New to Jávea? Start here
NIE, padrón, residency, healthcare and schools — the practical first steps, in order, with links to the official sources.
1Get your NIE first
The NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is the foreigner identification number every other step depends on — opening a bank account, signing a rental contract, buying a car, paying tax. Get it before anything else.
Book a cita previa (appointment) online at the government appointments portal, choosing the province of Alicante and the trámite for NIE/certificados. Bring your passport, a completed form EX-15, the paid fee form (tasa 790 código 012, a few euros, payable at any bank) and a copy of everything. Appointments in this province are scarce — check the portal early in the morning and book the moment one appears.
If you are coming for work or residence, the NIE is usually issued as part of that process — you do not need to apply twice.
Official source
Cita previa portal (sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es) ↗ · Form EX-15 + fee info (interior.gob.es) ↗
2Register on the padrón at the town hall
The padrón (empadronamiento) is the municipal register — proof you live in Jávea. You need it for healthcare, schooling, residency, and the town gets funding per registered resident, so registering helps everyone.
Go to the Ajuntament de Xàbia citizens' office (OAC) with your passport, your NIE if you have one, and proof of address: a rental contract, property deeds, or an authorisation from the person whose home you live in. The certificate (volante de empadronamiento) is issued on the spot or within days, and most other procedures will ask for one less than three months old.
Official source
3Sort your residency status
EU/EEA/Swiss citizens staying more than three months register for a Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Unión (the green certificate) — by appointment, usually at the Policía Nacional in Dénia, with your passport, padrón, and proof of income or employment plus healthcare cover.
Non-EU citizens (including UK citizens arriving after Brexit) need a visa arranged from their home country before moving — non-lucrative, work, student, or other routes — and then a TIE card after arrival. The rules and income thresholds change; start from the official immigration portal and your Spanish consulate, and consider a gestoría (administrative agency) for the paperwork — most residents use one.
This page deliberately stops short of advice on which route fits you: it depends on your nationality, income and plans, and getting it wrong is expensive. Use the official sources below as the starting truth.
Official source
Immigration portal (inclusion.gob.es) ↗ · Spanish consulates (exteriores.gob.es) ↗
4Healthcare: get your SIP card
Public healthcare in the region is run by the Generalitat Valenciana. Once you are working (or otherwise entitled — pensioners with an S1 form, for example), register at the local centro de salud with your padrón certificate, NIE, and social-security number to receive your SIP card, which you present for every appointment and prescription.
Until you are in the public system, you will need private cover — and comprehensive private health insurance is itself a requirement of several residency routes. For anything urgent meanwhile: 112 works for everyone, insured or not.
Official source
GVA health portal (san.gva.es) ↗ · UK S1 guidance (nhs.uk) ↗
5Schools and admissions
State schooling is free from age 3, taught in Valencian and Castilian with English as a foreign language — young children typically absorb both main languages quickly. Admission runs through the regional education department with a points system based on where you live (your padrón again); the main application window is in spring for the school year starting in September, with a continuous process for mid-year arrivals.
Jávea also has private and international options in and around the town. Visit in person where you can — the right answer depends on your child's age, languages, and how long you plan to stay.
Official source
6Then the smaller things
Driving: EU licences remain valid (with registration after two years' residence); most non-EU licences — including UK ones, which have an exchange agreement — must be exchanged via the DGT. Money: you will need a Spanish IBAN for utilities and many salaries. Taxes: you generally become Spanish tax-resident after 183 days in a calendar year — worth understanding before you move, not after.
And the genuinely local part — where to eat, who fixes things, what is open right now — is the rest of this site. That is what it is for.
Official source
DGT — driving licences (dgt.es) ↗ · Agencia Tributaria (agenciatributaria.es) ↗