Moving to Spain: Checklist and What's The Costs in 2025

Moving to Spain: What's The Costs (2025 Edition)

Relocating to Spain from the UK is an exciting step but it's also a significant logistical and financial undertaking. Beyond just the purchase price of your Spanish property, you’ll face a series of one-off and recurring costs and who can you trust to take your whole life from one country to another?

Here’s a breakdown of what to expect—and how to plan smartly.

Move to Spain Checklist and Costs, Key Cost Categories (With Average Estimates)

Category	Average Cost (€)	Notes
International Removals	€4,000 to €6000	Varies by volume and destination
Storage (UK or Spain)	€800	Monthly; temporary or long-term
Pet Transport	€1,000 to €2500	Varies by size, carrier, and airline
Vehicle Shipping/Registration	€1,200	Includes re-registration fees
Travel & Temporary Accommodation	€1,000	Hotels or rentals until move-in
Legal & Notary Fees	€1,500	Spanish lawyer + notary
Visa/Residency Applications	€500	Non-EU applicants: NLV or Golden Visa
Currency Exchange Fees via Bank	€600	€0 by using Keycurrency broker
Home Setup (Utilities, Furniture)	€2,000	Initial costs after move-in

Total Estimated Moving Costs: €10,000–€15,000 (excluding property purchase)

Essential Things to Remember

Before the Move:

• Apply for NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) early

• Sort out long-term visas (e.g., Non-Lucrative Visa or Golden Visa for retirees and investors)

• Sell, store or ship belongings

• Notify UK institutions (GP, HMRC, DVLA, pension provider)

• Set up international bank accounts or Spanish accounts

During the Move:

• Choose a reliable removals company with EU experience

• Plan for pet documentation and vaccinations

• Consider furniture storage in the UK or Spain if your home isn’t ready

• Bring copies of key documents (passport, health insurance, visa, deeds)

After Arrival:

• Finalise your empadronamiento (local registration)

• Switch on utilities (may require direct debits)

• Register for healthcare (public or private)

• Register at your local town hall (Padron)

• Make a new Spanish Will

• Update UK pensions or investments for international payment

Key Tips for Physical Relocation

What to Prepare:

• Decide what to ship, store, or sell

• Ensure insurance covers goods in transit

• Book removals company early (especially in summer months)

• Use certified pet relocation agents for dogs and cats and get your Pet Passport and vaccinated

• Secure a rental or hotel for your first weeks in Spain

  
  

How Spanish Prime Property Helps

A complex relocation like this is far smoother with expert support. Spanish Prime Property works closely with:

• Removals and Storage specialists (Premier Move), for full-service UK–Spain transport, Storage in Spain and the UK and they regularly go back and forth between the two countries

• Currency brokers (like KeyCurrency) to reduce transfer losses to €0

• imont legal for: Property purchase, Visa/legal advisors for residency, notary processing and wills

• Furniture & interior providers for new home setup

Whether you're downsizing, retiring, or relocating your entire family, we are here help at every step.

Move to Spain Checklist

Would you like a printable checklist to help you organise your move from the UK to Spain? ​​

Move to Spain Checklist.pdf

Download PDF • 69KB

		Moving Abroad Checklist by www.spanishprimeproperty.com Take the stress out of moving, we can help you with every step of the process.
UK	Place of work	inform your place of work
UK	Removals	book an experienced international removal team well in advance for storage and transport
UK	Car	sell your UK car (large import duty will be paid on any car coming into Spain)
UK	Car Insurance	cancel your UK car insurance
UK	Car Tax	cancel your UK car tax renewal (you can also get a refund on any outstanding months)
UK	House Insurance	cancel your UK house insurance
UK	Mortgage	plan your mortgage home and abroad
UK	Currency Exchange	plan ahead and think about how you will move your money across
UK	Internet	cancel your UK internet
UK	Mobile	cancel your mobile phone (you can only have a UK mobile number for a max 3-6 months)
UK	Utilities	cancel your gas and electric and water supply
UK	Doctors	inform your doctors
UK	Dentist	inform your dentist
UK	NHS	get your NHS EU HEALTH CARD; GHIC Card
UK	TAX	inform HMRC (fill out the P85 form)
UK	Bank	inform your bank you are moving abroad, (may want to keep your UK bank account but it is not always possible) check and cancel direct debits
UK	Pensions	inform your pension provider of your new address and bank details
UK	Council	inform the council of your move, and cancel any council tax direct debits
UK	Pet	get your pet fully vaccinated and arrange for the pet passport
UK	Subscriptions	cancel any subscriptions, Newspaper, Magazines, (Netflix, Amazon will only work for a maximum of 3 months in Spain)
Spain	NIE	get your NIE (a type of national insurance number)
Spain	Bank	get a Spanish bank account
Spain	Health insurance	get health insurance (make sure you get one with "no co-payments" for residency purposes)
Spain	Mortgage	arrange for an international mortgage
Spain	New Address	new address abroad
Spain	House Insurance	get Spanish house insurance
Spain	Utilities	arrange for your property to be connected to gas and electric and water supply
Spain	Internet	get Spanish internet (you maybe able to get a package with mobile)
Spain	Mobile	get a Spanish mobile number
Spain	Car	buy a Spanish car
Spain	Car Insurance	get Spanish car insurance
Spain	Drivers License	get a new Spanish drivers lisence as your UK one is only valid six months
Spain	TAX	register in the TAX system
Spain	Pet	get your pet insured in Spain and find your local vets
Spain	Subscriptions	get new subscriptions for Netflix and Amazon
Spain	Facebook	update your address on facebook, (facebook is the best way to find out whats happening in your new area, find your local activities and make new friends)
	Our Partners	Contact Spanish Prime Property to speak to any of our partners
	imont Legal	Free Consultation Complete Legal Assistance For Purchase and Sale of Real Estate International Tax Planning Wills and Inheritance Legal advice and defence in court Consultancy services for companies and self-employed workers NIE, Golden Visa and Nomad Visa and immigration
	Pomerol Legal	Real Estate TAX Immigration
	KeyCurrency	Free Quotation NO FEE EXCHANGE Personal one to one assistant Best Exchange Rates on the market Fully regulated by the FCA
	Fluent Finance Abroad	Fluent Finance Abroad are a specialist mortgage broker who will get you the best deal from the whole of the market and specialise in dealing as an in-between different countries such as the UK/ Belgium/ Germany/ Holland to Spain. As a broker they get the best rates and are much quicker at responding to you directly over other companies, and saving you more money.
	Premier Move	Free Quotation Free Storage For All Removals We Accommodate All Job Sizes Own and Operate a Large Fleet Of Vehicles Goods are Transported in Our Own Vehicles Fully Insured Service for Your Peace of Mind Safely Transported Deliveries that Build Trust Dedicated Team to Handle Removals Like a Pro Removal Transportation is Available to and from UK, Holland, Spain, Portugal, Germany and France