Citizens of the European Union, European Economic Area, and Switzerland use Spain's EU free-movement registration route. For residence beyond the short-stay period, the person registers in the Registro Central de Extranjeros and receives a certificate showing their name, nationality, Spanish address, NIE, and registration date.
What is the application order?
Register your real address with the ayuntamiento on the padrón. Then book an in-person appointment with the Oficina de Extranjería or authorised police station in the province where you live.
Submit form EX-18 within the official registration period after entering Spain. Bring a valid passport or national identity card, padrón evidence required locally, and proof of the applicable fee. The office issues the registration certificate when the application is accepted.
The certificate is often called the CUE or the green certificate. It is not the same as the plastic TIE issued under non-EU routes, and it may need to be shown with your passport or national identity card.
How do you prove the right to reside?
The evidence depends on your real basis. An employee can show employment or Social Security evidence. A self-employed person can show registration connected to their activity. A student needs recognised enrolment, comprehensive health cover, and the required resource declaration or evidence.
A person who is not working or studying must show sufficient resources and comprehensive public or private health insurance covering Spain. Officials assess resources for the person and accompanying family rather than applying one document to every household.
Do not buy a basic travel policy without checking whether it meets the comprehensive-cover requirement. Likewise, a bank balance does not replace health evidence where both are required.
How do family members fit into the process?
An EU, EEA, or Swiss family member normally registers through the same EU framework but may need civil-status and dependency documents linking them to the main applicant.
A non-EU family member does not receive the green EU citizen certificate. They apply for the residence card of a family member of an EU citizen using the route and form for that status. Marriage, partnership, birth, custody, or dependency documents may need legalisation or accepted translation.
Keep family records consistent across the padrón and immigration applications. A shared address alone does not prove every required legal relationship.
Common misconceptions
One misconception is that an EU passport removes all registration duties for a long-term move. Free movement simplifies residence but still requires Spanish registration when the stay crosses the relevant period. Another is that a standalone NIE certificate completes EU residence registration.
It is also wrong to send a non-EU spouse to an EX-18 appointment as if nationality did not change the route.
Summary
Join the padrón, book the correct Central Register appointment, and submit EX-18 with identity, fee, and evidence for work, self-employment, study, or sufficient resources and health cover.
Use the green certificate with your identity document and keep its address details current. It proves EU residence registration, while the NIE printed on it is only the identifier.
Sources
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