There is a lot written about buying real estate itself: how to choose a property, check debts, get a NIE, and complete the transaction at the notary. But once the keys are in your hands — silence falls. What’s next? It is precisely at this stage that most newcomers get lost: the deal is done, but how to arrange an ordinary life in a new country — is unclear.

We have compiled a step-by-step checklist for the first three months. Not everything needs to be done on the very first day, but if you complete these steps within 90 days, you will feel not like a guest, but a full-fledged local resident.

Step 1. Empadronamiento — registration at the town hall (first thing)

This is the most important and at the same time the most underestimated step. Empadronamiento (commonly called — el padrón) is the registration of your place of residence at your town hall (ayuntamiento). It is the analogue of registration: the city officially records that you live here.

Why this is the first point: without a registration certificate (certificado de empadronamiento) you will not be able to enroll your children in a public school, register with a family doctor, exchange your driver’s license, or complete many other procedures. This is the foundation on which everything else rests.

What you need: usually a passport, NIE, property document (or rental contract), and an application. You make an appointment at the town hall (cita previa), come, and receive the certificate. During the season, appointments may be booked weeks in advance, so take care of this immediately.

Step 2. Utilities in your name and internet

If you bought a property, electricity and water bills are often still registered under the previous owner or the developer. They need to be transferred to your name (cambio de titular) and set up for automatic payment from your bank account — in Spain, almost all regular payments are more convenient to keep on auto-pay.

At the same time, address the internet issue. The main providers are Movistar, Orange, Vodafone, and more budget-friendly ones like Digi. Fiber optic connection on the coast is usually fast, but in some urbanizations, it’s better to check in advance which provider reaches there.

Step 3. Local bank account

Most likely, you have already opened an account at the transaction stage — it would have been difficult to pay for real estate without it. If not, now is the time: a Spanish account is needed for automatic payments of utilities, taxes, insurance, and school fees.

Non-residents can open an account, but conditions and fees differ from those for residents. Once you officially become a resident, it usually makes sense to switch the account to resident status — fees are often lower.

Step 4. Healthcare: family doctor or private insurance

Here the path depends on your status.

If you work officially or receive a pension from an EU country, you generally have the right to public healthcare. You need to register: with your registration and documents, go to the local health center (centro de salud), get a health card (tarjeta sanitaria), and be assigned to a family doctor.

If you are not yet in the system (for example, non-resident or in the process of obtaining residence), you will need private health insurance. Moreover, for certain types of residence visas, having private insurance is mandatory. The main insurers are Sanitas, Adeslas, DKV, Asisa; their policies for foreigners are standard and arranged quickly.

Step 5. School for children

If you are moving with children, this is often the most concerning point. In Spain, there are three types of schools:

• Public (públic) — state schools, free of charge, education in Spanish (and on the Valencian Community coast often also in Valencian). Enrollment is tied to place of residence, so without empadronamiento you cannot get in.
• Concertada — semi-private, co-financed by the state, symbolic fee, often religious.
• Private / International — private and international schools with education in English (British or American curriculum). More expensive, but helpful if the child does not yet speak Spanish and you are not sure if you will stay long.

An important nuance: the main enrollment in public schools takes place in spring (usually approximately March–May) for the next school year. But if you move in the middle of the year, children can still be enrolled through matrícula fuera de plazo — late enrollment through the education department. Small children adapt to the language surprisingly quickly, much faster than adults.

Step 6. Transport: driving licenses and possibly a car

You can live on the coast without a car, but it’s inconvenient: many urbanizations are on the outskirts, and public transport between towns is infrequent.

Driving licenses. EU/EEA licenses are valid directly in Spain (you only need to register in the driver registry after obtaining residency). Licenses from non-EU countries — more complicated: if there is an exchange agreement between your country and Spain, licenses are exchanged without an exam; if not, you will have to pass the local test. British licenses after Brexit — a separate story, it’s worth checking current exchange rules.

Car. You can buy new or used; when buying used, again check for fines and debts (the principle is the same as with real estate). Don’t forget insurance — it’s mandatory — and the annual vehicle inspection ITV.

Step 7. Little things that make you local

When the big things are solved, small but pleasant steps remain that finally turn a «foreigner with an apartment» into a neighborhood resident:

• Local SIM card with a Spanish number — many services and appointments (cita previa) are tied to it.
• Loyalty card in local supermarket chains (Mercadona, Consum) — a small thing but it saves money.
• Getting to know the city’s rhythm: when the market (mercadillo) operates, when siesta is, when local fiestas occur. This is not bureaucracy, but this makes a place home.
• Basic Spanish. Even a dozen phrases for the pharmacy, café, and town hall instantly change neighbors’ attitudes. On the coast, many speak English, but the effort is appreciated everywhere.

Checklist for the first 90 days in one list

To not lose anything, here is the same compactly:

• Get empadronamiento at the town hall — first and foremost.
• Transfer electricity, water, and internet to your name, set up auto-payment.
• Put your bank account in order (switch to resident if status changed).
• Register with a family doctor or get private insurance.
• Enroll children in school (don’t forget late enrollment if moving mid-year).
• Sort out driving licenses and, if necessary, car, insurance, and ITV.
• Take care of small things: local SIM, store cards, basic Spanish.

In brief

The first three months in Spain are not endless bureaucracy but a clear sequence of steps, where each next one relies on the previous. The key to everything is empadronamiento: do it immediately, and everything else will follow in sequence.

And the most pleasant part begins when formalities are behind: when you already know your doctor, children chat with classmates in Spanish, and on Saturdays you go to the local market like it’s your home. It’s for this feeling that people move to Costa Blanca.

We at Alicante Real Estate do not say goodbye to buyers after the deal: we help with registration, schools, doctors, and everything that turns purchased square meters into a real home. If you are planning a move or already have the keys — write to us, we’ll advise you on every step.