Moving to Spain from the USA: The 2026 Guide for Americans
Americans arrive on the Costa del Sol with a different set of questions than Europeans do. Not “can I live here?”, because the visa routes are open, but “what does this do to my taxes, my health cover and my driver's license?” Get those three right and the move feels light.
This guide covers moving to Spain from the USA end to end: the visa that fits how you earn, what the IRS still expects, how healthcare works, the driving licence rule, and what a home here actually costs. We are in Estepona and moved here from abroad ourselves, so the local part comes from daily life rather than a brochure.
The 90-day rule, and where it ends
Moving to Spain from the USA starts with a limit rather than a permit. As a US citizen you can enter Spain without a visa and stay 90 days in any rolling 180-day period in the Schengen area. Those days are now logged biometrically at the border, so the counting is automatic and exact. That is enough for a long holiday or a scouting trip. Anything beyond it needs a residence permit, applied for in the United States before you move.
Which visa fits you: non-lucrative or digital nomad?
Two visa routes cover almost every American move: one for living on your income, one for remote work.
Retiring to Spain: the non-lucrative visa
The classic route for Americans who live on a pension, Social Security, rental income or investments. You show that the money arrives reliably and is available to you, add private health cover and a clean record, and you may live here without working. The first permit runs one year, renews for two years at a time, and after five years of continuous legal residence you can apply for long-term residence.
Working remotely: the digital nomad visa
If you keep your US employer or your US clients, this is the route. It asks for 200% of the Spanish minimum wage, €2,849 a month in 2026, and lets freelancers earn up to 20% of their work from Spanish clients. For employees it can also open the special tax regime for new arrivals, which taxes employment income at a flat 24% up to €600,000 a year; the law links the visa to that regime only for employees, and whether it helps an American depends on the interaction with your US return, which is a question for an adviser who handles both systems. Our digital nomad visa guide sets out the income calculation, the documents and the application step by step.
The paperwork Americans need
- FBI identity history summary, apostilled by the US Department of State
- Medical certificate in the wording the consulate requires
- Proof of income or assets covering a full year
- Private health insurance policy valid in Spain, without co-payments
- Passport valid at least a year, with blank pages
- Sworn Spanish translations of everything that is not already in Spanish
Applications go to the Spanish consulate whose district covers your state, and consulate practice varies more in the United States than in Europe, so read your consulate's own checklist before you book anything. Book the appointment early and the rest follows.
Taxes: the part that stays American
This is where moving to Spain from the USA differs from every European move. The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income wherever they live, so you keep filing a federal return forever. Spain will tax you too, once you become resident here, and the two systems are reconciled rather than replaced.
What you keep filing at home
The federal return never goes away. Alongside it come two reporting duties that have nothing to do with owing tax and everything to do with disclosure: the FBAR for foreign accounts and Form 8938 for specified foreign assets. Both are filed on their own thresholds, and both are easy to set up once and repeat annually.
Against the Spanish tax you will pay, the foreign earned income exclusion and the foreign tax credit are the tools that stop the same income being taxed twice. Which of the two serves you better depends on whether your income is earned or passive and on how much Spanish tax you pay, and that is a calculation, not a preference.
| Obligation | Trigger |
|---|---|
| Federal tax return | always, as a US citizen, wherever you live |
| FBAR, FinCEN 114 | foreign accounts over $10,000 combined at any point in the year |
| Form 8938 | specified foreign assets above the thresholds for Americans abroad |
| Spanish return | once you are tax resident here, on worldwide income |
What Spain adds
Once you spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, or move the centre of your life here, you are a Spanish tax resident, taxed on worldwide income, and you must report assets held abroad on form 720 when a category passes €50,000. The US-Spain tax treaty and the foreign tax credit decide who taxes what and who gives credit for the other, and state taxes are their own question: some states let go of you easily, others want proof that you have left.
Hire one adviser who handles both systems, before you move. Then every credit lands in the right place.
Social Security and pensions
The United States and Spain have had a social security agreement since 1988. It stops you paying into both systems for the same work and lets credits from both count towards eligibility. It does not extend Medicare, which is the next point, and how your US pension and Social Security are taxed once you are resident here is exactly the sort of question the treaty settles case by case.
Finding an adviser who covers both sides
The simplest set-up is one firm that handles US citizens in Spain as its core work. It files both returns, agrees the order of filing and makes sure the credits line up between the two systems. The annual fee buys you a clean, coordinated picture every year.
One timing point: because Spain taxes first and the US credits afterwards, an extension in the States lets the Spanish figures be final before the federal return goes in.
Healthcare in Spain: private cover or the public convenio especial
Spain offers Americans three good routes to health cover. Medicare usually covers care only inside the United States, so Americans in Spain use one of these: private Spanish insurance, which is what most visa applicants take out anyway and which is markedly cheaper than the US equivalent; Spanish social security, if you work here; or the public convenio especial after a year on the padrón, at €60 a month under 65 and €157 from 65.
A common arrangement is to keep a minimal US policy for visits home and use Spanish private cover day to day. That decision deserves a proper conversation with an adviser, especially if you are close to 65.
What private cover looks like in practice
Spanish private policies are the ones visa applicants buy, and they are priced well below typical US premiums. Cover, waiting periods and whether co-payments apply vary between insurers, and a visa application needs a policy without co-payments, so check that clause when you compare.
If you are approaching 65, talk to an adviser about Medicare enrolment before you leave, so the timing of Part B is a deliberate choice.
Driving in Spain: six months on your US license, then a Spanish one
Your US license is valid for six months after you become resident in Spain. For the Spanish license you take the theory and practical tests, usually through a local driving school, and in a second language unless you sit the theory exam in English, which is offered.
Start in your first weeks and the new license is ready in good time. An international driving permit obtained before you leave the States smooths over the early period, but it does not extend that six-month limit.
The paperwork calendar for moving to Spain from the USA, from twelve months out
With a year of lead time, every step fits comfortably into the calendar.
- 12 months before Decide the route, work out which income you can evidence, and get a first opinion from an adviser who handles both tax systems.
- 9 months before Order the FBI identity history summary. By mail it can take months; an approved channeler returns it in days for a modest fee. Then send it for apostille at the US Department of State.
- 6 months before Book the consulate appointment for your state, arrange sworn translations, get quotes for private health cover.
- 3 months before Medical certificate, shipping quotes, and the vet appointments for the pet timeline.
- 1 month before Collect the visa in person, confirm the container date, tell your US bank you are moving.
- First month here Padrón, TIE appointment, Spanish bank account, school registration, driving school.
The two items to book first are the background check and the consulate appointment; both are bookable months ahead, and everything else fits around them.
Bringing the family, the dog and the furniture
Children and schools
School is compulsory in Spain from 6 to 16. Families choose between free state schools teaching in Spanish, semi-private concertado schools and private international schools. The coast between Marbella and Sotogrande has a good choice of international schools, including American and British curricula, which matters if your children may apply to US colleges later. Younger children usually settle into a Spanish school quickly; for teenagers mid-way through exams, an international school keeps the curriculum continuous.
Pets
A USDA-accredited veterinarian issues the EU health certificate and APHIS endorses it, and your pet must enter the EU within 10 days of that endorsement. The microchip must be implanted before the rabies vaccination, and the vaccination must be at least 21 days old when you travel. Book the vet and the endorsement early and follow the sequence, and the journey is straightforward.
Shipping your things
Used household goods that you owned and used before the move can normally be imported free of duty and import VAT when you transfer your residence to Spain, with an inventory and proof that you are moving. Movers who run the US-Spain route handle that paperwork routinely. Bring less than you think: homes here come with built-in wardrobes and terraces, and US appliances at 110 volts are the heaviest souvenirs you will ever ship.
Banking in Spain as an American: banks on the coast are used to FATCA
The larger Spanish banks and the international ones on this coast open accounts for US citizens routinely.
FATCA-ready banks
Under FATCA, banks outside the United States report accounts held by US persons to the IRS. The larger Spanish banks and the international ones here handle that as part of their normal process. Bring your passport, your NIE, proof of address and proof of income, and ask whether the branch regularly opens accounts for US clients.
What things actually cost here
Housing is the part we can put numbers on, because we track this market. On our own analysis, long-term rents in Estepona averaged about €21 per m² a month in August 2026, and owners pay the annual IBI property tax plus community fees for pools, gardens and lifts. Health cover is a pleasant line in the budget, because private Spanish policies are priced well below typical US premiums, and the public convenio especial is €60 a month under 65.
For the weekly shop, eating out and utilities your own basket decides, especially whether you keep buying American brands. What we can do is tell you exactly what a specific home costs to run, including its community fees, before you make an offer.
Staying for the long term: permanent residence after five years
After five years of legal residence, the income conditions fall away.
Permanent residence and citizenship
Five years of legal, continuous residence lead to long-term residence, which drops the income conditions. Spanish citizenship asks for ten years for US nationals, plus language and civics tests. One detail matters for Americans: Spanish law requires applicants to declare that they renounce their previous nationality at the oath ceremony. Spain treats that declaration as a formality of its own procedure, while the United States only regards citizenship as given up if you complete its own separate renunciation process. The two systems do not speak to each other, which is precisely why this deserves an immigration lawyer rather than a forum thread.
Visits home
Málaga airport is the practical anchor: 84 kilometres from Estepona, with connections onwards to the US east coast and a straightforward drive on the AP-7. Gibraltar airport, 45 kilometres to the west, adds flights to London, a convenient option for a stopover on the way to and from the States or for a weekend in Britain. Spring and autumn are the easy seasons to fly family out, when the coast is at its best and flights are usually cheaper than in August.
Buying here as an American
Nothing about the purchase requires residency, so you can buy before you move. You need an NIE, obtainable at the Spanish consulate for your state or at a police station here, a Spanish bank account, and an independent lawyer you choose yourself, not one suggested by the seller.
Costs follow the Andalusian pattern: a resale carries 7% transfer tax, a new build 10% VAT plus 1.2% stamp duty, and notary, registry and legal fees bring the total to roughly 10 to 13% above the price. Mortgages exist for non-residents at lower loan-to-value ratios, with more documentation, and US citizens should expect FATCA paperwork as part of the file.
If you buy while still living in the States, you are a non-resident owner: an annual form 210 at 24%, either on rental income or on a notional income for your own use. That changes the year you move here, when Spanish residents' rules take over.
Common questions from Americans moving to Spain
These four questions about the move each have a clear answer.
Can I keep working for my US employer?
Only on a permit that allows it. The non-lucrative visa is for living without work, and the digital nomad visa exists precisely for remote work, and your employer may need to provide a letter confirming the arrangement and that the company has been trading for at least a year.
What about my Social Security payments?
They can be paid to you abroad, and the agreement between the two countries since 1988 prevents you paying into both social security systems for the same work while letting credits count towards eligibility. How the payments are taxed once you live here is a treaty question, and one for your cross-border adviser rather than a rule of thumb.
Do I need to speak Spanish to buy?
No. Contracts can be signed with a sworn interpreter at the notary, and your lawyer explains the deed in English. You need Spanish for the life afterwards, not for the purchase.
Can I come and try it for a few months first?
Yes, within the 90 days in any 180-day period: a long spring or autumn, a rented apartment, the children in a summer school, a rental car. It is the best way to get to know the coast, and outside July and August you see the town as residents live it.
What is the international community like?
The coast has long-established British, Scandinavian, Dutch and German communities alongside the Spanish neighbours. For Americans that means a Spanish town with an international layer, where English is widely spoken.
Where American buyers settle
On the western Costa del Sol, Estepona offers the version of Spain many Americans look for: warm most of the year, walkable, safe and close to an airport with good connections home.
Estepona has almost 80,000 residents, a restored old town where the white alleys are hung with flowers, 21 kilometres of coastline and a promenade you can walk for an hour. Málaga airport is 84 kilometres away on the AP-7 and connects onwards to the US east coast; Gibraltar is 45 kilometres in the other direction. Marbella is half an hour up the road when you want it, and priced accordingly. An apartment in Estepona is an easy first home, with a house as a later option once you know the town.
A town that is investing in itself
Estepona is growing and investing, which is part of why Americans feel at home quickly. The town grew from around 67,000 residents in 2016 to almost 80,000 in 2025, an increase of 19.4%. According to the town hall, Estepona has fully repaid an inherited debt of more than €300 million and is investing around €27 million in its 2026 budget, the highest in its history. Recent projects include a town-funded hospital for €15 million, a coastal path of more than 21 kilometres for walking and cycling, and the new Bulevar Parque Central in the centre. For a family arriving from the States, that means new infrastructure, year-round services and neighbours who live here all year.
New Build prices against Marbella
On our own survey of 18 September 2026, New Builds in Estepona had a median asking price of €5,145 per m², against €7,491 in our Marbella market area, around 31% less. At the median, €500,000 buys around 97 m² of New Build in Estepona and around 67 m² in Marbella, on the same coast and with the same airport. Estepona also has the largest New Build supply on the western Costa del Sol, with 840 priced homes in 118 projects on that date. For owners who let their home while they travel, the numbers work too: the gross rental yield on Resales in Estepona was 5.05% in August 2026, against 4.75% in Marbella, and the public Resale index in Estepona rose by 194.1% over ten years. These are past figures, not a forecast, but they show a market with solid, year-round demand behind it.
What homes cost here
On our own market analysis, resale asking prices in Estepona stood at around €5,000 per m² in August 2026, after a rise of roughly 98% over five years, and long-term rents averaged about €21 per m² a month. In September 2026 new builds in the town were asking only about 3% more per m² than resales. Those are past figures for a whole town rather than a forecast for one apartment, and they show why a new development is such an attractive choice.
Why a new build suits a move from the States
Distance is the argument, and it is the one thing moving to Spain from the USA never removes. Managing a renovation from Texas or New York means trusting photographs, time zones and a contractor you cannot drop in on. A home under construction runs to a schedule and a specification, your payments are secured by a bank guarantee, and the months you spend on the consulate appointment, the apostilles and the shipping are the months the building needs anyway. You land, and the home is finished.
New homes in Estepona
Your US account and a Spanish one: moving money smoothly
Keep your US account, open a Spanish one, and move money at the best rate.
Keep the US account, open a Spanish one
Tell your American bank and brokerage you are moving before you go, so your accounts keep running smoothly with a foreign address. On this side, open a Spanish account early: rent, utilities, community fees and the notary all run through it, and the non-residency certificate the bank arranges takes a few days rather than minutes.
Moving dollars at the best rate
On a six-figure transfer, a specialist's rate can make a real difference against your bank's default rate, and the same applies every month once a pension or salary arrives. Compare the all-in rate rather than the advertised one, and decide before completion day rather than on the morning the money has to be with the notary.
Life on the Costa del Sol: what Americans gain
The move brings sunshine most of the year, a walkable town and a slower, social rhythm. Every move also has a list of things you will miss, and it helps to write it down before you go. Typical candidates: the convenience of everything being open late and delivered tomorrow, college sports, a healthcare system you already know, and friends who understand the jokes. The other side of the list is worth writing too: what you hope to leave behind, whether that is a long commute, car dependency or a calendar that runs your life. If the second list is longer, you are probably moving for the right reasons.
The practical version of that adjustment is smaller than it sounds. Shops close in the afternoon in the old town and the big supermarkets do not. Dinner starts late, and nobody minds if you eat at seven. None of it is hard, and within a season it feels like home.
The language question
You can live on this coast in English, and Spanish makes it richer: it opens the market stalls, the neighbours, the town hall and the doctor, and the difference between tourist and resident is roughly the difference between ordering food and asking a question. A few hours a week before the move is a good start, continued here, where a language school costs a fraction of what a US tutor charges.
Moving to Spain from the USA: your first months here
Five steps in your first weeks and you are settled.
- Apply for the TIE within one month of arriving, at the foreigners' office or a police station. Book the appointment as soon as you have your address.
- Register on the padrón at the town hall. You need it for the card, for schools and for the convenio especial clock to start.
- Open a Spanish bank account and set up direct debits for utilities, IBI and community fees.
- Start the driving licence process in the first weeks.
- Line up both tax returns for the first year, Spanish and US, with an adviser who sees the whole picture.
Frequently asked questions
Is moving to Spain from the USA realistic in 2026?
Yes. Moving to Spain from the USA works through a residence permit: US citizens can visit for 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa, and anything longer needs a residence permit. The routes Americans use most are the non-lucrative visa for retirees and people living on savings, and the digital nomad visa for remote workers.
How much money do Americans need for a Spanish visa?
The non-lucrative visa asks for €2,400 a month (€28,800 a year) plus €600 a month per family member. The digital nomad visa asks for €2,849 a month in 2026. Both also require private health insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain.
Do Americans still pay US taxes while living in Spain?
Yes. The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income wherever they live, so you keep filing a federal return. The foreign earned income exclusion (up to $132,900 for 2026) and the foreign tax credit exist to stop you being taxed twice, and the US-Spain tax treaty settles the rest. Foreign accounts also bring FBAR and possibly Form 8938 reporting.
Does Medicare work in Spain?
No. Medicare usually does not cover health care outside the United States, with only narrow exceptions. In Spain you use private insurance, Spanish social security if you work here, or the public convenio especial after a year on the padrón, which costs €60 a month under 65 and €157 from 65.
Can I drive in Spain with my US license?
For six months after you become resident, yes. After that you take the Spanish theory and practical tests, with the theory exam available in English. When moving to Spain from the USA, start with a local driving school in your first weeks.
Can Americans buy property in Spain?
Yes, with no restriction and no residence permit required. You need an NIE number, a Spanish bank account and your own independent lawyer. Since the investor visa closed in April 2025, buying a home no longer gives you residency, so the purchase and the visa run as two separate projects.
How do I bring my dog or cat from the USA to Spain?
A USDA-accredited veterinarian issues the EU health certificate and APHIS endorses it; your pet must enter the EU within 10 days of that endorsement. The microchip goes in before the rabies vaccination, and the vaccination must be at least 21 days old at travel.
Where do Americans live on the Costa del Sol?
Between Marbella and Sotogrande, and Estepona is an excellent choice when moving to Spain from the USA: almost 80,000 residents, a restored old town, 21 km of coast, international schools nearby, and Málaga airport 84 km away for connections back to the States.
Sources & official links
- IRS – Foreign earned income exclusion (checked 20.09.2026)
- IRS – Comparison of Form 8938 and FBAR requirements (checked 20.09.2026)
- Medicare – Travel outside the U.S. (checked 20.09.2026)
- Social Security Administration – Totalization agreement with Spain (checked 20.09.2026)
- DGT – Countries with a driving licence exchange agreement (checked 20.09.2026)
- USDA APHIS – Pet travel from the United States to Spain (checked 20.09.2026)
- Consulate General of Spain in London – Non-lucrative residence visa requirements (PDF) (checked 20.09.2026)
- Spanish Ministry of Inclusion (UGE) – International remote workers (checked 20.09.2026)
- Plataforma One (Spanish government) – Abolition of the investor visa (checked 20.09.2026)
- Agencia Tributaria – Non-resident income tax (checked 20.09.2026)
