# Order of things to do to settle in Spain



## kimuyen (Aug 8, 2013)

We are now at the final stages of moving to Barcelona. I thought I had it down after reading the forum for a while but apparently when the time comes, I am still a bit lost as what needs to get done first.

I would appreciate some input/answers to the questions below:

1. We land in Barcelona July 25

2. View flats July 28 and hopefully sign a rental contract that week (we both have NIEs, renewed and not expired)

3. Register husband for residency (he holds Irish passport) and apply for residency for our son and me (Americans) - I understand that we need to legalize our marriage certificate and our son's birth certificate with an apostil stamp and have them translated (will send them to a sworn translator in Barcelona next week). I also understand that we need to show proof of healthcare insurance and proof of income. 

*Question: Do we need to have a rental contract first to show that we have an address in Barcelona before we can proceed with the residency process?*

4. Register with the padron after getting our residency cards

5. Obtain documents for customs to receive our goods (scheduled to arrive around Aug 19) - We need proof of previous residency outside of Spain-have made an appointment with the US Consulate in Barcelona for this.

Question: My husband has both Irish and American passports and we live in the US. Since he will be using his Irish passport to get him through the process, *does he need to get "proof of previous residency outside of Spain" from the Irish Consulate or American Consulate?* He has no record of residency in Ireland so I assume it is not the way to go but since he will be using his Irish passport, I wanted to make sure. 


In general, is the order above the right one?

Thanks you in advance.


----------



## plasterol (Jul 4, 2014)

Thanks for information, my friend wants move to Spain on a constant residence.


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

kimuyen said:


> We are now at the final stages of moving to Barcelona. I thought I had it down after reading the forum for a while but apparently when the time comes, I am still a bit lost as what needs to get done first.
> 
> I would appreciate some input/answers to the questions below:
> 
> ...


yes, generally that seems right

however....

you don't need to be a _registered _resident (nor even a legal one) to be on the padrón - so that can come before registering as resident

& you don't have to be on the padrón (officially) to register as resident

so it probably doesn't matter in which order you do those two items

you will need a rental contract/proof of address for both though

your husband will only need to show his Irish passport - it doesn't matter where he has lived before


----------



## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

xabiachica said:


> yes, generally that seems right
> 
> however....
> 
> ...


So why are people often told that to sign on the padron you have to be a resident?


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

extranjero said:


> So why are people often told that to sign on the padron you have to be a resident?


no idea...

you do have to LIVE here, so you need to be resident in that respect

all that is legally required is proof of address & your passport /national ID document

if you look in our FAQs, there's a document about the padrón which I prepared on behalf of our local ayto - the info was taken from govt websites


----------



## el pescador (Mar 14, 2013)

extranjero said:


> So why are people often told that to sign on the padron you have to be a resident?


I thought it was the other way round.

I signed on the padron before my residencia.


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

el pescador said:


> I thought it was the other way round.
> 
> I signed on the padron before my residencia.


because signing on one doesn't (or shouldn't) depend upon the other, it doesn't really matter in what order you do them!

for a non-EU spouse of an EU resident, registering as resident can take some time - but they can & should register on the padrón straight away - they don't have to wait until their resident card is issued


----------



## kimuyen (Aug 8, 2013)

xabiachica said:


> because signing on one doesn't (or shouldn't) depend upon the other, it doesn't really matter in what order you do them!
> 
> for a non-EU spouse of an EU resident, registering as resident can take some time - but they can & should register on the padrón straight away - they don't have to wait until their resident card is issued


It seams many things depend on having a valid address including being on a padron. It is good to know that we can register straight away without having residency first. We were trying to buy a health insurance policy through Sanitas while still in the US but we don't have an address in Spain to provide them in order to receive the insurance cards. Our moving company is also asking for an address in Spain now. So it seems we need to get a rental agreement and register on the padron ASAP once we get there.

Thanks for pointing out that being on the padron and having residency are not inter-dependent.


----------

