First 48 hours in Madrid

For Madrid

How long you are staying

Must do

Get a Spanish SIMDay 1Movistar, Vodafone and Orange, and budget brands such as Digi and Lowi, sell prepaid SIMs in shops and some airports. By law a prepaid line is registered to your ID, so bring your passport. A Spanish number unlocks Bizum and most sign-ups.
Get a transport cardDay 1Buy a multi card at any metro machine and load the €7.30 ten-journey ticket for the first days. For the monthly abono (€32.70 for zone A, €10 for 15 to 25s) request the personal Tarjeta Transporte Público online or at an oficina de gestión; it takes days to arrive.
Check where your NIE standsDay 1–2If you do not yet have a NIE or a registration certificate, book the cita previa on the national appointments portal now. Slots are released irregularly; check several times a day rather than once a week.
Book a bank appointmentDay 2A resident account wants the NIE and an address; a non-resident account can open on a passport with a certificado de no residente. A Spanish IBAN is what landlords and utilities expect, and Bizum follows from it.
Book the padrón appointmentThe day you signEmpadronamiento at the ayuntamiento is free and needs the signed lease. Book it as soon as you sign: the padrón certificate is what the health card, school applications and residence files ask for.
Book the empadronamiento at Línea MadridThe day you signBook the padrón appointment on madrid.es or by phoning 010 as soon as you have a lease. It is free, and the certificate is what the health card and school application ask for.

Should do

Save 112 and 091Day 1112 reaches ambulance, police and fire, with operators who speak English. 091 is the Policía Nacional, the number for reporting a theft.
Set up the apps you'll use dailyDay 1Cabify or FREENOW for rides, Renfe for trains, Glovo for delivery, and Bizum inside your banking app as soon as the account is open.
Diary the TIE fingerprintingDay 2On a non-EU visa or authorisation, the TIE card needs a separate appointment at a Policía Nacional station within a month of arrival. EU citizens: put the EX-18 registration in the calendar before the three-month mark.
Find your centro de saludDay 2Look up which health centre covers your address so registration is quick once you have the padrón certificate and your social security number.
Check the fianza has been lodgedWithin 30 daysWithin 30 days of signing, the landlord must deposit the fianza with the Agencia de Vivienda Social. Ask for the acreditación de depósito.

Nice to do

Reset your clock to Spanish hoursDay 1Lunch runs from about 14:00 to 16:00 and dinner rarely starts before 21:00. The menú del día, a set lunch with a drink, is the best value meal in the country on weekdays.
Register with your embassyDay 2Many embassies run a registration or alert service for nationals living abroad. Two minutes now saves a scramble in an emergency.
Shop at your mercado municipalDay 2San Fernando in Lavapiés, Antón Martín, Vallehermoso in Chamberí: the covered markets are where the neighbourhood buys fish, meat and fruit, and many have bars inside.

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Must do0/6
Should do0/5
Nice to do0/3

Emergency112 · Police 091

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