Spain’s national Tax Agency, responsible for administering the state tax and customs system. You are likely to encounter the AEAT for matters including income tax (IRPF), IVA, tax registration, tax forms and customs.

A certification used to authenticate certain public documents for use abroad. For countries covered by the Hague Apostille Convention, it replaces the usual diplomatic legalisation requirement.

Self-employed worker. The Spanish term is “Trabajador por cuenta propia / autónomo”. This is a term you may encounter when dealing with Spanish immigration, administration or relocation matters, and its precise effect depends on the procedure and your circumstances.

Return authorisation. The Spanish term is “Autorización de regreso”. This is a term you may encounter when dealing with Spanish immigration, administration or relocation matters, and its precise effect depends on the procedure and your circumstances.

Digital nomad residence authorisation. The Spanish term is “Autorización de residencia para teletrabajo de carácter internacional”. This is a term you may encounter when dealing with Spanish immigration, administration or relocation matters, and its precise effect depends on the procedure and your circumstances.

Your local Town Hall or municipal council, responsible for local administration in the municipality where you live. You will commonly encounter your Ayuntamiento when dealing with local procedures and services, including matters such as your Padrón (empadronamiento) and municipal administration.

The process of exchanging an eligible foreign driving licence (permiso de conducir) for an equivalent Spanish driving licence issued by the DGT. Whether a licence can be exchanged, and the requirements involved, depends on the country that issued it and the type of licence held.

A document used in cross-border Social Security situations to evidence which country’s Social Security legislation applies. It can be particularly relevant to employees or other workers carrying out activity across borders.

EU citizen registration certificate. The Spanish term is “Certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión Europea”. This is a term you may encounter when dealing with Spanish immigration, administration or relocation matters, and its precise effect depends on the procedure and your circumstances.

An official certificate used to evidence tax residence in Spain for tax purposes. It can be relevant where a person has cross-border income, assets or tax obligations and needs to demonstrate Spanish tax residence.

An electronic certificate used to identify yourself and complete procedures online with Spanish public administrations. It is commonly encountered when accessing official electronic services.

Your local public primary healthcare centre, generally the first point of contact for healthcare in Spain. This is where you access primary care (Atención Primaria), including services from your family doctor (médico de familia), nursing staff and other primary healthcare services.

The Spanish term for an appointment that must be arranged in advance. Many immigration and public-administration procedures use a cita previa system rather than accepting unscheduled visits.

EU citizen registration certificate. The Spanish term is “Certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión Europea”. This is a term you may encounter when dealing with Spanish immigration, administration or relocation matters, and its precise effect depends on the procedure and your circumstances.

The owners’ community for an apartment building or residential development in Spain. It deals with shared matters relating to the property, with owners contributing towards communal costs and participating in decisions affecting the community.

A tax treaty between Spain and another country that sets rules for how specified cross-border income or gains are taxed. It is particularly relevant for internationally mobile people with financial connections to more than one country.

A paid healthcare arrangement that can provide access to Spain’s public healthcare system for eligible residents who are not otherwise covered by the Spanish public healthcare system. In Andalucía, it is particularly relevant to some residents who cannot obtain healthcare cover through their country of origin.

Spain’s national traffic authority. You will commonly encounter the DGT for matters relating to driving licences and vehicles, as well as traffic and road safety.

Registration with the local town hall on the municipal register at the address where you live in Spain. Evidence of registration is commonly requested during immigration and other administrative procedures.

Long-stay authorisation for studies. The Spanish term is “Autorización de estancia de larga duración por estudios”. This is a term you may encounter when dealing with Spanish immigration, administration or relocation matters, and its precise effect depends on the procedure and your circumstances.

EX-15: NIE and certificates form. The Spanish term is “Formulario EX-15: NIE y certificados”. This is a term you may encounter when dealing with Spanish immigration, administration or relocation matters, and its precise effect depends on the procedure and your circumstances.

EX-17: TIE application form. The Spanish term is “Formulario EX-17: Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero”. This is a term you may encounter when dealing with Spanish immigration, administration or relocation matters, and its precise effect depends on the procedure and your circumstances.

EX-18: EU citizen registration form. The Spanish term is “Formulario EX-18: inscripción en el RCE”. This is a term you may encounter when dealing with Spanish immigration, administration or relocation matters, and its precise effect depends on the procedure and your circumstances.

EU-family-member residence-card form. The Spanish term is “Formulario EX-19”. This is a term you may encounter when dealing with Spanish immigration, administration or relocation matters, and its precise effect depends on the procedure and your circumstances.

The application form used for the Withdrawal Agreement TIE for eligible UK nationals and their family members protected by the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. It covers initial cards, renewals and replacements in the circumstances specified on the form.

One of Spain's national law-enforcement bodies. Foreign residents may encounter the Guardia Civil in a variety of situations, including traffic and road safety on interurban roads and motorways, as well as general policing and security matters.

A local property tax paid by property owners in Spain to the local Town Hall (Ayuntamiento). It is based on the value of the property for IBI purposes and is one of the regular costs you are likely to encounter when owning a home in Spain.

The part of Spain’s Social Security system responsible for managing and recognising entitlement to many benefits and pensions, as well as entitlement to public healthcare. For people relocating to Spain, the INSS is particularly relevant to healthcare rights, pensions and documents such as the S1 and European Health Insurance Card (EHIC/TSE).

Spain’s periodic vehicle roadworthiness inspection, similar in concept to the UK MOT. Vehicles registered in Spain must undergo technical inspections at the required intervals, which vary according to the type and age of the vehicle.

Spain’s local vehicle tax, commonly known as impuesto de circulación. It is paid by the registered vehicle owner and is charged by the municipality where the vehicle has its fiscal address. The amount can vary between municipalities.

Spain’s equivalent of Value Added Tax (VAT), applied to many goods and services. If you are self-employed or running a business in Spain, IVA may form part of your invoicing and tax reporting obligations, depending on your activity.

A process used to authenticate a public document so it can be recognised in another country. Whether legalisation is needed depends on the country, document and any applicable international exemption.

The form used for Spain’s annual personal income tax return (IRPF). It is used to declare personal income for Spanish income tax purposes and is the tax return commonly referred to as the“Declaración de la Renta”.

An information return for certain assets and rights held outside Spain, including relevant overseas bank accounts, investments and property, where the reporting requirements are met.

A form used to register or update your details with the Spanish Tax Agency, including your fiscal address and tax residence status. It can be particularly relevant when relocating to Spain and dealing with administrative matters connected with establishing your tax details in Spain.

The standard route through residence generally requires 10 years of legal and continuous residence in Spain, but shorter qualifying periods apply in certain circumstances. A 2-year period applies to nationals of origin of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, while a 1-year period applies in certain other cases, including some people with close Spanish family connections

A unique identification number assigned to foreign nationals for dealings with Spanish authorities. It is widely used in administrative, tax and property matters, but the number itself is not proof of a particular right of residence.

Your NIF is the number used to identify you for Spanish tax purposes. For most foreign individuals who already have a NIE, the NIE also serves as their NIF, so they normally do not receive a separate tax number.

A report from the Spanish Property Registry showing key information about a property, including its registered ownership, description and any registered charges or rights affecting it. It is an important document when checking the registered position of a property.

The government office responsible for dealing with many immigration and residence procedures in Spain. It is where applications and matters relating to foreign nationals may be processed, depending on the particular procedure.

The municipal register maintained by the local town hall. Registering on it records where a person lives in the municipality and the resulting registration or certificate is commonly requested in Spanish administrative procedures.

Spain’s national police force and an authority you are likely to encounter during immigration and foreign-national documentation procedures, including certain procedures relating to the NIE and foreigner documentation.

The municipal police service for a town or city. Its responsibilities include local policing and traffic management and road safety within the urban area.

Family reunification. The Spanish term is “Reagrupación familiar”. This is a term you may encounter when dealing with Spanish immigration, administration or relocation matters, and its precise effect depends on the procedure and your circumstances.

A unique 20-character reference number used to identify a specific property in Spain’s Catastro (property cadastre). It allows the property to be precisely identified and located in the cadastral records and is commonly used in property-related paperwork, including sales, inheritances and donations.

Spain’s Property Registry, where acts and rights relating to ownership and other legal rights over property are recorded. It is also where property information such as a Nota Simple is obtained.

A special Spanish tax regime that may apply to qualifying individuals who move to Spain. Eligibility is a separate question from immigration permission and depends on the applicable tax rules and individual circumstances.

Long-term residence. The Spanish term is “Autorización de residencia de larga duración”. This is a term you may encounter when dealing with Spanish immigration, administration or relocation matters, and its precise effect depends on the procedure and your circumstances.

A form of long-term residence in Spain that forms part of the EU long-term residence framework. It is distinct from Spain’s national long-term residence status and has its own eligibility requirements.

A person who is considered resident in Spain for tax purposes. This is commonly associated with spending more than 183 days in Spain, although other factors, including where the main centre of economic activities or interests is located, can also determine tax residence.

A form used to register entitlement to public healthcare in Spain where another eligible country is responsible for the cost of that healthcare. It commonly arises for people moving to Spain who already have recognised healthcare entitlement in another qualifying country.

Spain’s state employment service, dealing with employment-related matters including the management and control of unemployment benefits.

A legal concept that determines what happens when a Spanish public authority does not issue a decision within the legally established timeframe for an administrative procedure. Depending on the procedure, this may have a positive effect (silencio positivo) or a negative effect (silencio negativo), so it should not be assumed that no response automatically means an application has been approved.

Spain’s public healthcare system. Healthcare is largely managed through regional health services, such as the Servicio Andaluz de Salud (SAS) in Andalucía, and includes the public health centres, hospitals and healthcare services available through the system.

A person who is considered resident in Spain for tax purposes. This is commonly associated with spending more than 183 days in Spain, although other factors, including where the main centre of economic activities or interests is located, can also determine tax residence.

Your Spanish public healthcare card, giving you access to public healthcare services including health centres and hospitals, electronic prescriptions and your healthcare records. If eligible through Spain, you may also be able to obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC/TSE) for medically necessary public healthcare during temporary stays in participating European countries.

The part of Spain’s Social Security system responsible for matters including Social Security registration, affiliation, worker registrations and contributions. You may encounter the TGSS when obtaining or dealing with your Social Security number or when working or becoming self-employed in Spain.

The fingerprint appointment used as part of the process of obtaining your physical TIE residence card in Spain. “Toma de huellas” literally means “taking fingerprints” and is commonly associated with the TIE issuance process.

The physical foreigner identity card used to document an applicable immigration status in Spain. It contains the holder’s NIE, but the NIE number and the TIE card are not the same thing.

An official translation completed by an authorised sworn translator. Sworn translations can be submitted to Spanish courts and public authorities when foreign-language documents need an official Spanish translation.

The Spanish immigration unit responsible for processing certain international mobility residence applications, including the Digital Nomad residence authorisation and applications for qualifying family members.

The physical foreigner identity card used to document an applicable immigration status in Spain. It contains the holder’s NIE, but the NIE number and the TIE card are not the same thing.

A popular visa for people who want to move to Spain without working, such as retirees or those able to support themselves financially. Applicants must meet Spain’s financial, health insurance and other eligibility requirements.

An area of a Spanish city where vehicle access and circulation may be restricted based on emissions. Your vehicle’s DGT environmental classification or sticker (distintivo ambiental) helps identify its emissions category and may be used by municipalities when applying ZBE restrictions.