Moving to Ibiza: paperwork, healthcare and the resident discount

Ibiza Connects · Updated on October 16, 2026 · 12 min read

When you move to Ibiza, the paperwork isn't the hardest part (housing is), but it's what wastes the most time if you do it in the wrong order. Many steps depend on an earlier one: without a contract there's no padrón, without the padrón there's no health card, and without an NIE there's no employment contract or bank account. This guide puts them in order, with what each office on the island asks for, so you arrive with your documents ready and can use the perks of being a Balearic resident from day one.

Moving to Ibiza: the paperwork in order

If you're Spanish, you skip the NIE and EU certificate, but everything else is the same.

Padrón registration (empadronamiento) at the town hall

Registering on the padrón means signing up to the register of residents of the municipality where you live. It's free, it's compulsory and it's the key to almost everything else. Each municipality in Ibiza has its own office and appointment system: Eivissa, Sant Antoni de Portmany, Santa Eulària des Riu, Sant Josep de sa Talaia and Sant Joan de Labritja.

What Ibiza Town Council (Ajuntament d'Eivissa), for example, asks for:

• ID: DNI if you're Spanish; your national ID card or passport (or the Central Register of Foreigners certificate) if you're from the EU; passport or residence card if you're not.
• Proof of address: if you rent, the original contract and the current month's receipt; if you own, the IBI (council tax) receipt or a nota simple. If the property isn't yours and the contract isn't in your name, an authorisation from the owner on the council's form (M-024), signed, with a copy of their ID.
• The registration form (hoja padronal) signed by every adult registering. For minors, both parents sign or the council's authorisation forms are provided.

You can start the process on the e-office website, but the council points out that registration is in person: it doesn't take effect until you go to the office. In Vila it's the Servei d'Atenció a la Ciutadania at Carrer de Canàries 35 (phone 971 39 76 19). In Santa Eulària you book an appointment on the council website. The other town halls work in a similar way: check their website before you go.

NIE, EU certificate and TIE for foreign nationals

NIE. This is your foreigner identity number, and you need it to work, sign a rental contract, open a bank account or buy a car. You apply by appointment with the National Police (immigration office), through the public administration appointment website, choosing Illes Balears and the Ibiza office. There's a fee, paid with form 790 code 012.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens. If you're staying more than three months, you need the EU citizen registration certificate (the well-known "green certificate"), which includes your NIE. You'll normally be asked to show that you're working, have sufficient funds or are studying, and that you have health cover.

UK citizens.

• If you were already living in Spain before 1 January 2021, the Withdrawal Agreement protects your residence. The UK government recommends exchanging the old green certificate for the TIE, which is the only document that refers to the Agreement.
• If you're arriving now, you're a non-EU national for residence purposes: you need a visa or permit (for work, international remote work, non-lucrative residence and so on). As a tourist you can stay 90 days in any 180-day period.

Other nationalities. You need the relevant visa or permit before you arrive, and once here, the TIE (foreigner identity card), also applied for by appointment with the National Police.

Social security number and work

To work in Spain you need a social security affiliation number. If a company hires you, it often handles this; if not, you can apply yourself on the Social Security e-office (the Import@ss portal) or by appointment at an office. If you're going to be self-employed, you'll need to register as autónomo and with the tax office.

Once registered, check your employment record (vida laboral) every few months to make sure your employer is paying your contributions. If you're coming for the season, all the practical information is in working in Ibiza: season jobs, wages and accommodation; if you work remotely, check internet, SIM cards and coworking in Ibiza first.

On tax: in general, if you spend more than 183 days a year in Spain, the tax office considers you tax resident and you declare your worldwide income here. If you have income or assets in another country, speak to a tax adviser before you move.

The health card (IB-Salut)

The individual health card (TSI) gives you a GP, a paediatrician, prescriptions with a reduced co-payment and access to Balearic public healthcare. According to IB-Salut, there are two ways to apply:

• Online, with a digital certificate, electronic DNI or Cl@ve permanente, choosing "initial application". You're notified in your Carpeta Ciudadana which health centre to collect it from.
• In person, at your local health centre, booking an appointment on the INFOSALUT CONNECTA line, 971 220 000.

Documents for adults:

• DNI, NIF or NIE (EU citizens also need a passport or photo ID).
• A recent colour photo, 26 × 32 mm.
• A current padrón certificate. The travel certificate won't do. If you're registered in the municipality of Eivissa, you don't need to bring it, as they check it automatically.

To be entitled to public healthcare you have to be insured (through work, as someone's dependant or by other routes). Foreign nationals without legal status and with no other cover can apply for a specific healthcare document, in person only and valid for a year. The TSI lasts four years.

Until you have it, if you fall ill your European Health Insurance Card or UK GHIC works at public centres. The hospital, health centres and emergency numbers are in hospitals and emergency numbers in Ibiza.

The resident discount on flights and ferries

It's the most valued perk of living in the Balearics: residents get a 75% discount on plane and boat tickets between the islands and mainland Spain, and between islands (Ibiza-Formentera or Ibiza-Palma, for example). It's funded by the Spanish state through the Ministry of Transport.

• Who gets it: Balearic residents with Spanish nationality or that of another EU country, the EEA or Switzerland (and their family members with residence rights), and other foreign nationals with long-term residence. A brand-new temporary residence permit isn't always enough: if you're British or from outside the EU, confirm your case with the airline or ferry company before you buy.
• How it's proved: when you buy the ticket, the airline or ferry company checks your residence automatically with your DNI or NIE. If the system doesn't recognise you (very common at first), ask your town hall for the padrón certificate for travel and bring it when you board.
• Note: the discount only applies to domestic routes (not a flight from Ibiza to London or Berlin) and doesn't cover extras such as checked luggage or seat selection.

If you're bringing your car by boat, see routes and prices in ferry to Ibiza from mainland Spain.

The bus card and other resident perks

The Consell d'Eivissa issues a personal transport card with your photo for legal residents of the island. The first card costs €3, and on the general profile a journey costs between €1.00 and €1.80, compared with €1.70-2.60 paying by bank card. It allows up to two transfers within 120 minutes. You get it, by appointment, at the Consell's registry office in Ibiza Town (Avinguda d'Espanya 49; phone 971 19 59 06) or at some town hall offices in Sant Antoni, Jesús, Santa Eulària and Cala de Bou. There are profiles for young and older people; the rest of the system is explained in Ibiza bus routes.

Many museums, municipal sports facilities and cultural activities also have prices for registered residents: always ask.

Cars: registration, driving licences and the summer limit

The vehicle limit. From 1 June to 30 September, the Consell limits the number of cars allowed on Ibiza's roads. Vehicles with a tax address in Ibiza, Mallorca or Menorca are exempt (as are motorbikes, public service vehicles and some other cases). If you're moving with your car, the practical thing is to:

1. Change the car's address with the DGT (Spanish traffic authority) to your Ibiza address.
2. Pay the road tax (IVTM) at your new town hall.

That way it's registered on the island. If you arrive in summer before making the change, you need authorisation: apply at ibizacircular.es or on 971 19 59 06. We go into more detail in car and scooter hire in Ibiza.

Cars with foreign plates. Once you're a resident, you'll have to register it in Spain (ITV inspection, registration tax and DGT paperwork). Look into it before bringing it over: sometimes it's better to sell it at home.

Driving licences.

• EU or EEA: still valid in Spain. When it expires, you renew it here.
• UK: according to the UK government, if you live in Spain you can only drive on it for your first six months of residence. Before that time is up, you must exchange it for a Spanish licence, using a check code from the DVLA (or the DVA in Northern Ireland). Licences from Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man can't be exchanged.
• Other countries: it depends on whether Spain has an exchange agreement with yours. Check the list with the DGT; if there's no agreement, you'll have to take the test.

Schools

School admissions in the Balearics are run by the Department of Education (Conselleria d'Educació). There's an ordinary admissions process in spring for the following school year, with deadlines published every year, and an out-of-cycle route for families arriving mid-year, through the Ibiza school admissions office.

• Usual documents: padrón certificate, family book or equivalent document, ID for the parents and child, and previous school records if there are any.
• Language: a large share of lessons are taught in Catalan, alongside Spanish and English. Young children usually adapt quickly; for older ones, ask about language support programmes.
• Ages 0 to 3: public nurseries (escoletes) have few places. Ask at the town hall as soon as you've registered.
• Private and international schools: there are several on the island, with British or bilingual curricula, high fees and waiting lists. Book well ahead.

What living here with children involves (hours, winter, housing) is covered in living in Ibiza year round.

Common mistakes when moving to Ibiza

• Signing a lease that doesn't let you register on the padrón. Without it, you're left without healthcare, school or discounts. Before paying, ask whether you can register. Everything about contracts is in renting in Ibiza.
• Leaving the immigration appointment to the last minute. Book it as soon as you have an arrival date.
• Driving on a UK licence for more than six months after becoming resident.
• Not changing your car's address and running into the summer limit in June.
• Travelling with the standard padrón certificate when the system doesn't recognise your discount: ask for the travel one.
• Not deregistering at home (healthcare, local registration, tax) and ending up half-resident in two countries.

Sources and official information

• Ajuntament d'Eivissa · Registering or changing address on the padrón (e-office)
• IB-Salut · Applying for the individual health card (TSI)
• Spanish public administration · Immigration appointments (NIE, EU certificate and TIE)
• Consell d'Eivissa · Summer vehicle limit (ibizacircular.es)
• Alsa Ibiza (Consell d'Eivissa) · Resident transport card
• DGT · E-office (change of address, registration and licence exchange)
• GOV.UK · Living in Spain (padrón, TIE and UK driving licences)
• Ministry of Transport · Resident discount on air and sea travel