Moving to Spain from Germany

Germans are one of the most established EU communities in Spain, with many pensioners in the Balearic and Canary Islands and on the Mediterranean coast, and a growing number of people working remotely for German companies. As an EU citizen you need no visa, but you do need to register, sort out your health cover and clarify where you pay tax. Here are the steps and the points that raise the most questions.

Key facts

• Entry and work: with a Personalausweis or Reisepass you live and work in Spain without a visa or permit.
• Registration: if you stay longer than three months, apply within that period for the EU registration certificate (certificado de registro de ciudadano de la UE) at the Central Register of Foreign Nationals, with your NIE. After five years of continuous legal residence you can apply for permanent residence.
• Documents: under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, Standesamt certificates and the Führungszeugnis need no apostille in Spain; the multilingual standard form avoids translation.
• Driving: a German Führerschein is valid without exchange; as a resident you will renew it with Spain’s DGT.
• Citizenship: Spanish citizenship requires 10 years of legal residence, DELE A2, CCSE and a declaration of renunciation. Since 27 June 2024 Germany allows dual nationality: acquiring another one no longer means losing German citizenship.

How people usually move

• Pensioners. You register with sufficient resources and health cover. If you have German statutory insurance, your Krankenkasse issues the S1 form, which you register with the INSS. EU registration certificate
• Remote work for Germany. You do not need the digital nomad visa: you register with your income and health insurance. Check the A1 form (where you pay social security) with your employer and the tax consequences of working from Spain.
• Work or business in Spain. Contract and social security registration, or registration as self-employed; then apply for the certificate.
• Studies. Enrolment, health insurance and a declaration of resources, also for long Erasmus stays.
• Non-EU family. A spouse, registered partner, children or dependent parents from outside the EU get the residence card for family members of an EU citizen. Family of EU citizens
• Spanish citizenship. After 10 years of legal, continuous residence. Spanish citizenship

Documents and apostille

• Personalausweis or Reisepass, valid. To renew from Spain, go to the German Embassy in Madrid or the German consulate for your area.
• Führungszeugnis: not required for EU registration, but required for citizenship. It is issued by the Bundesamt für Justiz; from abroad you can request it online at fuehrungszeugnis.bund.de with the eID function of your Personalausweis, or by post with your signature certified by a consulate or notary.
• Geburtsurkunde and Eheurkunde from the Standesamt, ideally with the EU multilingual form. Documents and translations
• Health cover: the S1 form from your Krankenkasse if you are a pensioner with statutory insurance; with private insurance (PKV), a policy giving full cover in Spain.
• Abmeldebestätigung: when you leave, deregister at the Bürgeramt and keep the confirmation; it helps prove to both administrations since when you live in Spain.

What to keep in mind

• The registration certificate is requested in person, by appointment, at the immigration office (Oficina de Extranjería) of your province or at a National Police station: form EX-18, fee 790 code 012 and your Personalausweis or passport. It is issued on the spot.
• A common mistake among people who spend part of the year in Spain: not registering or joining the padrón. If you live here more than three months you must register, and if you spend more than 183 days a year here you are tax resident in Spain.
• Spain and Germany have a double taxation agreement (published in Spain’s Official Gazette in 2012). German pensions follow specific rules depending on their source: review this with a tax adviser before moving.
• In Spain: padrón, S1 registration with the INSS or social security registration, and your health card at the local health centre.

Frequently asked questions

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