Registration, banking and utilities in Malaga

The order, and why it is fixed

Identity number first, then the Spanish bank account, then the lease, then the padrón, then the utilities, then the health card. Without the number there is no account, without the account no landlord and no utility company will contract with you, and without the lease there is no padrón. Nothing in the sequence can be taken out of turn, which is why arriving with the number already issued saves weeks rather than days.

• Non-EU and only needing the number: Modelo EX-15 at a Spanish consulate, at a Policía Nacional comisaría or through a representative holding a power of attorney, with the €9.84 fee paid on Modelo 790 código 012.
• The EX-15 number identifies you. It does not grant the right to live or work in Spain.
• EU, EEA or Swiss staying more than three months: Modelo EX-18 at the Oficina de Extranjería or a designated police station, and the green certificate carrying your NIE is normally handed over the same day.
• What the EX-18 asks you to prove depends on status: an employment contract or Seguridad Social registration if employed, RETA and Hacienda registration if self-employed, enrolment plus health cover and a declaration of means if a student, and comprehensive insurance plus resources benchmarked against the IPREM if you are not working.
• Non-EU remote workers use the international teleworking authorisation, handled centrally by the Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos rather than by the Málaga office. Its income test is 200 per cent of the minimum wage, which Real Decreto 126/2026 set at €1,221 a month over fourteen payments for 2026, so roughly €34,000 a year plus more for each dependant. Confirm the figure in force and the filing route with the UGE-CE before you start.

Empadronamiento in Málaga

First registration is in person and by appointment, at an Oficina Municipal de Atención a la Ciudadanía or at the Gestrisam citizen-service office. Book through the Ayuntamiento de Málaga's cita previa platform or by phone on 010, which is 951 926 010 from outside the city. Counters generally run from 09:00 to 14:00, Monday to Friday. Both the registration and the certificate are free.

• Bring the original and a photocopy of your passport, DNI or TIE.
• Bring the original and a photocopy of the lease, or a signed authorisation from the owner if the contract is not in your name.
• Bring the completed hoja de inscripción padronal, which the Ayuntamiento publishes on its sede electrónica.

Residence files and the TIE card

Residence applications for the province go through the Oficina de Extranjería under the Subdelegación del Gobierno in Málaga, with appointments booked on the national cita previa system. Confirm the current office address on the Subdelegación del Gobierno's own page before you travel to it. If you are non-EU with a visa or authorisation, the physical TIE card needs a second, separate fingerprinting appointment at a Policía Nacional comisaría, which is not the appointment where the residence file is lodged. Book the toma de huellas as soon as the authorisation is granted, because it is its own queue.

• The TIE fee is paid on Modelo 790 código 012: €16.08 for a first card, €19.30 for a renewal and €21.87 for a long-term residence card.
• File status is checked by phone on 902 02 22 22 or by SMS to 651 714 610, texting the word NIE, a space and your number.

Bank account and utilities

A resident account wants the NIE or TIE, proof of a Spanish address and proof of income; a non-resident opens on a passport plus a certificado de no residencia from a comisaría, a consulate or an Oficina de Extranjería, which is valid for three months. Banks commonly ask for a payslip, an employment contract or a tax return as well, and may want sworn translations of foreign documents. Electricity in an occupied flat is a change of titular rather than a new connection, which is free and usually done within 1 to 20 working days depending on the supplier and the billing cycle. Water in the city is EMASA, the municipal company, contracted on 900 777 420 or in person at Plaza General Torrijos 2, Edificio Hospital Noble, and normally activated in three to four working days where a meter is already installed.

• For the electricity you need the CUPS code from the previous bill, both holders' identity documents, the lease and a Spanish IBAN.
• EMASA wants the supply application form, your DNI or NIE, the lease or title deed, the property's cadastral reference and a bank account. It charges a deposit that comes back when you close the account.
• As the tenant you choose the tariff, the supplier and the potencia contratada. Check the potencia will run the air conditioning before August rather than after.
• A genuine new connection, where the supply was disconnected, is a slower and much more expensive procedure than a change of holder.

In order

1. 1Get the identity number: EX-15 if you are non-EU and only need the number, EX-18 if you are an EU citizen staying over three months.
2. 2Open a Spanish bank account so rent and utilities can be direct-debited.
3. 3Sign the lease.
4. 4Book the padrón appointment on the Ayuntamiento's cita previa platform or on 010.
5. 5Register at the OMAC with your ID and the lease, and ask for the certificate while you are there.
6. 6Contract the water with EMASA and transfer the electricity into your name.
7. 7If you are non-EU, book the separate fingerprinting appointment for the TIE card.
8. 8Take the padrón certificate to the centro de salud for your address and register for the Andalusian health card.