Moving to Mallorca: the right order

Most moves to Mallorca do not fail because of the island but because of the order. Arrive in July without a job and you are looking for work and a flat at the same time, both scarce in summer. Arrive with an employment contract and you already hold the key document for almost every next step.

This article is the sequence. Each step has its own guide with the details and official sources — the links are at the end.

1. The job comes first

The job comes before the flat because almost everything else depends on it. Landlords ask for an employment contract. For EU citizens, employment is one of the accepted grounds when registering with the Spanish police. And registration with social security, which gives you health cover, is done by your employer.

In Mallorca the seasonal rhythm decides. Many employers hire in spring, and the search for seasonal staff often starts in February. If you want to stay for good, look specifically for year-round roles — a seasonal job ends in autumn, the rent does not.

2. Then the flat

In season, housing in Mallorca is scarcer than work. Expect the search to take a while and landlords to ask for a contract, payslips and a deposit. To register at the town hall later you need a rental contract or a signed consent from the person you live with.

• Never transfer a deposit or reservation fee for a flat you have not seen — the most common scam in island listings.
• Get everything agreed verbally into the rental contract: bills, deposit, notice period.
• A room in a shared flat or staff accommodation is enough to register.

3. Registering in Mallorca — four steps

1. 01Empadronamiento: registration on your municipality's population register. It proves you live here and is needed for the health card, among other things.
2. 02Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Unión: EU citizens staying longer than three months register with the immigration office or a police station. Your NIE number is on the certificate — a separate NIE application is not the intended route for EU citizens.
3. 03Social security number (NUSS): you apply for the number yourself or your employer helps. Registration with social security (the “alta”) is done by the employer before your first day.
4. 04Tarjeta sanitaria: once your employer has registered you, you apply for the IB-Salut health card at your health centre. Before that you will be sent away.

Appointments are the real bottleneck in Mallorca, especially in spring. Book them as soon as you have an address and a contract, not when you need the certificate.

4. Tax: where you now pay it

Under Spanish law you are tax resident in Spain if you spend more than 183 days here in a calendar year, or if the centre of your economic interests is in Spain (article 9 of the Spanish income tax act). Your salary is then taxed in Spain, with tax withheld monthly by your employer. If you have income in two countries in the year you move, get advice for your tax return.

5. Bank account and daily life

Your salary needs an account with an IBAN — an account from another EU country is allowed, but a Spanish one makes daily life easier, for rent and direct debits. Spanish banks usually ask for your NIE number to open one.