EU, EEA and Swiss citizens
No visa. For stays over three months you apply for the EU registration certificate within three months of arrival, provided you are working, studying or have sufficient resources and health cover. The certificate shows your NIE; the fee is €12 (Policía Nacional (opens in a new tab); fees (opens in a new tab)). The NIE can also be requested separately and earlier, for example to buy a property, but on its own it is not a residence document.
For Mijas residents, the National Police office is the Comisaría de Fuengirola at Avenida Conde San Isidro 98, whose listed services include NIE allocation, TIE issuance and EU registration, by appointment (Policía Nacional, office list (opens in a new tab); appointments (opens in a new tab)).
Registering on Mijas’s municipal roll (empadronamiento) is a separate step, at the town hall’s citizen-service offices in Mijas Pueblo (Avenida Virgen de la Peña 2), Las Lagunas (Calle Río Adra 25) or La Cala (Bulevar de La Cala), by appointment, or through its electronic registry (Ayuntamiento de Mijas (opens in a new tab); appointments (opens in a new tab)). It records where you actually live and it is needed for many local services. It is not a residence permit and not the same as tax residence.
Everyone else
Buying property no longer gives you residence. Spain’s Golden Visa closed to new applications on 3 April 2025 under Organic Law 1/2025. Applications made before then, permits already granted and their renewals follow a transitional regime. A great deal of older material online still says otherwise.
Two routes relevant to many non-EU buyers:
- Non-lucrative residence, for people with sufficient means who will not work: in 2026, €2,400 a month, €28,800 a year for a single applicant, with €600 a month more per family member, plus qualifying public or private health cover. The funds do not have to come from a pension. The permit does not authorise work of any kind, including remote work, while it is held.
- Digital nomad visa, for people working remotely for employers or clients outside Spain: in 2026, €34,188 a year for the main applicant, equivalent to €2,849 a month over twelve months, with additional requirements for family members.
If your permission requires a TIE card, book the police appointment promptly: the general deadline is one month, and when it starts depends on your route.
Income thresholds are tied to Spanish indices (IPREM and the minimum wage) and reviewed annually, and consulates differ in how they apply the requirements. General information, not immigration advice.
