Moving abroad is one of the most exciting (and overwhelming) decisions you can make. Whether you’re relocating for work, a new adventure, or a lifestyle change, having a clear checklist makes the process feel a lot more manageable.

When my husband and I decided to move from the U.S. to Spain, we had no idea where to begin, and every website, blog, or podcast we consulted seemed to give conflicting advice. We had no idea how many little details would come up — from confusing visa requirements to finances and figuring out how to bring our dog overseas.

So, I’ve pulled togther everything we learned in one place. This moving abroad checklist is here to help you stay organized, informed, and excited — not stressed — about your international move. While this is based on our experience moving to Spain specifically, many of these steps can be replicated for any country you plan to relocate to.

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Preparation: 12-6 Months Out

Step 1: Research your visa options.

If Spain is your final destination, check out the different visa options on the Spanish government website to get an idea of what visa type may work for you. We explored mutliple different options and talked to 2-3 immigration lawyers before we finally determined which route would be best for us.

If you plan to work when you move abroad, consider the Digital Nomad or Intra-Company Transfer/Highly Qualified Worker Visa (this is what we did).

Here are the main differences at a glance:

Other common options to consider include the Non-Lucrative Visa, Student Visa, Internship Visa, or Golden Visa.

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Step 2: Talk with your employer.

When talking to your employer, explain what you’d like to do, what the visa requirements are, ask about what internal policies or procedures are in place, and what you need in order to move forward.

Have this conversation at least 6 months in advance of your desired departure date.

• Be sure to sign a document confirming approval and have yourself, your manager, and HR sign it.
• If approved, kick-off the process with your HR representative who will help provide the necessary paperwork.

If you’re going on an Intra-Company Transfer like we did, your employer will need to provide:

• Your contract with the Spanish company
• Signed profile letter from the U.S. company
• Signed MI-T application form

About one month out from your move, you should begin contract and salary negotiations for new position in Spain. Note that until this is solidified, your employer can provide a pre-contract for visa purposes that you can then revisit and negotiate later once your visa is approved.

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Step 3: Hire an immigration lawyer.

While it’s possible to move abroad without a lawyer, I don’t know how we could have done this without legal counsel. The Spanish government is notoriously slow, difficult, and complicated to navigate, and having an experienced lawyer made this a seamless process.

We recommend Nodisea because they were fast, fluent in English, and experienced at handling complicated visa situations.

If you decide to hire a lawyer, they should:

• Confirm which visa option is best for you and provide you with the resources you need to get started.
• Help you identify what documents you need, including the necessary apostille and sworn translation, and how to get them.
• Verify your documents to ensure everything looks good to go.
• Organize everything in a shared location for your visa application (in our case, Google Drive).
• Submit your visa application on your behalf.
• Once your application is approved, book the visa interview at the consulate.

Nodisea will even help you finish the process once you arrive in Spain with the required empadronamiento and TIE registration processes.

If you have a spouse, domestic partner, or children, decide who the main applicant will be and research the requirements for each dependent. Your lawyer can help you do this.

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Step 4: Get to work on your application.

In addition to sourcing all the documents you need, make sure to research the detailed requirements regarding which documents need apostilles, translations, etc. For more information about how to obtain an apostille, visit HERE.

Make sure you are using a government approved sworn translator for your documents. Your lawyer can likely help you find someone to do this.

For the Intra-Company Transfer, the main applicant must provide:

For the Intra-Company Transfer, the dependent must provide:

Getting your FBI Background Check and securing the necessary apostille and translation takes the longest. To be safe, plan for this step alone to take at least 3 months.

Once you have everything assembled for yourself and your dependents with the proper translations and apostilles, you (or your lawyer) must submit the requirements of the work permit to the competent authorities. The Spanish authorities have 20 business days after submission to get back to you with a resolution.

Once you get the positive resolution from the competent authorities, that’s when you’re able to schedule an in-person appointment at the Spanish consulate.

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Step 5: Go to your in-person visa appointment.

This appointment should be booked at the consulate that represents your state/region. Your lawyer should book this for you. This step is very straightforward – you will present the documentation required on their website one by one, in the order it’s listed. Just make sure you’re prepared with everything you need!

After providing the documents in person, you will wait while they process your information. Once they confirm that everything was submitted successfully, they will give you a confirmation and tracking number so you can monitor the process.

Turnaround time is 10 business days from the date of the appointment. You can either pick up the visa in person at the consulate, or they can mail it to you if you bring a prepaid envelope.

Note that they do not inform you when the visa is ready – you must keep checking their website to know the approval status.

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Optional Step: Find a pet relocation company.

Bringing our dog and cat with us was a must. We looked at Pet Relocation and Starwood, and ended up moving forward with Starwood. They handle your pets move from start to finish, including home pickup and drop-off at your destination if desired. We chose them due to better communication and organization through their pet portal. They sent live updates and photos throughout the journey. 

You will have to provide original rabies certificates and microchip #/implant date to be able to move your pets. You will also have to make a vet appointment within one week of your departure date. Your vet must be USDA accredited. Find an accredited vet through this link.

This is one of the hardest decisions we had to make throughout the process, but sending our Golden Retriever and our cat via cargo was safe, reliable, and as smooth as possible for the pets. They did great and adjusted completely fine to their new home upon arrival!

For more on moving abroad with a pet, check out my recent blog.

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Other preparations to move abroad:

• Sell or rent your home if you own a house in your home country.
• Sell your car on Facebook Marketplace for a higher value than a dealership would offer. 
• Cancel any subscriptions/deliveries that you’ll no longer need after the move. 
• Hire a tax accountant. Taxes in Spain are notoriously difficult, it’s worth hiring an accountant if you’re immigrating abroad.
• Book an Airbnb for at least 2-3 weeks while you apartment hunt in person.
• Check out Idealista to see what apartments and rent prices look like in your desired area.
• Organize your finances.
  • Highly recommend opening a temporary account with Wise or Revolut to get you through the first few weeks in Spain. When you arrive, you will need an IBAN # to obtain a phone contract, and you need a phone number to open a bank account – it’s a vicious cycle. This way you have an IBAN to use to get yourself established in Spain, then you can switch your payment information once you have a local bank account
• Depending on your financial situation, roll over 401(k) into an IRA so you can continue making contributions manually.

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Arriving in Spain

Finding an apartment.

• Again, we recommend staying in an Airbnb for a few weeks while you apartment hunt in person. This way you avoid any scams and can better see the area and what’s available in your price range when you arrive.
  • We got lucky and were able to move into a permanent apartment within the first week, but depending on where you live in Spain, the market is very competitive and may take awhile to get settled.
  • Recommend booking your Airbnb in the area you think you want to live so you can walk around and see what it would be like to live in that area.
• The most popular way to find an apartment is through Idealista.
• Apartment owners will usually require you to provide your bank account IBAN #, passport, NIE number, proof of income, and vida laboral to secure an apartment.
  • Vida Laboral will be difficult to obtain if you are just entering the country. Try filling out the form HERE, or if that doesn’t work, ask if your company can write a letter indicating the amount of time you’ve been with the organization.
  • You can’t successfully fill this out until you have an NIE and have been registered with social security in Spain. 

Navigating public transportation.

• You may or may not need a car depending on where in Spain you decide to live. If you’re in any metropolitan area, recommend looking at the local transport to help evaluate your situation.
• Usually there are monthly transport cards you can get if you plan to rely on trains/metro/buses during your time in Spain. 

Open a bank account.

• Recommend Santander for a local bank (easy to work with, branches everywhere). This is one of the biggest and most reliable banks in Spain.
• Once you arrive in Spain, open your bank account with at least 3 months rent. This is sometimes required by landlords in order to secure an apartment.
• Need to provide proof of address, passport or NIE, phone number, and proof of employment to open a bank account.

Secure a phone plan.

• Orange or Movistar are likely your best options, but recommend looking at which local providers have stores in your area. Going to the store in person is the best way to get a hold of somebody to help set up your contract.
• If you open a phone plan first, then need WiFi once you find an apartment, you can go back into the store to talk to your provider about bundling everything into one package to save money.

Pro tip: Hold onto your NIE (foreign identity number) as you will need it for many things once you arrive to Spain (opening bank account, transport card, phone plan, etc.) This number can be found on your work or residence permit.

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Final Thoughts

Moving abroad is a big life decision, but it doesn’t have to feel chaotic. With a bit of planning and the right resources, you can make your international move smoother, less stressful, and even enjoyable.

If you’re thinking about taking the leap, or already in the process, I hope this moving abroad checklist gives you clarity and confidence on what it takes. If you want to hear more about my story, read my last post about why I decided to move abroad.

Follow along here on Everyday Abroad for more stories, visa tips, guides, and reflections on what it’s like to actually live abroad once you’ve arrived. It’s not necessarily easy, but it is so worth it.

If you’ve already planned a move abroad — what did I miss? Let me know in the comments!

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Download my printable PDF Guide to Moving to Spain below!

My full guide to moving to Spain goes into detail about all the steps above, and includes an exclusive cost breakdown so you know how much you need to budget.

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