Moving to Alicante: the steps, from official sources
The steps newcomers take in Alicante, Comunitat Valenciana, 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 Alicante, in your order. Documents, offices, hours and fees for each step, for your passport and visa.
Build my plan for AlicanteSteps in Alicante
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 Alicante padrón (alta)
Register your address with the Ayuntamiento de Alicante (empadronamiento) in person at an OAC with cita previa, or online with a digital certificate or electronic DNI.
Get an Alicante padrón certificate (volante / informe)
Obtain a padrón certificate or informe: immediately at a ciberkiosco (no appointment, with electronic DNI or Tarjeta Ciudadana de Alicante), by cita previa at an OAC or Junta de Distrito, online with an electronic…
Renew your padrón registration every two years (non-EU without long-term residence)
Non-EU foreigners without long-term residence must renew their padrón registration every two years or it lapses; the city writes to you before expiry.
Set up Alicante’s official apps
Alicante City Council runs two apps: Tú Haces Alicante for reporting street-cleaning and waste problems and requesting bulky-item pickup, and Alicante se mueve for bus arrival times, parking spaces and traffic.
Health
Book a GP appointment (cita previa)
Book, check or cancel primary-care appointments in the Conselleria’s official app or by phoning your health center.
Find or change your health center / GP
You can choose or change your family doctor or health center (libre elección) at any time of the year; the Conselleria answers within 15 business days.
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 Comunitat Valenciana (seasonal campaign and appointments)
How the Conselleria de Sanidad runs the 2026-2027 autumn flu and COVID-19 campaign in phases, and where to find the regional vaccination calendar.
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…
Utilities
Pay your household bills in Alicante
In Alicante, water is supplied by Aguas de Alicante.
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.
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…
Legal
Get a criminal record certificate from every country you lived in
Adults applying for a long-stay visa usually need a criminal record certificate from each country they lived in during the last five years, with a Hague Apostille and a sworn Spanish translation.
Leisure
Get a library card (Red Municipal de Bibliotecas)
Free reader card from any municipal library; valid across the Valencian public reading network.
Pets
Dog microchip and RIVIA registry
Dogs in the Valencian Community must be microchipped by an authorized vet and registered in RIVIA, the regional animal ID registry.
Register your dog in the municipal pet census
Dogs must be entered in the Censo Municipal within 30 days of microchipping if they spend over three months a year in Alicante.
Good to know in Alicante
- Contact municipal social services (Servicios Sociales / CAS)
- Contact the OMIC consumer office
- Enroll a child in a municipal nursery (0-3)
- Get help at an immigrant information office (PANGEA)
- Grocery shopping in Alicante
- Hogueras de San Juan and local holidays
- Parking in Alicante (ORA regulated zones)
- Ride Alicante city buses (TAM / Móbilis)
- Rubbish, recycling, bulky items and ecoparques
- Use Alicante’s citizen service offices (OAC) and 010 / cita previa
- Use municipal sports facilities and pools
Also: Comunitat Valenciana · All of Spain
Topics: ID & numbers · Residency · City hall · Health · Work · Digital ID · Getting around · Housing · Utilities · Education · Family · Money · Legal · Taxes