Moving to Zaragoza: the steps, from official sources
The steps newcomers take in Zaragoza, Aragón, grouped by topic, each with the official page that confirms it. Your own order depends on your passport and visa: build your plan in the guide to get it.
Figures: INE: Official padrón population figures by municipality (table 29005) · INE: Annual population census: population by nationality (table 66323) · Tax Agency: Housing declared in income tax 2024: rent and yield for municipalities over 20,000 people (new contracts) · Ministry of Health: Catálogo Nacional de Hospitales 2025
Your plan for Zaragoza, in your order. Documents, offices, hours and fees for each step, for your passport and visa.
Build my plan for ZaragozaSteps in Zaragoza
ID & numbers
Obtain a NIE (foreigner identification number)
The NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is the personal, unique number that identifies a foreigner in all Spanish administrative, tax, work and social dealings; if you do not already have one, you request it from…
Residency
Obtain the TIE residence card
The TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) is the plastic card that proves a non-EU foreigner’s legal residence in Spain; you must apply for it in person at the police documentation unit within one month of arriving…
Register as an EU citizen resident in Spain
EU/EEA/Swiss citizens who stay in Spain more than three months apply in person at the foreigners' office or police station for the 'certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión', a paper certificate that shows their…
Book a cita previa for extranjería / police appointments
Immigration and foreigner-ID procedures handled by the National Police or the foreigners' office (NIE, TIE fingerprints, EU registration and others) require an advance appointment booked through the state’s online 'Cita…
City hall
Register at your town hall (padrón)
The padrón is your town council’s register of the people who live in the municipality.
Register on the municipal padrón (alta)
The padrón is Zaragoza’s register of residents; a new registration (alta) must be done in person at the ORC in Plaza del Pilar or a junta municipal with ID and proof of address.
Get a padrón volante or certificate
A volante de empadronamiento can be downloaded online (Cl@ve/digital certificate) or requested at the ORC, a junta or on 010; a certificado is a separate, slower signed document.
Get a Tarjeta Ciudadana
Free city card for people on the Zaragoza padrón; unifies municipal services such as libraries and can be used on urban and interurban transport.
Health
Book a GP appointment in Aragón
Primary-care appointments are booked through the Salud Informa online procedure for users with a health card.
Find or change your health center / GP in Aragón
You are assigned a family doctor or pediatrician and can request a change through an in-person procedure.
Get your vaccines in Spain
Spain’s public health system offers a national vaccination calendar for every age, plus a yearly flu and COVID-19 campaign each autumn.
Get vaccinated in Aragón (seasonal campaign and appointments)
How to get the autumn flu and COVID-19 shots in Aragón and where to find the regional vaccination pages.
Digital ID
Get a Spanish mobile number (prepaid SIM or contract)
You can get a Spanish mobile number with a prepaid SIM or a monthly contract; by law operators must record the buyer’s identity from a DNI, passport or residence card, so a foreign passport is a valid document for…
Get home internet (fiber contract, permanence and your rights)
Home internet in Spain is normally a fiber (or cable) contract with a telecom operator, often bundled with mobile lines, which may include a minimum-commitment (permanencia) clause; users have defined rights on…
Obtain an FNMT digital certificate
The FNMT 'certificado de ciudadano' is a free electronic certificate that lets you sign and log in to Spanish public services; you request it online, prove your identity in person at an accreditation office (or by paid…
Register for Cl@ve (electronic ID for government services)
Cl@ve is the Spanish state’s shared login system for online government services (Agencia Tributaria, Social Security, DGT, many others); foreigners with a NIE can register online with an invitation letter or electronic…
Getting around
Set up Zaragoza’s official apps
Zaragoza’s council lists four mobility apps on its own apps page: Bizi (bike share), Zaragoza Rutas (public transport routes), Zaragoza Estaziona (parking information) and Zaragoza Apparca (managing your parking from…
Bizi bike share
Bizi Zaragoza has 2,500 bikes at 276 stations; annual pass 60 euros, monthly 10 euros.
Utilities
Pay your household bills in Spain
Most household bills in Spain are paid by direct debit from a Spanish bank account.
Pay your household bills in Zaragoza
In Zaragoza, water is a City Council service with its own municipal water office, and the water, sewerage and rubbish collection charges come on one joint bill.
Emergencies
Report a crime (denuncia)
You report a crime (make a denuncia) at a Policía Nacional station or a Guardia Civil post, or start some reports online and then sign them at the station.
Education
Enroll a child in school in Aragón
Aragón runs a centralized online admission process for public and concertada schools, with a fixed spring window and a separate route for out-of-period applications.
Family
Register a birth in Spain
Every birth in Spain must be registered in the Registro Civil.
Money
Open a Spanish bank account
A Spanish (euro, IBAN) bank account is what you need for rent, direct-debited utilities, salary, Bizum and everyday card payments; any legal resident of the EU also has a legal right to a low-fee 'cuenta de pago básica'…
Keep up US obligations while living abroad (taxes, FBAR, voting, benefits)
US citizens must generally keep filing US tax returns and report foreign accounts from abroad, can vote absentee through FVAP, and can usually keep receiving US Social Security payments overseas.
Pay government immigration fees (Modelo 790 tasas)
State immigration fees are paid with the self-assessment form Modelo 790: código 012 for police documents such as the NIE, TIE and EU certificate, and código 052 for residence-authorization procedures; you generate the…
Set up Bizum for instant mobile payments
Bizum is Spain’s bank-run mobile payment system that links your phone number to your Spanish bank account so you can send, request and receive money in seconds, pay in some shops and online, and donate, all through your…
Leisure
Get a municipal library card
Free card (carné de socio) valid two years (renewable) at all municipal libraries (23 neighborhood libraries, Cubit youth library and Bibliobús), issued at any library or bibliobús stop with official ID or Tarjeta…
Pets
Dog microchip and regional registry in Aragón
All dogs must be identified by microchip implanted by a licensed vet, registered in Aragón’s registry (RIACA).
Register your dog
Zaragoza keeps a canine census handled via a veterinarian; potentially dangerous dogs need a license and registration within 15 days of the license.
Good to know in Zaragoza
- Bulky items, punto limpio and mobile recycling
- Consumer office (OMIC)
- Fiestas del Pilar and city events
- Grocery shopping in Zaragoza
- Immigrant information: Casa de las Culturas and Programa de Acogida
- Learn Spanish at the official language school (EOI nº 1) in Zaragoza
- Municipal markets
- Municipal nurseries (escuelas infantiles 0-3)
- Municipal sports: indoor pool pass (abono)
- Resident parking card in regulated zones
- Ride the city bus and tram (fares and passes)
- Social services first contact
- Use Zaragoza citizen-service offices and 010
Also: Aragón · All of Spain
Topics: ID & numbers · Residency · City hall · Health · Work · Digital ID · Getting around · Housing · Utilities · Education · Family · Money · Legal · Taxes