Moving to the Spanish Basque Country: the paperwork step by step

Are you a citizen of the European Union (French, Belgian…) moving to San Sebastián (Donostia), Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz or Pamplona (Iruñea)? Good news: you need neither a visa nor a work permit. There is, however, some paperwork to get through, in the right order. Here are the essentials.

1. The EU citizen registration certificate (and the NIE)

If you are staying in Spain for more than three months, you must apply for the EU citizen registration certificate (certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión). It carries your foreigner identity number (NIE, Número de Identidad de Extranjero), the identifier you will be asked for in most administrative procedures.

• When? Within three months of your arrival.
• Where? In person, at the foreigners’ office (Oficina de Extranjería) for your province or at the relevant police station.
• What to bring? Form EX-18, your valid identity card or passport, the receipt for the fee (form 790, code 012, payable at a bank) and documents proving your situation.
• Issued: on the spot.

To reside for more than three months, you must meet one of these conditions: be employed or self-employed in Spain, have sufficient resources and health insurance, be a student (with insurance and resources), or be accompanying a family member who meets these conditions.

2. Registering with the town hall: the padrón (empadronamiento)

Spanish law is clear: everyone who lives in Spain must register on the padrón (the register of residents) of the municipality where they usually live. Registration (empadronamiento) is done at the town hall (ayuntamiento). The registration certificate (certificado de empadronamiento) will be requested for many procedures, including the health card.

3. The health card (TIS) in Euskadi

In Euskadi (the Basque Autonomous Community), the public health service is Osakidetza. To use it, you need the individual health card (TIS, Tarjeta Individual Sanitaria).

• Where? At your nearest health centre, which will give you the form.
• Documents: proof of identity, certificado de empadronamiento (depending on the municipality), and the document from the INSS (Spanish Social Security, Seguridad Social) that recognises your entitlement to public healthcare.
• Since 19 June 2024, the TIS has also been available in a digital version on your phone.

4. Looking for a salaried job

As a European citizen, you can work in Spain without a work permit.

Where to look

• Lanbide, the Basque employment service (Euskadi): job vacancies, careers guidance, training. Registration is open to anyone over 16 living in Euskadi, online or at one of its offices, by appointment. Note: Lanbide handles employment and training, while unemployment benefits are the responsibility of the SEPE (the State public employment service).
• The Servicio Navarro de Empleo – Nafar Lansare in Navarre: job vacancies, guidance, training, help with setting up a business.
• The European EURES network, the public Empléate portal, temping agencies (ETT), online job ads and… word of mouth.

Before you sign

• The social security number (NUSS) is essential for your employer to register you. You can apply for it at any time, online via Import@ss, with your NIE, your contact details and your address.
• The contract must set out in writing the job, the salary, the working hours and the applicable collective agreement. Since the 2023 reform, the main contracts are the permanent contract (indefinido), temporary contracts (to cover a peak in activity or a replacement), the intermittent permanent contract (fijo discontinuo) and training contracts.

Key figures

• Minimum wage (SMI) 2026: €1,221 gross a month (€40.70 a day), in force since 1 January 2026, an increase of 3.1% over one year.
• The ‘14 pagas’: in Spain, the annual salary is often paid in 14 instalments. The law provides for two compulsory annual bonus payments (pagas extraordinarias): one at Christmas, the other in the month set by the collective agreement. On the minimum wage, that makes 12 months + 2 bonuses of €1,221, or €17,094 gross a year. The collective agreement can also spread these bonuses over the 12 months: you then get a little more each month, but no separate bonus. To compare job offers, always think in terms of gross annual salary.
• Working hours: 40 hours a week on average over the year, with a maximum of 9 hours a day.
• Paid holiday: at least 30 calendar days (días naturales) a year, meaning weekends included: that works out at about four weeks and two days of holiday, not six weeks. Compare this with France: 30 working days (jours ouvrables: Saturdays included, Sundays excluded), or five weeks. On top of that, Spain has 14 public holidays a year. The collective agreement or the contract may provide for more.

5. Working as a self-employed person (autónomo)

If you work for yourself, as an autónomo (self-employed), you must register with the Social Security’s special scheme for self-employed workers (RETA).

• When? Before or on the day your activity starts, via the Import@ss portal. Registering late means losing certain benefits and may lead to surcharges.
• How much? Since 2023, contributions depend on your expected net income: you choose a contribution base within the corresponding bracket.
• The ‘tarifa plana’ (flat rate): for a first registration (or if you have not been registered with RETA in the previous 2 to 3 years), the contribution is reduced to €80 a month for 12 months, which can be extended for another 12 months if your income stays below the minimum wage.

6. Taxes: watch out, they’re foral!

This is a Basque peculiarity you absolutely need to know about. Thanks to the Concierto Económico (economic agreement), it is the provincial councils (Diputaciones Forales) of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa that collect most of the taxes in their territory, not the State Tax Agency. Navarre has its own system, the Convenio Económico, with its own Hacienda Foral (Hacienda being the tax authority).

In practice: if you live in San Sebastián, the body you deal with for tax is the Hacienda Foral de Gipuzkoa. Self-employed people in Gipuzkoa must also use TicketBAI, the provincial council’s online invoicing system.

7. The rest of the checklist

• Language: Basque and Spanish are both official languages in Euskadi. See our guide to schools and the Basque language.
• Housing: see our article on property.
• If you are keeping one foot in France: read living and working on both sides of the border.

Sources

• Spanish National Police — EU citizen registration certificate (in Spanish)
• BOE — Real Decreto 240/2007 (residence of EU citizens), art. 7 (in Spanish)
• Spanish Ministry of Inclusion — Factsheet 65
• Law 7/1985 on the bases of local government, art. 15 (padrón) (in Spanish)
• Basque Government — Individual health card (TIS) (in Spanish)
• Lanbide — General information (in Spanish); COE network — Servicio Navarro de Empleo-Nafar Lansare
• EURES — Living and working conditions in Spain
• Spanish Social Security — Applying for a social security number (in Spanish)
• BOE — Real Decreto 126/2026 setting the 2026 minimum wage (in Spanish)
• Spanish Workers’ Statute: article 31 (bonus payments), article 38 (annual leave) (in Spanish); Service-public.fr — Paid leave in France (in French)
• Spanish Social Security — Practical guide to self-employment (in Spanish)
• Spanish Wikipedia — Concierto Económico; BOE — Law 28/1990, Convenio Económico with Navarre (in Spanish)
• Spanish Wikipedia — Euskera en el sistema educativo (two official languages)
• Gipuzkoa Provincial Council — TicketBAI (in Spanish)

Ongi etorri — welcome to your new home!