Living here, explained
Written by the Solamigo team, kept short, and available in your language. Ask Sol in the app when your question isn't here.
Cita previa: booking appointments with Spanish offices
Almost every Spanish public office — police, town hall, tax office, traffic department — requires a cita previa (prior appointment); walk-ins are usually turned away.
Cl@ve and the digital certificate: Spanish admin online
Two tools let you do Spanish bureaucracy from your sofa instead of a queue.
Driving licences: exchanging and renewing
EU licences are valid in Spain, but once resident you must renew through the DGT (traffic authority) when the licence expires (or after two years' residence for licences with long validity).
Emergency numbers that work here
112 is the single European emergency number — police, fire, ambulance — and operators can usually handle English.
Finding the duty pharmacy (farmacia de guardia)
Pharmacies here rotate out-of-hours cover: each night and Sunday one farmacia de guardia in the area stays available.
Getting your NIE number
The NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) is the foreigner identification number you need for almost everything in Spain: buying property, opening a bank account, signing contracts.
Mobile phones and home internet
A Spanish SIM is cheap and worth getting early: prepaid SIMs are sold at phone shops and supermarkets — by law you must register with your passport or NIE.
Opening a Spanish bank account
For day-to-day life — utility direct debits, SUMA taxes, many landlords — you'll want a Spanish account or at least a Spanish IBAN.
Pets: chips, vets and local rules
Dogs and cats in the Valencia region must be microchipped and registered (the vet does both) and dogs need their rabies vaccination kept current — the vet records it in the pet's passport or health book.
Post, parcels and Correos
Correos is the national post; each town is served by its local office and delivery round.
Registering for public healthcare
EU citizens with residency and workers paying Spanish social security can register for public healthcare at their local health centre (centro de salud).
Registering on the padrón
The padrón (empadronamiento) is the town hall register of residents.
Renting a home long-term
Long-term rentals (alquiler de vivienda habitual) give strong tenant protections: contracts are typically annual but you can stay up to five years if you keep paying (seven if the landlord is a company).
Reporting a crime: making a denuncia
A denuncia is the official report that starts any police or insurance process — theft, burglary, fraud, a traffic incident.
Residency basics: EU registration and the TIE
EU citizens who settle here register as residents and receive the green certificate (Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la UE) — apply at the Oficina de Extranjería or designated police station with a cita previa, proof of income or employment, and healthcare cover.
Rubbish, recycling and the ecoparque
Household rubbish goes in the street-side containers: grey/green for general waste, yellow for plastic and cans, blue for paper and cardboard, green igloo for glass.
Seeing a doctor at the centro de salud (health centre)
With your SIP card you book GP appointments at your assigned centro de salud (health centre) — the one named on the card.
SUMA: your local taxes (IBI, road tax, rubbish)
In Alicante province, local taxes are collected by SUMA on behalf of town halls: IBI (property tax), the vehicle tax (IVTM), and in many municipalities the rubbish charge.
The Ayuntamiento: what your town hall does for you
Your Ayuntamiento serves the whole municipality, urbanisations included.
The ITV: Spain's vehicle inspection
The ITV (Inspección Técnica de Vehículos, vehicle inspection) is the roadworthiness test: cars pass first at 4 years old, then every 2 years until 10, then yearly.
Water, electricity and gas: getting connected
Electricity contracts can be with any supplier — you're free to choose or switch; you'll need your NIE, bank account (IBAN), and the property's CUPS number, which is on any previous bill or from the network operator.
What a gestoría is and when to use one
A gestoría is a licensed administrative agency that handles Spanish paperwork for a fee: NIE and residency applications, car transfers and licence exchanges, tax returns, autónomo registration, utility changes.
Something else? Ask Sol in the Solamigo app.