EU Registration Certificate in Barcelona (EX-18)

If you are a citizen of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland and you are going to live in Spain for more than three months, you have to register as a resident. The proof is the certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión, the green certificate that also gives you your NIE. You apply in person, with the EX-18 form, at a police office, and you have three months from your arrival to do it.

The procedure itself is short. What makes it slow in Barcelona is the appointment, which is hard to find, and the proof of your situation, which is where most applications are sent back. We look for the appointment every day, check your documents against the route you are using and prepare the form and the fee, so that you only have to turn up once.

Who needs it

The certificate is regulated by Royal Decree 240/2007. It applies to you if:

• You hold the nationality of an EU member state, of Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, or of Switzerland.
• You are going to stay in Spain for more than three months, for work, for studies or simply to live here.
• You have not yet registered, or you registered in another part of Spain and now live in Barcelona.

If your partner or a family member who lives with you is not an EU citizen, they do not apply for this certificate. Their document is the residence card for family members of an EU citizen, applied for with the EX-19 form once you are registered. We handle that too: it is listed on our packs and services page as the EU family member residence card.

What you need to bring

Every applicant needs the same three basic items:

1. A valid passport or national identity card, original and a copy. If you use your national ID card, its number is the one you enter when booking: the appointment form calls that field “pasaporte”, but it accepts the ID card number.
2. The EX-18 form, completed and signed.
3. The 790-012 fee, paid at a bank before the appointment. For the EU registration certificate it is currently 12 €.

On top of that, you have to prove the reason why you can reside in Spain. Article 7 of Royal Decree 240/2007 sets out the routes, and you only need one of them.

You work as an employee

A signed employment contract, a certificate from your employer, or proof that you are registered with Spanish Social Security as an employee. A job offer that has not yet been signed is usually not enough.

You are self-employed

Proof that you are registered as self-employed (autónomo), for example your registration in the census of the Tax Agency and in the Social Security scheme for the self-employed.

You do not work in Spain

Proof of sufficient financial resources for you and your family, such as bank statements, a pension or regular income from abroad, together with health insurance that covers you in Spain at a level equivalent to the Spanish public system. This can be a public insurance from your own country, for example through the forms that transfer your cover to Spain, or a private Spanish policy. Policies with co-payments or waiting periods are a common reason for a file to be refused, so we check yours before you book.

You are a student

Your enrolment at an accredited institution in Spain, health insurance with the same cover described above, and a statement that you have sufficient resources for your stay.

If you are not sure which route fits you, for example because your contract starts next month or you are combining remote work with savings, that is exactly what the case study at the start of our service decides.

Do I need a NIE or the empadronamiento first?

You do not need a NIE beforehand. The NIE is assigned to you with the certificate itself, so applying for a NIE first and then for the certificate means two appointments instead of one. If you already have a NIE, for example because you bought property in Spain, it will appear on your certificate.

The empadronamiento is not a legal requirement for the certificate, but it is useful to have it. Your registered address appears on the certificate, and the padrón is asked for almost everywhere afterwards: health care, schools, the bank and later procedures. If you are arriving now, our residency pack for EU citizens includes both. You can read how the padrón works on our empadronamiento in Barcelona page.

How the appointment works in Barcelona

The certificate is issued by the National Police, with an appointment booked through the official cita previa system for foreigners’ procedures. In practice, the steps are these:

1. Choose the province of Barcelona and the procedure for the EU citizen registration certificate.
2. Enter your passport or ID card number, your name and your nationality, and pick an office and a time if any are offered.
3. Pay the 12 € fee and complete the EX-18 before the day.
4. Go in person with the originals and copies of everything. If the documents are in order, the certificate is normally issued at the same appointment.

The difficulty is step 2: slots for this procedure in Barcelona appear irregularly and are taken quickly. We check the system every day and book the first slot available for you. The appointment is free; nobody should charge you for the appointment itself. For the general picture of foreigners’ appointments, see our guide to residency appointments in Barcelona.

Mistakes we see most often

• Booking a NIE appointment instead of the certificate. EU citizens who are going to live here need the certificate; a separate white NIE certificate is for people who are not going to reside.
• Health insurance that does not qualify when you are not working: travel insurance, or a policy with co-payments.
• Proof of work that is not final yet, such as an offer letter instead of a signed contract or a Social Security registration.
• Leaving it until the three months are over. The rule is to apply within three months of arrival, so start looking for the appointment in your first weeks.
• A non-EU family member applying with the EX-18. Their route is the EX-19 card, which depends on your certificate.

To understand how the certificate relates to the NIE number and the TIE card, read the difference between the NIE, the EU registration certificate and the TIE.

How we help and what it costs

• EU registration certificate: 180 € + VAT. Document check for your route, the EX-18 form, the 790-012 fee form and the appointment booking.
• Residency pack for EU citizens: 200 € + VAT. The certificate with a full review of your documents, the empadronamiento and an initial case study. Booked separately, the certificate and the empadronamiento would cost 240 € + VAT, so you save 40 € and the case study is included.
• Residence card for a non-EU family member (EX-19): 300 € + VAT, once you have your certificate.

The official fee of 12 € is paid separately. All our prices are shown without VAT; Spanish VAT applies to clients resident in the EU.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a NIE before applying for the EU registration certificate? No. The NIE is assigned with the certificate, so you get both at the same appointment.

How much does the EU registration certificate cost? The official 790-012 fee is currently 12 €. Our service is 180 € + VAT, or 200 € + VAT in the residency pack for EU citizens, which also includes the empadronamiento and a case study.

Can I apply with my national ID card instead of a passport? Yes. A valid national identity card is enough, and its number is the one you enter in the appointment form, in the field called pasaporte.

When do I have to apply? Within three months of your arrival in Spain, if you are going to stay longer than that.

Is the empadronamiento required? It is not a legal requirement for the certificate, but your address appears on it and the padrón is asked for in most procedures afterwards, so it is worth having.

Requirements, fees and appointment procedures can change, so we confirm the current ones for your case before you book.