Visa & legal in Girona

The NIE is not the hard part. The hard part is knowing which visa you actually need before you apply for the wrong one.

Post-Brexit, UK nationals have no automatic right to live in Spain. Girona is not a special case — it sits within the Spanish national immigration system — but the experience of navigating that system in a mid-sized Catalan city of 105,000 people is specific in ways that generic Spain guides will not prepare you for. The local immigration office has its own appointment availability, its own processing rhythms, and its own queue. The professionals who know it well are not the same ones who handle Barcelona caseloads.

This guide covers the visa routes available to UK nationals relocating to Girona, what the residency process actually involves on the ground, what it costs, and where people consistently go wrong. It is written for people who are serious about making the move and want to understand the legal framework before they commit.

What this actually involves in Girona

The Oficina de Extranjería in Girona and what to expect from it

The immigration office handling residency applications in Girona is the Oficina de Extranjería, located at Carrer de la Rutlla, 14, 17003 Girona. This is where your TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) application is processed after you arrive in Spain on your visa. Appointments are booked through the national Sede Electrónica portal, and availability in Girona is tighter than the city's modest size might suggest — slots can run four to eight weeks out, particularly in spring and early autumn when new arrivals cluster.

The office handles the full range of non-EU residency matters: TIE issuance, renewals, and modifications. It does not handle the initial visa application, which must be submitted at the Spanish Consulate General in London (20 Draycott Place, London SW3 2RZ) before you travel. That distinction matters. The consulate approves your right to enter; the Girona office converts that approval into a physical residency card.

The two-stage process UK nationals must complete

The process has two distinct phases that many applicants conflate. First, you apply for your chosen visa at the Spanish Consulate in London, with full documentation. Processing typically takes one to three months depending on the visa type (Source: RelocateIQ research). Once approved, you have a defined window — usually 90 days — to enter Spain and begin phase two.

Phase two takes place in Girona. Within 30 days of arrival, you must book a TIE appointment at the Oficina de Extranjería, pay the Tasa 012 fee (approximately €16 in 2026), and attend in person with your passport, visa, EX-17 form, empadronamiento certificate, and passport photos. The TIE card itself typically takes a further 30 to 45 days to be ready for collection. The full arc from London consulate application to physical TIE card in hand runs three to six months in practice (Source: RelocateIQ research).

Girona Relocation is a locally based service that assists newcomers with TIE paperwork, empadronamiento registration, and administrative navigation — most arrivals find this kind of local support genuinely useful given how specific the Girona office's requirements and scheduling patterns are.

What it costs

Key visa and residency costs for UK nationals relocating to Girona

The table shows the official and near-official costs. What it cannot show is the cumulative weight of the supporting requirements. The Non-Lucrative Visa requires passive income of at least €2,400 per month (Source: costaluzlawyers.com), which in Girona's cost environment is genuinely liveable — a furnished one-bedroom in the historic centre runs €500–700 per month (Idealista, early 2026), and the 40% cost-of-living advantage over London is real (Numbeo, early 2026). The Digital Nomad Visa income threshold of approximately €2,760 per month (Source: RelocateIQ research) lands differently here than it would in Madrid or Barcelona, where that income would be stretched considerably thinner.

Budget for sworn translations of every UK document — birth certificate, criminal record, financial statements — at €30–60 each. These are non-negotiable, and standard translation agencies will not do. You need a Traductor Jurado certified by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or your application will be returned (Source: spainhandbook.com).

Step by step — how to do it in Girona

Step 1: Choose your visa route before you do anything else

The Non-Lucrative Visa suits retirees and those with passive income who will not work in Spain. The Digital Nomad Visa suits remote workers employed by non-Spanish companies. These are not interchangeable. Applying for the wrong one — or assuming you can switch after arrival — wastes months and money. If your income is non-standard, mixed, or involves any Spanish clients, get legal advice before filing. legalfournier.com notes that eligibility on paper and an approvable application are not the same thing, and that the difficult cases are usually ones where the income structure is ambiguous.

Step 2: Gather and legalise your UK documents

You will need a criminal record certificate from the UK (valid for three to six months, so do not order it too early), a medical certificate, proof of income or savings, and your passport. Every document issued outside Spain must be apostilled under the Hague Convention and accompanied by a sworn Spanish translation. Allow four to six weeks for this stage, longer if your criminal record certificate involves delays from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Step 3: Apply at the Spanish Consulate General in London

Book your appointment at the Spanish Consulate General, 20 Draycott Place, London SW3 2RZ. Consulate slots can be scarce — check availability early and book as soon as your documents are ready. Submit your full dossier in person. Processing runs one to three months. The Digital Nomad Visa can alternatively be applied for from within Spain if you enter as a tourist first, which is the one route that bypasses the consulate stage (Source: spainhandbook.com).

Step 4: Arrive in Girona and register your address immediately

Your first administrative act in Girona is empadronamiento — registering on the municipal census at the Ajuntament de Girona, Plaça del Vi, 1. You need your passport, rental contract, and sometimes a utility bill. You cannot get your TIE, access CatSalut healthcare, or apply for a digital certificate without it. Do this within the first week of arrival, not the first month.

Step 5: Book your TIE appointment at the Girona Oficina de Extranjería

Log into the Sede Electrónica portal and book under "Policía – Toma de Huellas" for the Girona office at Carrer de la Rutlla, 14. Slots fill quickly — check daily if necessary. Attend with your passport, visa, EX-17 form, empadronamiento certificate, Tasa 012 payment receipt, and two passport photos. Your TIE card will be ready for collection 30 to 45 days later.

Step 6: Apply for the Beckham Law if you are on a Digital Nomad Visa

If you arrived on a Digital Nomad Visa, apply for the Beckham Law special tax regime within six months of arrival. This caps your Spanish income tax at a flat 24% on the first €600,000 of income (Source: imperiallegal.com). Missing this window means losing the benefit for your entire first tax year. A local tax adviser in Girona — Assessoria Bosch, operating in the city centre, handles this for English-speaking clients — can file Model 149 on your behalf.

What people get wrong

Assuming the process is the same as it was before Brexit

UK nationals who visited Spain freely before 2021 sometimes carry a residual assumption that the administrative burden is manageable informally. It is not. You are now a third-country national, subject to the same documentation requirements, income thresholds, and processing timelines as any non-EU applicant. The 2025 immigration reforms introduced by Royal Decree 1155/2024 broadened some eligibility categories but simultaneously raised the evidential standard for applications — a cleaner file is now required, not a more lenient one (Source: legalfournier.com). Arriving in Girona and attempting to regularise your status after the fact is a significantly harder path than applying correctly from London before you travel.

Treating the Girona immigration office like a national average

Processing times and appointment availability at the Girona Oficina de Extranjería do not mirror national statistics. The office serves a catchment area that includes a growing expat population and seasonal fluctuations driven by the city's proximity to the French border and Barcelona. Anecdotal reports from Girona-based relocation professionals in early 2026 indicate TIE appointment waits of six to ten weeks during peak periods — longer than the national indicative targets suggest. Build this into your timeline. If you are on a Non-Lucrative Visa with a 90-day entry window, you need to book your TIE appointment before you fly, not after you land.

Underestimating the renewal requirements from day one

The initial visa approval is not the finish line. Non-Lucrative Visa renewals require proof that you have spent at least 183 days per year in Spain and that your income remains passive (Source: imperiallegal.com). Digital Nomad Visa renewals require continued proof of remote income and limited time outside Spain. legalfournier.com notes that renewals now demand strong evidence of income continuity, and that travel history is scrutinised more closely than many applicants expect. Keep records from day one — bank statements, entry and exit dates, lease agreements — because you will need them at renewal, and reconstructing them two years later is painful.

Who can help

For the visa application itself, you need a qualified immigration lawyer, not a gestor. A gestor can file forms; a lawyer can assess your route, anticipate objections, and file an appeal if your application is refused. mondaq.com makes this distinction clearly: immigration is not paperwork, it is strategy. Giambrone & Partners operates internationally and handles Spanish immigration cases for UK nationals. CostaLuz Lawyers, referenced at costaluzlawyers.com, specialises in immigration and property law for foreign residents and is familiar with the Catalan regional context.

For the on-the-ground administrative work in Girona — empadronamiento, TIE appointments, NIE applications, and liaising with the Oficina de Extranjería — Girona Relocation provides local support that most newcomers find worth the cost. The Girona office has its own scheduling patterns and documentation preferences that a locally experienced service will know and a London-based lawyer may not.

RelocateIQ connects users to vetted immigration lawyers and local relocation specialists with direct experience of the Girona process. If you are at the stage of choosing your visa route or preparing your application, that connection is worth making before you file anything.

Frequently asked questions

What visa do I need to move to Girona permanently?

As a UK national post-Brexit, you need a long-stay national visa before you can establish residency in Girona. The two most common routes are the Non-Lucrative Visa, for retirees and those with passive income who will not work in Spain, and the Digital Nomad Visa, for remote workers employed by non-Spanish companies. There is no single answer that applies to everyone — the right visa depends on your income structure, employment status, and long-term plans.

Applying for the wrong visa is a costly mistake that is more common than it should be. The Non-Lucrative Visa prohibits any form of work, including remote work for a foreign employer; if you intend to continue working, the Digital Nomad Visa is the correct route. Both applications must be submitted at the Spanish Consulate General in London before you travel to Girona (Source: spainhandbook.com).

Once in Girona, your visa is converted into a TIE residency card through the Oficina de Extranjería at Carrer de la Rutlla, 14. That card is your legal proof of residence in Spain and is required for almost every subsequent administrative step — opening a bank account, accessing healthcare, signing a long-term lease.

What is the difference between an NIE and a TIE?

The NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is a tax identification number assigned to all foreigners who carry out legal or financial transactions in Spain. It is not a residency permit — it is simply a number. You need it to buy property, open a bank account, sign a rental contract, or pay taxes. You can obtain an NIE at the Girona police station or at the Spanish Consulate in London before you travel (Source: costaluzlawyers.com).

The TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) is your physical residency card. It contains your photo, your NIE number, your permit type, and its expiry date. It is the document that proves you live legally in Spain, and it is what you apply for at the Girona Oficina de Extranjería after arriving on your visa.

In practice, you will often need your NIE before your TIE is issued — for example, to open a Spanish bank account or register for utilities in the weeks after arrival. Getting the NIE sorted early, ideally before you leave the UK, removes one bottleneck from an already busy first month in Girona.

How long does the NIE application take in Girona?

At the Girona police station, NIE processing typically takes one to three weeks from the appointment date, though this varies with demand (Source: RelocateIQ research). Appointments are booked through the Sede Electrónica portal, and availability in Girona can run two to four weeks out during busy periods — spring arrivals and the September intake are the most congested windows.

Alternatively, you can apply for your NIE at the Spanish Consulate General in London before you travel, which takes two to six weeks but removes the pressure of sorting it in your first days in Girona. If you are buying property or need to open a bank account immediately on arrival, the London route is worth the lead time.

Whichever route you take, bring your passport, a completed EX-15 form, a reason for the NIE request (rental contract, property purchase, employment), and a copy of all documents. The Girona office operates primarily in Catalan and Spanish — having a local agent or lawyer accompany you, or at minimum having your paperwork pre-checked, saves time and avoids unnecessary return visits.

Can I move to Girona without a visa if I am retired?

No. UK nationals are no longer EU citizens and cannot move to Girona — or anywhere in Spain — without a visa, regardless of age or retirement status. The 90-day visa-free allowance under the Schengen rules permits short stays but does not confer residency rights. Spending more than 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa is an overstay with real legal consequences.

Retired UK nationals relocating to Girona almost universally use the Non-Lucrative Visa, which is designed precisely for people with sufficient passive income who do not intend to work in Spain. The income threshold is approximately €2,400 per month for a single applicant (Source: costaluzlawyers.com), which in Girona's cost environment — 40% cheaper than London across housing, food, and utilities (Numbeo, early 2026) — is a comfortable baseline rather than a stretch target.

The application must be submitted at the Spanish Consulate General in London before you travel. Allow three to six months from starting your document preparation to having your TIE card in hand in Girona. Beginning the process at least six months before your intended move date is not overcautious — it is realistic.

What is the Non-Lucrative Visa and who qualifies?

The Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV) is a long-stay visa for non-EU nationals who wish to live in Spain without working there. It is the standard route for retirees, people living on investment income, and those with sufficient savings to support themselves without employment. The key requirement is demonstrable passive income of at least €2,400 per month, or equivalent savings, for a single applicant — with additional amounts required for each dependent family member (Source: costaluzlawyers.com).

In Girona specifically, that income threshold is achievable against a cost base that is genuinely lower than most Western European cities. A furnished one-bedroom apartment in the historic centre runs €500–700 per month (Idealista, early 2026), and private health insurance — required during the transition period before CatSalut access — costs €60–100 per month. The NLV is initially valid for one year and renewable for two-year periods thereafter.

The critical restriction is that the NLV prohibits any form of work, including remote work for a foreign employer. If you have any intention of continuing professional activity — even part-time consulting for a UK client — the NLV is the wrong route and the Digital Nomad Visa is the correct one. Mentioning work of any kind during your consulate interview for an NLV can result in refusal (Source: spainhandbook.com).

Do I need a gestor to apply for my visa or residency?

You do not legally need one, but the distinction between a gestor and an immigration lawyer matters enormously. A gestor is an administrative agent who can file forms and handle paperwork. A qualified immigration lawyer can assess your route, identify risks in your application, structure your evidence coherently, and represent you if your application is refused. For a straightforward NLV application with clean documentation, a gestor may be sufficient. For anything involving non-standard income, mixed employment, family complexity, or a previous refusal, a lawyer is not optional.

In Girona, the immigration legal market is smaller than in Barcelona or Madrid, which means the right professional may not be immediately obvious. legalfournier.com handles immigration and tax planning together — relevant for Digital Nomad Visa applicants considering the Beckham Law regime. CostaLuz Lawyers (costaluzlawyers.com) handles immigration cases for foreign residents across Spain and is familiar with the Catalan regional context.

For the administrative work specific to Girona — TIE appointments, empadronamiento, liaising with the Oficina de Extranjería at Carrer de la Rutlla, 14 — a local relocation service such as Girona Relocation provides practical support that complements legal advice rather than replacing it. The two functions are different, and the best outcomes usually involve both.

What happens if I overstay my 90-day visa-free period?

Overstaying the 90-day Schengen allowance in Girona — or anywhere in Spain — is a serious legal matter, not an administrative inconvenience. Fines range from €501 to €10,000 depending on the length of the overstay, and the consequences can include a deportation order and a re-entry ban affecting the entire Schengen area (Source: spainhandbook.com). There is no grace period. The 90-day limit is calculated across any 180-day rolling window, not per calendar year.

For UK nationals who have already overstayed, the arraigo routes — regularisation pathways for long-term irregular residents — may offer a legal route to status, but they require years of documented presence in Spain and carry their own evidential demands. The 2025 immigration reforms expanded arraigo eligibility for some categories, but the process remains complex and the outcome is not guaranteed (Source: legalfournier.com).

The practical message is straightforward: if you are approaching 90 days in Girona without a visa, leave Spain before the limit expires and begin a proper visa application from the UK. Attempting to regularise from within Spain in an overstay situation is significantly harder, more expensive, and less predictable than applying correctly from the start.

How long does it take to get permanent residency in Spain?

Permanent residency — formally, long-term residence (residencia de larga duración) — requires five continuous years of legal temporary residence in Spain (Source: costaluzlawyers.com). For UK nationals who arrive in Girona on an NLV or Digital Nomad Visa and renew correctly, the five-year clock starts from the date of your first TIE. Time spent on a student visa counts at 50%; time on a 90-day tourist allowance does not count at all.

The continuity requirement is strict. Total absences from Spain cannot exceed ten months across the five years, and no single absence can exceed six consecutive months. This catches people who travel frequently for work or spend extended periods back in the UK — keep records of every trip from day one, because the Girona Oficina de Extranjería will scrutinise your travel history at the permanent residency application stage (Source: RelocateIQ research).

Once granted, long-term residency is valid for five years and renewable, with full rights to work without restrictions. Spanish citizenship by naturalisation becomes available after ten years of continuous legal residence. The application for permanent residency itself takes two to three months to process once submitted — file it well before your current permit expires to avoid any gap in your legal status.