Living in Spain as an American: The 2026 Guide

Updated November 5, 2026

Leer en español

Quick answer. As an American you can visit Spain for up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa, but to live here you need a residence visa: non-lucrative if you will not work, digital nomad if you work remotely, or a work, study or family permit. Once here, you register with your town hall, get your residence card, and from your 183rd day you become a Spanish tax resident while still filing in the US. Your US driver’s license only works for six months after you become a resident.

How long you can stay without a visa

US citizens can enter Spain without a visa for tourism, business meetings or family visits for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The count covers the whole Schengen area, not just Spain: days in France or Italy add up.

• The EU’s Entry/Exit System now records your entries and exits electronically, so overstays are easy to detect.
• The EU’s ETIAS travel authorization is expected to become a requirement for Americans. Check its status before you travel.
• You cannot work as a tourist, and as a rule you cannot turn a tourist stay into residence from inside Spain. The main exceptions are the digital nomad visa and some family routes.

Visas Americans use to live in Spain

We go through each option for Americans, with requirements and consulates, in Moving to Spain from the US: which visa to choose.

Your first weeks in Spain

1. Find a home and register it at the town hall (empadronamiento). Almost every later procedure asks for it.
2. Apply for your residence card (TIE) within a month of arrival, with a fingerprint appointment at the police. We explain it (in Spanish) in the TIE card and the fingerprint appointment.
3. Open a Spanish bank account. You will need it for rent, utilities and taxes.
4. Get your Social Security number if you are going to work.
5. Get a digital certificate or Cl@ve to deal with the tax agency and other offices online.

Healthcare

• If you work in Spain, as an employee or self-employed, you pay into Social Security and use the public health system.
• If you do not work, your visa requires private health insurance. After a year of registration in your town, you can also apply to join the public system by paying a monthly fee under the "convenio especial", depending on your region.
• Medicare does not cover you in Spain. Plan coverage before you go, especially if you are close to 65.

Taxes for Americans in Spain

This is where Americans face the most surprises, because both countries tax you at the same time.

• Spain taxes you on your worldwide income once you spend more than 183 days a year here, or your main economic interests or your family are here. See (in Spanish) Spanish tax residence.
• The US taxes you because you are a citizen, wherever you live. You keep filing Form 1040, plus FBAR and FATCA reports for your Spanish accounts.
• The US-Spain tax treaty, the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and the Foreign Tax Credit avoid paying twice on the same income, if you use them correctly.
• Form 720: once you are a Spanish tax resident, you must declare your US accounts, investments and property if any category exceeds €50,000. See forms 720 and 721.
• Beckham Law: if you move to Spain to work, you may be able to pay a flat 24% on Spanish-source employment income for six years. See the Beckham Law.

Our full guide (in Spanish): taxes when moving from the US to Spain.

Banking and investments

• Some US brokers close accounts of clients who move abroad. Check your broker’s policy before you change your address. We explain it (in Spanish) in when your US broker closes your account.
• Spanish and European funds can be a tax trap for Americans, because the US treats most of them as PFICs. Get US tax advice before you invest here.
• Moving money: large transfers will be checked by your Spanish bank. Keep records showing where the money comes from.

Driving with a US license

As a tourist, you can drive with your US license, ideally with an International Driving Permit. Once you become a resident, your US license is valid for six months only. The US has no license exchange agreement with Spain, so after that you need a Spanish license: theory and practical exams at a driving school, as if you had never driven.

Long-term residence and citizenship

• Long-term residence after five years of legal, continuous residence. It lets you work without restrictions.
• Spanish citizenship after ten years of residence as a general rule.
• Only one year if you are married to a Spaniard, or if your father, mother, grandfather or grandmother was originally Spanish. See Spanish citizenship by descent.
• To naturalize, you pass the DELE A2 Spanish exam and the CCSE civics test.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

Moving to Spain from the USLiving legally in the US? Digital nomad, non-lucrative, student, Blue Card or entrepreneur: 2026 requirements, money, consulates and taxes, by a Madrid lawyer.Read more →Spain Non-Lucrative VisaSpain non-lucrative visa in 2026: €28,800 a year, health insurance, FBI check, US consulates, renewals and taxes. The retirement visa for Americans, by a Madrid lawyer.Read more →Spain Digital Nomad VisaSpain digital nomad visa in 2026: €2,849 a month, who qualifies, documents, consulate vs. applying from Spain, Beckham Law and tips for Americans, by a Madrid lawyer.Read more →Spanish Citizenship by Descent inThe grandchildren’s law closed in October 2025. These are the routes to Spanish citizenship by descent that still work for Americans in 2026, by a Madrid lawyer.Read more →