Spain: Do It Yourself - A Practical Guide to Getting Started

Moving to Spain? Spend less time guessing which form you need - and more time enjoying the place you came for.

Spain: Do It Yourself - A Practical Guide to Getting Started is a plain-English guide by Ryszard Kidon, a Polish resident of Andalusia who helps others navigate everyday life and paperwork in Spain.

Written with practical detail and a sense of humour, this international English adaptation brings together fifteen chapters on the tasks that often stand between arriving in Spain and feeling settled.

INSIDE THE GUIDE

- Getting an NIE and understanding what it does - and does not - prove.

- Obtaining an FNMT digital certificate.

- Registering your real address on the padrón.

- Starting as autónomo and understanding the two registration tracks.

- Navigating Modelo 036, including the important tax non-resident distinction.

- Choosing an account for personal life and self-employment.

- Understanding social security, RETA and family healthcare beneficiaries.

- Registering for a public healthcare card in Andalusia.

- Requesting a Spanish European Health Insurance Card for temporary travel.

- Issuing your first invoice, with clear VAT and withholding examples.

- Buying a new or Spanish-registered used car.

- Booking public and private healthcare.

- Understanding the EU permanent-residence route, with a real family experience.

- Looking for a genuine year-round rental and checking it before paying.

- Taking a well-earned break from the paperwork.

INCLUDED BONUS

A Spanish-English educational residential tenancy agreement, with eighteen clauses, a handover and inventory record, and an end-of-tenancy settlement record. It is included as an appendix in the book. A standalone printable edition is also sold separately in this store.

WHO IS IT FOR?

English-speaking readers planning a move to Spain or organising their first steps after arrival, especially EU citizens considering life or self-employment in Andalusia.

The guide distinguishes EU/EEA/Swiss-related routes from situations requiring a different immigration permission. British and other non-EU readers should check their own residence and work route; this is not a complete visa handbook for every nationality.

National procedures are explained alongside clearly identified Andalusian healthcare and regional examples. For another Spanish region, use the relevant local rules and services.

WHAT YOU RECEIVE

- The English-language PDF ebook, with a clickable contents page and links to official starting points.

- A digital download; no physical book will be shipped.

ABOUT THE EDITION

First English edition, October 2026. Adapted from the author's Polish series “Jak to zrobić beze mnie?” with international examples, streamlined text and the original sense of humour. This is an edited adaptation rather than a line-for-line translation. The text and cover were prepared with AI assistance.

Forms, fees, products and laws can change. Check the current official requirements before applying, paying or signing. This guide is educational and is not individual legal, tax, immigration or medical advice. The tenancy model must be completed, adapted and checked for the actual property and applicable law.

Less confusion. Better preparation. A little more time for Spain.