First 48 hours in Malaga

For Malaga

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 an EMT bus cardDay 1A ten-journey card is €5 against a €1.50 cash single, and the monthly pass is €23.95, or €13.50 for under-26s and students. Transfers between EMT buses are free within the hour.
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 padrón at the OMACThe day you signBook through the Ayuntamiento's cita previa platform or 010 (951 926 010 from outside Málaga) as soon as you sign. Bring your ID and the lease; it is free.
Put the fianza terms in writingBefore you paySince January 2026 Andalucía no longer holds deposits, so the contract must state the amount, the account it was paid into and the return conditions. Pay by transfer.

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.
Check which network serves your streetDay 2The metro runs west and north; the eastern seafront is bus only. Time the trip to work at rush hour before you choose a flat.

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.
Eat espetos on the beachDay 2Sardines grilled on a cane over a fire in an old boat, at a chiringuito in Pedregalejo or El Palo. The best introduction to the city.

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Must do0/7
Should do0/4
Nice to do0/3

Emergency112 · Police 091

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