Moving to Badajoz: the steps, from official sources
The steps newcomers take in Badajoz, Extremadura, 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 Badajoz, in your order. Documents, offices, hours and fees for each step, for your passport and visa.
Build my plan for BadajozSteps in Badajoz
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 Badajoz padrón (alta)
Register your address with the Ayuntamiento de Badajoz (empadronamiento) by appointment, using the signed hoja padronal plus ID and proof of address.
Get a padrón volante or certificate in Badajoz
Volantes de empadronamiento are issued in person on showing ID; formal certificates are requested with the general application form.
Set up Badajoz’s official apps
Badajoz has three official apps: App Ciudad Badajoz for city information, aBisa for reporting non-urgent problems, and the Tubasa app for the city buses.
Health
Book a GP appointment (cita previa)
Book primary-care appointments online (Centro de Salud Online / CSOnline app) or by the free phone line.
Find or change your health center and GP
After getting the card you are assigned a GP, nurse (and pediatrician for children) at the health center for your home address, and you can request changes at that center.
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 Extremadura (seasonal campaign and appointments)
How the Servicio Extremeño de Salud runs the 2026-2027 flu and COVID-19 campaign and where to find the regional 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 Badajoz
In Badajoz, the council lists Aqualia as the water supplier, with an office in Plaza de España.
Pay your household bills in Spain
Most household bills in Spain are paid by direct debit from a Spanish bank account.
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
Admission to publicly funded Infantil, Primaria, ESO and Bachillerato is requested through the Rayuela platform in a spring window, with enrollment in July.
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
Join municipal sports and pools (Fundación Municipal de Deportes)
The FMD runs municipal facilities, courses and a user card; bookings and inscriptions are online.
Join the municipal library network
Badajoz has 6 municipal libraries and 5 reading agencies in outlying villages, with Santa Ana as network head.
Pets
Dog microchip and RIACE registry
Dogs, cats and ferrets must be identified by a microchip implanted by a licensed vet and recorded in RIACE, Extremadura’s companion-animal registry.
Register your dog in the Badajoz census
Domestic animals are registered with the Registro General or online with a photocopy of the updated vet card.
Good to know in Badajoz
- Badajoz fiestas: Carnaval and Feria de San Juan
- Consumer complaints (OMIC) in Badajoz
- Contact municipal social services (IMSS)
- Contact the Ayuntamiento and book a cita previa
- Grocery shopping in Badajoz
- Sort household rubbish and the brown bin (FORM)
- Use Badajoz city buses (Tubasa)
- Use the Badajoz Punto Limpio (bulky items)
- Use the municipal immigrant support service
Also: Extremadura · All of Spain
Topics: ID & numbers · Residency · City hall · Health · Work · Digital ID · Getting around · Housing · Utilities · Education · Family · Money · Legal · Taxes