Who has to register
Registration is for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who settle on Tenerife beyond three months, whatever the reason: a job in a south-coast hotel, a pension, studies at the university in La Laguna, or simply enough means to live here. Each adult registers in person, and family members who are EU citizens too register in their own name.
Relatives from outside the EU follow a different path: the family-member card, requested with form EX-19.
What you prove, depending on your situation
- Employed: a contract or a certificate from the employer, or your registration with Social Security
- Self-employed: your registration as autónomo or the documents of your activity
- Retired or living on savings: proof of sufficient means and of health cover, public or private (pensioners often rely on an S1 from their home system)
- Student: enrolment at a recognised centre, health cover and a statement of sufficient means
- Always: your passport or ID card plus a photocopy, the signed EX-18 and the stamped 790-012
After the appointment
In many cases the certificate is handed over at the appointment itself, with your NIE printed on it. It has no photo, so it does not prove who you are on its own: keep it with your passport or ID card, and carry both when an office asks for your residence.
Keep the address side of your life up to date too. A recent padrón certificate from your town hall is the simplest proof of where you live on the island, and many later procedures ask for it.
On Tenerife
Both the Santa Cruz and the Adeje police offices list EU registration, so the decision is practical: Santa Cruz suits the capital, La Laguna and Candelaria, Adeje suits Arona, Los Cristianos and the Costa Adeje resorts. Because the office is fixed by the slot you choose, compare what each side offers before you confirm.
Questions on this topic
I am Norwegian, not EU. Does this apply to me?
Yes. Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein belong to the EEA, and Switzerland has an equivalent agreement: their citizens follow the same registration as EU citizens.
Do I need the padrón before registering?
Not as a rule: it is not on the national list, and in Santa Cruz the order runs the other way for Europeans: the town hall asks EU citizens for the registration certificate showing the NIE. Tell us your town and we check the order that applies.
Is the old green certificate still valid for EU citizens?
Yes, for Europeans it is still the document. Swapping it for a card only concerns the British, since Brexit.
Can I book the appointment before I have a job?
Yes, as long as you can show another ground, such as sufficient means and health cover. The ground you choose decides the papers you bring.