax system and finding the right health insurance.
What We Cover
- ✓NIE and TIE residency paperwork
- ✓Empadronamiento, municipal registration
- ✓Spanish banking for non-citizens
- ✓Public healthcare (SNS) & private insurance
- ✓Income tax and the Spanish tax system
- ✓Housing search and rental law
- ✓Mobile phone & internet setup
- ✓Driving licence exchange and car registration
- ✓Schooling and childcare options
- ✓Spanish language resources
Our Team
How to Spain is maintained by a small team of expats based in Madrid and Barcelona. We come from diverse professional backgrounds, including software engineering, law, finance, and journalism, but we share one thing in common: we all went through the Spanish residency process ourselves.
Editorial Team
Content & Research
Our writers research Spanish law, policy updates, and practical processes to ensure every guide is accurate and current.
Technical Team
Tools & Calculators
We build free tools like comparison guides and checklists to help you make informed decisions.
Community Team
Reader Support
We read every message and continuously update our content based on reader feedback and questions.
How This Site Is Funded
Affiliate Disclosure: Full Transparency
How to Spain is a free resource and we intend to keep it that way. To cover our operating costs (hosting, research, and content production), some of our guides contain affiliate links to products and services we genuinely recommend.
When you click an affiliate link and sign up or make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. This includes links to banks, insurance providers, mobile carriers, and other services relevant to expats.
Our editorial promise: Affiliate relationships never influence our recommendations. We only recommend services we have used ourselves or thoroughly researched. If a service is not good, we say so, even if they offer an affiliate programme.
For full details, please read our Affiliate Disclosure.
Have a Question?
We are always happy to hear from fellow expats. Reach out anytime.