Before Moving To Spain
Before Leaving
The US
Moving to Spain is exciting — and time consuming. Most of the planning energy goes into what you’re building on the Spain side: the visa, the NIE, finding a place to live, setting up a bank account, getting connected. That’s natural.
But the US side of the move deserves just as much attention and it’s easy to underestimate how much there is to unwind.
Subscriptions, services, accounts, documents, vehicles, healthcare, mail — none of it stops automatically just because you’re leaving. Some of it needs to be cancelled, some needs to be redirected, some needs to be updated and some needs to be sorted out before you go rather than after. A few items — state tax residency, driver’s license validity, estate documents — have consequences that are hard to fix once you’re already living abroad.
You can never start too early.
Even if your move is a year or two away, reading through this page and downloading the checklist now gives you a clearer picture of everything involved. It helps you plan on a timeline that isn’t rushed.
Several items on this list take longer than people expect and benefit from an early start:
This page walks through the full process of leaving the US systematically, category by category.
If you’re still in the early stages of planning your move, the Start Here page gives you the broader picture of everything involved. If you’re further along and working through the Spain side of things, the Before Your Move section covers visas, NIE, banking, healthcare and more in detail.
Here we’re focusing specifically on closing out your life in the US so you can leave cleanly, with nothing chasing you across the Atlantic.
At the bottom of the page you can download a printable version of this checklist to work through and check off as you go.
Sections In This Guide
Mail & Address
Getting your mail situation sorted before you leave is more involved than most people expect. Even after you’ve left the US you’ll still need a reliable American address for legal, financial and government purposes — this is your domicile address, and it matters more than just where your Amazon packages go.
Your domicile state affects your voter registration, your driver’s license, your state tax obligations and in some cases your eligibility for certain financial services. Most expats use either a trusted family member’s address or a dedicated US mail forwarding and domicile service.
Once your domicile address is established, be deliberate about what you want forwarded versus scanned and emailed. Physical forwarding to Spain is slow and expensive — a letter sent from the US can take two to three weeks to arrive and the costs add up quickly. The goal before you leave is to eliminate as much unnecessary paper mail as possible. Cancel subscriptions, go paperless on everything you’re keeping and brief your domicile service clearly on what needs to come to you physically versus what can be scanned.
For more on establishing domicile as a US expat read all about it in our US Domicile section. For what mail and package delivery looks like once you’re in Spain — it works quite differently from the US — see more here.
Things to do:
Financial & Banking
The financial side of leaving the US has more moving parts than most people anticipate. Beyond updating your address, you need to actively prepare your accounts for international use.
US banks and credit card companies will sometimes flag or freeze accounts that suddenly show a pattern of foreign transactions — a simple phone call or secure message before you leave can prevent a frozen card at an inconvenient moment. It’s also worth knowing that some US financial websites and apps restrict access from foreign IP addresses, which can lock you out of accounts you still need to manage from Spain. Setting up a VPN before you leave solves this cleanly.
The other area worth addressing before you go is the international transfer picture. Moving large sums of money between US and Spanish accounts — for a property purchase, for example — through a regular US bank is expensive and slow. Specialist transfer services like Wise, Currencies Direct and OFX offer significantly better exchange rates and lower fees on large transfers and are widely used by expats. Getting these accounts set up before you leave is easier than doing it from abroad.
Find out more here about managing your finances as a new expat.
Finally, if you don’t already have a US expat tax advisor, finding one before you leave is significantly easier than after. The planning they can do ahead of your move — around FBAR obligations, state tax residency, retirement account treatment and the interaction between US and Spanish tax systems — has real financial value.
For more on the US-Spain tax picture see Spanish Taxes for Expats.
Things to do:
Subscriptions & Services
This is the section most people underestimate — not because any individual item is complicated, but because the sheer number of recurring subscriptions that accumulate over time is usually larger than people realize until they sit down and actually audit them. A good approach is to go through your credit card and bank statements month by month and flag every recurring charge. You’ll likely find several you’d forgotten about entirely.
A few things worth knowing before you start cancelling: some streaming services work fine in Spain, some don’t and some have international plans worth switching to rather than cancelling outright. Netflix works broadly across countries. Others are more restrictive.
A VPN can help with some services but isn’t a guaranteed workaround and violates the terms of service of most platforms. Check each one individually before you decide.
For professional memberships and software subscriptions, think about what you’ll actually need once you’re living in Spain. Some US-based professional memberships have international chapters or equivalents worth transitioning to rather than simply cancelling.
Things to do:
Home & Property
Whether you’re selling your home, renting it out or handing it back at the end of a lease, the list of services and contracts tied to a US property is longer than most people realize until they start working through it.
The key discipline here is timing — cancelling utilities too early creates problems during a final walkthrough or handover. Cancelling home insurance before a sale or rental is complete leaves you exposed. Work backwards from your actual move or handover date and schedule cancellations accordingly rather than doing them all at once.
If you’re renting your property rather than selling, many of these items won’t be cancelled outright but transferred to a property manager or tenant. In that case the checklist still applies — you’re confirming what stays, what transfers and what you’re responsible for remotely rather than simply cancelling everything.
Things to do:
Vehicles
Selling or transferring vehicles is one of those tasks that feels straightforward until you’re actually in the middle of it. Private sales take longer than expected, dealership trade-ins rarely happen on your timeline and coordinating insurance cancellation with the actual transfer of ownership requires attention.
If you have more than one vehicle, start the process earlier than you think necessary — you don’t want to be managing a car sale in the final weeks when everything else is also demanding your attention.
Leases deserve special attention.
Early termination options, fees and notice periods vary significantly by contract and by manufacturer — some have transfer programs that allow another person to assume the lease, others charge substantial fees for early exit.
If your move date falls inside a lease period, this needs to be on your radar well in advance. A lease with six months remaining and a $3,000 early termination fee is a very different situation from one with two months remaining, and you won’t know which you’re dealing with until you read the contract carefully.
If you’re bringing a vehicle to Spain rather than selling it, that’s a separate process involving importation, re-registration and ITV inspection. For many, it’s more cost effective to buy a car when you arrive in Spain. We have more information on acquiring cars in Spain here.
Things to do:
Government, Legal & US Domicile
This is the section with the highest stakes on this entire list.
Most of the items here aren’t difficult to handle if you address them early — but several of them have real consequences if you get them wrong or leave them too late. State tax residency termination, domicile establishment, driver’s license validity and estate documents are all areas where the cost of not acting is significantly higher than the cost of dealing with them properly before you leave. If you’re unsure about any of these, professional advice before your move is money well spent.
One foundational thing worth establishing before you work through this list: identify a trusted US contact — a friend or family member who knows your situation, is willing to intervene quickly if something urgent comes up from the US side and knows where to find your key documents, account information and the contact details for your lawyer, tax advisor and financial advisor.
This person is your on-the-ground backstop for anything that can’t be handled remotely. It’s separate from your power of attorney holder, though it can be the same person. Once you’re living abroad the value of having someone reliable in the US who can physically show up somewhere or make a phone call on your behalf is hard to overstate.
On US domicile specifically — your domicile state is the state where you’re considered a legal resident for purposes of US taxation, voting, driver’s license and certain financial and legal matters. For expats, choosing the right domicile state matters. Some states have no income tax and straightforward domicile maintenance requirements. Others will continue to assert tax residency claims even after you’ve left if you’re not careful about how you sever ties.
Your mail address, driver’s license, voter registration and any remaining financial accounts should all point to the same state. If you’re changing domicile states as part of your move, do it before you leave rather than after. For more on the tax implications of domicile see Spanish Taxes for Expats and Expat Finances.
Things to do:
Healthcare
Healthcare admin is one of the easier sections to procrastinate on and one of the harder ones to sort out once you’re already living abroad.
Medical records requests, prescription transfers and Medicare clarification all take longer than people expect. Showing up in Spain without copies of your medical history, an adequate prescription supply or clarity on your insurance transition creates unnecessary stress at an already busy time.
The most important timing issue here is health insurance.
Your Spanish visa requires proof of valid private health insurance in Spain before you can apply — which means you need to have Spanish coverage arranged before you cancel your US coverage. The two need to overlap briefly rather than one ending before the other begins. Cancelling US health insurance too early leaves you exposed during the application and transition period.
For more on the health insurance requirements for your visa see our Visa section and for an overview of healthcare in Spain once you’re there see more about healthcare in Spain here.
Things to do:
Documents & Records
This section deserves more time and attention than most people give it.
The consequences of not having the right documents when you need them in Spain range from inconvenient to genuinely serious — and the solution is straightforward if you deal with it before you leave. The goal is twofold: make sure the physical originals are in order and apostilled where needed, and make sure you have secure digital copies of everything so that lost, damaged or forgotten paper documents don’t become a crisis.
Apostilles deserve a specific mention since many Americans have never encountered them. An apostille is an official certification that makes a document legally recognized in countries that are signatories to the Hague Convention — which includes both the US and Spain.
Several documents you’ll need for Spanish administrative and legal processes — birth certificates, marriage certificates and divorce paperwork among them — will need to be apostilled before they’re accepted. The apostille is obtained from the Secretary of State in the state where the document was issued or from the US State Department for federal documents.
Processing times vary by state and can run several weeks, so this is not something to leave until the last minute. For more on document preparation for your visa application see our Visa Documentation section.
On digital copies — the standard for this has changed significantly. A well-organized folder in cloud storage (Google Drive, iCloud or similar) with scanned copies of every important document is genuinely adequate for most situations and far more practical than trying to travel with originals. The key is making sure copies are high quality, clearly labeled and accessible from any device. A trusted person in the US should also know where to find them.
Things to do:
Digital & Communications
A few things in this section that Americans consistently don’t think about until they’ve already moved — and then wish they had dealt with before leaving. The most important is WhatsApp.
In the US, texting and iMessage dominate. In Spain and across Europe, WhatsApp is the default communication platform for almost everything — friends, family, service providers, landlords, real estate agents, doctors, neighborhood groups. If you don’t already use it, set it up before you arrive and make sure it’s connected to the number your Spanish contacts will reach you on.
Showing up without WhatsApp is the equivalent of showing up in the US without a working cell phone number. For more on setting up a Spanish phone plan see Cell Phones in Spain.
On your US phone number — the decision of whether to keep it, port it or let it go deserves some thought.
A US number remains useful for two-factor authentication on US financial accounts, for contacts back home and for when you return to visit. Google Voice is a widely used and inexpensive way to keep a US number active without maintaining a full US cell plan. If you’re keeping your existing US plan during the transition, consider downgrading to a lower tier of service — you’ll be getting a Spanish plan for day-to-day use and paying full price for a US plan you’re barely using is unnecessary.
A VPN is worth having set up before you leave. Beyond the financial account access issue covered in the Expat Finances section, a VPN also helps with accessing US streaming content and other region-locked services from Spain.
Set it up while you’re still in the US so you know it works before you need it. For more on internet service and connectivity in Spain see our Internet Service in Spain page.
Finally — back up everything before you travel. Devices get lost, damaged or stolen in transit more often than people expect. A move is exactly the kind of disruption where things go missing. A complete backup to both cloud storage and a physical external drive before you leave is cheap insurance.
Things to do:
Practical Prep & What Not To Bring
This section covers a handful of items that don’t fit neatly into any other category but are genuinely worth doing before you leave. The electronics point in particular is one that catches people off guard — prices on consumer electronics in the EU are meaningfully higher than in the US due to VAT and import costs. If you’re planning to upgrade a laptop, phone, tablet or other device in the next year or two, doing it before you leave is simply smarter financially.
On voltage — most modern electronics are dual voltage and will work fine in Spain with just a plug adapter. But it’s worth confirming for anything you’re bringing, particularly older devices, hair appliances and specialty equipment.
Spain uses Type C and Type F plugs and runs on 220-240V at 50Hz. A plug adapter is all most people need for dual voltage devices. A voltage converter is needed for anything that isn’t — and converters are bulky, inefficient and a sign that the device probably isn’t worth bringing. For more on utilities and electrical systems in Spain see more about Utilities in Spain.
The flip side of the electronics upgrade conversation is everything you’re not bringing.
Large appliances — washers, dryers, refrigerators, microwaves — are staying behind regardless, but so are most small appliances: coffee makers, toasters, blenders, stand mixers, hair dryers and anything else with a heating element or motor designed for 110V. Even if they’re dual voltage capable, the plug format difference and the practical reality of shipping bulky items makes bringing most appliances not worth it.
Spain has excellent and affordable options for everything you’ll need. Start thinking early about what gets sold, what gets donated and what goes to family — it’s a bigger project than most people expect and leaving it to the final weeks adds unnecessary stress to an already busy time. Facebook Marketplace, local buy-nothing groups and donation centers are all worth using well in advance of your move date.
Things to do:
You’re More Ready Than You Think
Working through a list this long can feel overwhelming — but the good news is that most of it is straightforward once you know it needs to be done.
The hard part isn’t any individual item, it’s knowing what the full picture looks like before you’re in the middle of a move and things start falling through the cracks. For any topic where you want to go deeper, the links throughout this page point to more detailed guidance across the site — from visa documentation and expat taxes to healthcare, banking and setting up daily life in Spain.
The other thing worth remembering is that you don’t have to do all of this at once. Some items — apostilling documents, renewing your passport, finding an expat tax advisor — are worth starting a year or more out. Others — cancelling utilities, transferring prescriptions, backing up devices — happen in the final weeks. The checklist is designed to be worked through over time, not completed in a single sitting.
A few things that are worth making sure are done before anything else:
Everything else follows from there. Spain is waiting — the cleaner you leave the US side, the easier the transition will be and the faster you’ll feel at home on the other side of it.
Download the printable version of this checklist and work through it at your own pace. And if you’re still getting oriented on everything involved in a move to Spain, the Before Your Move section and Start Here page are good places to begin.
FAQs
Should I keep a US bank account after moving to Spain?
Most expats continue using at least one US bank account for things like tax refunds, investment accounts, Social Security payments, credit history and ongoing US-based expenses. Keeping a US account also makes it easier to transfer funds internationally and maintain access to US financial services that may not work well with foreign addresses.
What happens if I move to Spain before all my paperwork is finished?
It’s common for some loose ends to remain after moving, especially for larger transitions involving property, finances or legal matters. The goal isn’t perfection — it’s reducing the number of issues that require urgent attention once you’re overseas. Having digital access, backups and trusted contacts in place makes unfinished tasks much easier to manage remotely.
Do I need to establish a domicile state before moving to Spain?
For most expats, yes. Your domicile state is where you’re considered a legal resident for purposes of taxation, voting, driver’s license and certain financial services. Choosing it deliberately — and making sure your mail address, license and voter registration all point to the same state — avoids complications later. Some states are more favorable than others for expats, particularly around income tax and domicile maintenance requirements. It’s worth sorting out before you leave rather than after.
Before Moving
Everything you need to sort before you leave — visas, NIEs, finances and the hundred other things on your pre-move list.
After The Move
What you need to get sorted once you arrive — utilities, healthcare, paperwork and all the practicalities of your new life in Spain.
Property Guide
Here’s what to know about buying property in Spain as an American — from your first search to signing at the notary.
Resources
Checklists, glossaries and vetted websites to help you plan, prepare and hit the ground running in Spain.
Our Journey
Follow along as we document our move from Portland, Oregon to Jávea, Spain — the highs, the headaches and everything in between.
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