Moving to Logroño: the steps, from official sources
The steps newcomers take in Logroño, La Rioja, 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 Logroño, in your order. Documents, offices, hours and fees for each step, for your passport and visa.
Build my plan for LogroñoSteps in Logroño
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 Logroño padrón (empadronamiento)
Register your address with the Ayuntamiento de Logroño’s Estadística department, which manages the padrón (alta, change of address, baja, certificates).
Get a padrón volante or certificate in Logroño
Obtain a certificate or volante de empadronamiento from the Logroño Estadística department; the sede lists a 'Volante de empadronamiento (padrón)' procedure.
Set up Logroño’s official apps
Logroño has a council city app, Logroño.es, a Logroño Bus app for the city bus, and the Bicilog public bikes, which you use through the Nextbike Bicilog app.
Health
Book a GP appointment in La Rioja (cita previa)
Book your family doctor, pediatrician or nurse by web, Riojasalud app or phone.
Find or change your health center and GP in La Rioja
Rioja Salud assigns your centro de salud and doctor by Zona Basica de Salud (by home address); a move can change your 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 La Rioja (seasonal campaign and appointments)
How La Rioja runs the autumn flu and COVID-19 campaign, by stage, and where to book.
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
Use Bicilog public bikes and bike parking in Logroño
Logroño’s public bike system is BICILOG; CicLOpark secure bike parking is bookable by monthly/annual pass.
Utilities
Pay your household bills in Logroño
In Logroño the council runs the water service itself and bills water, rubbish and sewerage in one fee every six months.
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 in La Rioja
School places for Infantil (4-5), Primaria, ESO and Bachillerato are requested through the Racima platform in spring, with a separate route for arrivals after the ordinary process.
Get a Logroño library card (Biblioteca Rafael Azcona)
The municipal Biblioteca Rafael Azcona issues a free, personal card for borrowing books, films, music or games; there are three reading points (Bibliopiscina, La Rosaleda, La Pajarera).
Family
Register a birth in Spain
Every birth in Spain must be registered in the Registro Civil.
Apply for a municipal nursery (escuela infantil) in Logroño
Logroño has four municipal escuelas infantiles (Casa Cuna, El Arco, El Cubo, Chispita) with 439 places; preinscription for 2026-27 ran 15-30 April 2026 (press), with 2025 dates the same.
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
Join Logroño municipal sports (Logroño Deporte)
Logroño Deporte runs municipal facilities and activities; tariffs are in a PDF and bookings online.
Pets
Dog microchip and regional pet registry in La Rioja
Authorized clinic vets enter pet identification data into the regional animal registry run by the regional government.
Register and walk your dog in Logroño
Dogs in Logroño must be registered (censados) and microchipped with preventive treatments up to date; the city has fenced dog zones and timed release areas.
Good to know in Logroño
- Consumer help at Logroño OMIC
- Find Logroño social services and migrant support
- Grocery shopping in Logroño
- Logroño fiestas: San Mateo and San Bernabé
- Park in regulated ORA zones in Logroño
- Recycle and dispose of bulky items in Logroño (puntos limpios)
- Ride the Logroño urban bus and buy a bonobús
- Shop at Mercado de San Blas
- Take a taxi in Logroño
- Use Logroño citizen-service offices, 010 and cita previa
Also: La Rioja · All of Spain
Topics: ID & numbers · Residency · City hall · Health · Work · Digital ID · Getting around · Housing · Utilities · Education · Family · Money · Legal · Taxes