Your first 90 days in Marbella: a week-by-week checklist
The order to do things in so nothing blocks anything else, from the NIE appointment to actually having friends — and why I outsource almost all of the admin.
This is the order I used and the one I would use again. Some steps vary by nationality, so confirm the details with a Spanish lawyer or gestor for your situation.
I have done this myself and I have watched a lot of friends do it. The people who get through the first three months calmly are not the ones who read the most forums; they are the ones who hired the right team and stayed out of their own way.
My core principle: outsource the admin
I am not a gestor. I do not enjoy Spanish bureaucracy. And I have learned that the fastest way to get the NIE, residency, padrón, bank account, insurance, car papers and tax registration sorted is to pay someone who does this every day. I have a good setup here with a tax adviser, a lawyer and a gestor, and they handle the paperwork while I handle the decisions. I am happy to make introductions if you are serious about moving.
That is the single biggest shift I would make if I did it again. Do not try to save money on the people who know the system. The mistakes cost more than the fees.
Weeks 1–2: unblock everything
- Book the NIE appointment, or confirm the one you booked from abroad. Nothing else moves without it.
- Get Spanish phone numbers. Several forms will want one.
- Find a gestor, a lawyer and a tax adviser. Brief them on your situation before you need them.
- Open a Spanish bank account as soon as the NIE lands.
- Order fibre for wherever you are staying, and test it before your first real call.
Weeks 3–4: get on the register
- Let your lawyer/gestor register your residency (EU) or confirm your visa route (non-EU).
- Register on the padrón at the town hall. It unlocks healthcare and school places.
- Register with social security if you are employed or autónomo.
- Sign up for Spanish lessons. Actually book them, with dates.
- Join one club or one sport. One is enough.
Weeks 5–8: build the week
- Get the health card, choose a private policy, and ask your network for a GP, paediatrician and dentist rather than searching online.
- Sort a car — lease, buy or long-term rental — and start the driving licence exchange, which is slow.
- Decide where you work: home, a café, or a workspace. Go and sit in the workspace for a full day before committing.
- Visit schools on ordinary days, drive the route at 8:15, apply early.
- Establish two fixed anchors in your week that other people depend on. It is what stops the week dissolving.
Weeks 9–12: start choosing
- Live in a second area if you can. Comparing two ordinary Wednesdays teaches you more than fifty viewings.
- Say yes to everything socially. All of it. This is the window where a network forms.
- Push through the Spanish plateau. Around now it stops being fun and starts being work, and this is exactly where most people quietly stop.
- Still do not buy a house.
The one nobody warns you about
Somewhere around day 45, you will have a bad week. The novelty has worn off, the admin is grinding, you do not have real friends yet, and you will wonder whether the whole thing was a mistake. It is completely normal, it happens to almost everyone, and it passes. Do not make any large decisions during it.
What to do at day 90
Write down what your ordinary week actually looked like, not what you hoped it would. Where did you spend the time, what drained you, what did you enjoy. Then choose your area from that document rather than from a property listing. That is the whole method.
Common questions
- What should I do first when moving to Marbella?
- Book the NIE appointment. It is the foreigner identification number and nothing else — bank account, residency, healthcare, buying a car — can happen without it. At the same time, find a gestor, lawyer and tax adviser who can handle the rest of the chain once the NIE is in place.
- How long does it take to settle in Marbella?
- The admin takes roughly three months if you do it in the right order. The social side takes longer, usually six to twelve months, which is why joining a club and learning Spanish early matters more than any paperwork.
- Should I buy or rent when I first move to Marbella?
- Rent, ideally in two or three different areas over three to six months. Buying in the first months is the most expensive mistake I see people make here, because the areas are far more different from each other than they look on a map.
- Do I need a tax adviser when moving to Spain?
- Yes. Spanish tax residency, the Beckham regime, autónomo versus a Spanish company, and the way your move date affects your first tax year are all worth getting professional advice on before you set the date. This is not a place to rely on forum posts.
This is part of my Marbella guide: everything I have written about moving here, living here, and running a company from the coast.
Last updated 14 August 2026.
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