Spain property documents

Moving house in Spain can be a stressful and time-consuming process. From packing and transporting your belongings to cleaning and settling in, the practicalities of relocating are often just the start.

When you move to Spain, there’s an important checklist of steps to become a fully legal resident.

Despite high property prices in some parts of Spain, favourable mortgage conditions, driven by interest rate cuts from the European Central Bank (ECB), have encouraged prospective buyers to enter the market. This surge in demand has led many homeowners to sell their properties within weeks, or even days. However, such urgency can result in costly errors that affect the final outcome of the sale. Common mistakes include miscalculating municipal capital gains tax, property tax or incurring unexpected notary fees.

When moving to Spain, obtaining your NIE number (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) is one of the first and most important steps you will take.

Registering your address, "empadronamiento" in Spanish, is an administrative requirement that confirms a person's habitual residence.

One of the documents that you may need to buy a property and get a mortgage is the property registry certification, which is usually a certificate of ownership and encumbrances. This article explains what registry certification you will need for your real estate transactions, how much it costs and

Registering as a resident in Spain (empadronarse) is beneficial for carrying out administrative procedures and receiving notifications from the council where your property is located, among other aspects. Legally, you cannot be registered in one place and live in another.

Spain is infamous for its bureaucracy and hard to navigate red tape, but one person who may be able to help with such processes is a "gestor" or "gestoría".

Congratulations, you have found a buyer for your Spanish property! You should now instruct a lawyer to represent you in the sale, particularly if you are non-resident in Spain. To secure the deal, your appointed lawyer will require from you a long list of documents you should have ready at hand.

What is a NIE number? This will be one of the first questions you will be asking yourself when you move over to Spain.

If you’re thinking of buying a house in Spain, you should first know that once the property has been transferred, the charges are also transferred.

Selling a home is often a costly process, not only economically, but also in terms of time, effort and emotion.