Immigration and identification (ID) procedures
You come to live in Barcelona. What paperwork do you need?
Here you will find clear and practical information so you can comply with all the necessary bureaucratic requirements for entering and living in Spain.
The first thing you must take into account when you move to Barcelona is your nationality, as paperwork and how complex it is will vary depending on it.
If you are a citizen of the European Union, of a European Economic Area country (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or Switzerland, you are entitled to reside and work freely in Spain.
If you want to live in Barcelona for more than three months, you must register as a resident in Spain. When you do, you will receive a certificate, commonly called the green NIE.
Certificate of registration as an EU national (green NIE)
If you have a non-EU relative, that is, a national of a country outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland, your relative can apply for residency to live with you in Barcelona as follows:
Residence card for family members of European Union nationals
If you are from a country that does not belong to the EU, the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or Switzerland and you want to live in Spain, you must complete immigration formalities.
Please note that on this website we focus on visas and residence and work permits specific to attracting international talent. Below we list the available procedures, although you should know that there are many more options that we do not consider here.
Residence for capital investors: visa and permit
Residence for entrepreneurs and business activitiy: permit
Residence with self-employment: visa and permit
Residence for training and research: visa and permit
Residence for highly qualified professionals: visa and permit
Residence for professionals holding an EU Blue Card: permit
Residence for professionals who want to apply for an EU Blue Card: visa and permit
Residence for intra-company transfer: visa and permit
Residency for digital nomads: visa and permit
Stay for studies: visa and permit
If you have non-EU citizenship and are going to reside in Spain with a family member from the EU, you may be interested in consulting the following procedure:
Residence card for family members of European Union nationals
Once you have obtained your visa or permit and are in Spain, you can then apply for your identity card for foreign nationals.