Moving to Spain from Ireland: A Practical Guide

Moving your furniture is the easy part. We do that every week. What catches most people out is the paperwork on the Spanish side: which number you need, where to register, what to do with the car, and how to get the dog there legally.

This guide covers the main steps for Irish citizens moving to Spain. It is general information, checked against official Spanish and EU sources in October 2026. Offices in different provinces apply the rules slightly differently, so confirm the details locally before you rely on them.

The short version

Irish citizens do not need a visa or a TIE card. You register as an EU resident and receive a certificate that carries your NIE number.
Register on the padrón (the town hall register) first. Almost everything else asks for it.
You have three months from arrival to register as a resident.
If you bring a car and become resident, it has to go onto Spanish plates. There is a 60-day window to claim the registration tax exemption.
Pets need a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and an EU pet passport.
Household goods moving from Ireland to mainland Spain stay inside the EU, so there is no customs duty.

NIE and residency paperwork

What the NIE is. The NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is your identification number in Spain. You will be asked for it when you buy or rent a home, set up utilities, open most bank accounts, buy a car or start a job.

You do not need a TIE. The TIE is a residence card for non-EU nationals. As an Irish citizen you register as an EU resident instead. If your spouse or partner is not an EU citizen, they apply separately for a family member residence card.

Staying under three months. Your passport or passport card is all you need.

Staying longer than three months. You must apply in person, by appointment, at the Foreigners’ Office (Oficina de Extranjería) in your province or at the designated National Police station. The application has to be made within three months of arriving. You are entered on the Central Register of Foreign Nationals and given a registration certificate showing your name, nationality, address, NIE and registration date. This is the green certificate people talk about. The application form is the EX-18 and there is a small fee paid on form 790, code 012.

What you need to show. A valid passport, plus evidence that fits your situation:

Employed: a job contract, a certificate of employment, or proof you are registered with Spanish social security.
Self-employed: proof of registration for your activity or with the social security scheme.
Not working (including retired): public or private health cover valid in Spain, and proof of enough income or savings to support yourself and your family. This is assessed case by case.
Student: enrolment at a recognised institution, plus health cover.

Need the NIE before you move? If you are buying property or signing contracts ahead of the move, you can apply for the NIE number on its own using form EX-15, either through the Spanish Embassy in Dublin or at a National Police station in Spain.

Official source: Registering your residence, Spanish Government

Registering your address: the padrón

The padrón is the register of people living in a municipality. You sign on at your local town hall (ayuntamiento), and the Spanish Government states you need to be on it before you can apply for residence.

Bring your passport and proof of where you live, usually a rental contract or title deeds. Requirements vary a little from one town hall to the next, and many now require an appointment.

Ask for a few copies of the certificate (certificado de empadronamiento). You will be asked for it when you register as a resident, sign up at the health centre, enrol children in school and re-register a car. Many offices want a copy issued within the last three months.

Bringing your car

You can drive an Irish-registered car in Spain as a visitor. Once you live there, the car has to be re-registered on Spanish plates before you can keep using it. You must be the registered owner.

The process, according to the DGT (Spain’s traffic authority):

Gather the paperwork. The original Irish registration certificate and the EU Certificate of Conformity (CoC). If you have lost the CoC, the manufacturer can issue a duplicate, or a Spanish engineer can prepare an equivalent document called a ficha reducida. Cars older than 2002 need an individual approval.
Pass the ITV. The ITV is Spain’s roadworthiness test, the equivalent of the NCT. The station inspects the car and issues a Spanish technical card.
Deal with the taxes. Registration tax is declared on form 576. If you qualify for the change of residence exemption, you file form 06 instead. Because the car was already yours before the move, you do not pay purchase taxes again. You also pay the annual road tax (IVTM) to your town hall.
Apply to the DGT for registration. You are given a Spanish registration number and certificate.
Fit the new plates and insure the car with a Spanish policy.

The 60-day rule. The deadline for the registration tax paperwork is extended to 60 days where you are moving your home to Spain and the exemption applies. The usual conditions are that you lived outside Spain for at least the 12 months before the move, have owned the car for at least six months, and do not sell it for 12 months afterwards. Confirm your own case with the Spanish tax agency or a gestor before the car travels.

While you wait. If the process drags on, the DGT can issue temporary green plates valid for two months, extendable, provided the car is insured.

Right-hand drive. Irish cars can be registered in Spain, but expect the ITV station to check that the headlights are set for driving on the right, and bear in mind that a right-hand-drive car is harder to sell there.

Before you leave Ireland. Tell the Department of Transport that the vehicle is being permanently exported.

Your driving licence. An Irish licence is an EU licence and is valid in Spain. You renew it in Spain when it expires.

Most people hire a gestor (an administrative agent) to handle the re-registration. It is money well spent.

Official sources: DGT, registering a vehicle from the EU and Registration tax when transferring a vehicle

Bringing your pets

Dogs, cats and ferrets can travel from Ireland to Spain under the EU pet travel rules. Your pet needs:

A microchip, implanted before the rabies vaccination is given.
A valid rabies vaccination. The pet must be at least 12 weeks old for its first vaccination, and you then wait at least 21 days before travelling. Keep boosters in date or the 21-day wait starts again.
An EU pet passport, issued by an authorised vet in Ireland.

A few points people miss:

Spain does not allow entry for young pets that are unvaccinated or not yet fully immune. In practice, a puppy or kitten will be around 15 weeks old before it can travel.
You can travel with up to five pets under these rules.
The rules cover pets travelling with their owner. If someone else accompanies your pet, you need to give them written authorisation and your own journey must be within five days of theirs. Outside that window, stricter commercial transport rules apply.
Tapeworm treatment is not needed to enter Spain. It is needed for dogs coming back into Ireland, given by a vet between 24 and 120 hours before arrival.
Birds, rabbits, reptiles and other animals follow Spain’s national rules, so check before you book.

Once you arrive, register with a local vet so your pet’s microchip is added to the regional pet register. If your dog is a breed Spain classes as potentially dangerous, ask the vet about the licence and insurance you will need.

For more information on moving your pet, check out Pet Transport.

Official source: Travelling with pets in the EU, Your Europe

Opening a Spanish bank account

Spanish banks offer two kinds of account: resident and non-resident. Which one you open depends on where you are in the process.

Before you are registered: a non-resident account. Banks typically ask for your passport and either your NIE or a non-resident certificate, which some banks will request on your behalf.
After you are registered: a resident account, opened with your passport, your registration certificate and proof of address. Existing non-resident accounts can be switched over.

Most banks also ask for proof of where your money comes from, such as payslips, a pension statement or a tax return. Requirements and fees differ from bank to bank, so ask for the list before you go to the branch.

Two things worth knowing:

Anyone legally resident in the EU has the right to a basic payment account.
Under SEPA rules your Irish IBAN should be accepted for euro direct debits. In practice some Spanish utility companies push for a Spanish IBAN, which is one more reason to open a local account early.

Official source: Bank of Spain, steps for opening an account

Healthcare

Your European Health Insurance Card covers necessary treatment during temporary stays. It is not cover for living in Spain. Access to HSE services ends when you stop being resident in Ireland, and Irish private health plans are not designed for residents of another country.

Your route into the Spanish system depends on your circumstances:

Working or self-employed in Spain: you pay into Spanish social security and are covered by the public system. You register with social security, then take your padrón certificate to your local health centre to get a health card (tarjeta sanitaria).
Receiving an Irish State pension: apply for an S1 form before you leave. It entitles you to Spanish public healthcare with Ireland covering the cost. You register the S1 with the INSS (Spain’s social security institute) and then with your health centre.
Everyone else: you need private health insurance. Proof of cover is also one of the conditions for registering as a resident if you are not working. After a year on the padrón, many regions offer a pay-in route into the public system.

Official source: Health insurance cover when living abroad, Your Europe

Customs and your belongings

Ireland and Spain are both in the EU, so personal belongings and furniture move freely to mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands with no customs duty or import paperwork.

The Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla are different. They sit outside the EU VAT area, so a move there needs a customs declaration and an inventory. Tell us at quote stage and we will explain what is involved.

Tax: a brief note

You are generally treated as tax resident in Spain once you spend more than 183 days there in a calendar year. Ireland and Spain have a double taxation agreement, but pensions, rental income and the sale of an Irish home all need planning. Let Revenue know you are leaving and speak to a tax adviser who knows both systems before you go.

Moving checklist

Three months before

Check that passports are valid for everyone travelling.
Book the vet: microchip, rabies vaccination and pet passport.
Find the car’s Certificate of Conformity.
Pensioners: apply for the S1.
Buying property? Apply for your NIE.
Get your removals quote and agree a date.

One month before

Arrange health insurance if you need it.
Gather payslips, pension statements and bank statements for the bank and the residency application.
Notify Revenue, your bank, your insurers and An Post (mail redirection).
Confirm your Spanish address and collect a copy of the rental contract or deeds.

Your first week in Spain

Register on the padrón and ask for several certificates.
Book your appointment to register as a resident.
Open a bank account.

Your first three months

Complete your residency registration and collect your certificate.
Register at your local health centre.
Start the car re-registration, keeping the 60-day tax window in mind.
Register your pet with a local vet.

How Get Cracking Removals fits in

We handle the move itself: weekly trips from Ireland to Spain, complete door to door, fully insured. We are not immigration, tax or legal advisers and we cannot make applications for you, but we have helped enough families through this to know where the delays happen, and we are happy to point you in the right direction.

See our removals to Spain service | Get a free quote

This guide is general information for Irish citizens moving to Spain and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Rules and fees change, and local offices vary. Always confirm with the relevant authority before you travel.