Granada for EU residents
A practical guide and monthly digest in English for the thousands of EU citizens — and other long-term residents — calling Granada home. We focus on what actually matters: paperwork, healthcare, housing, culture, and how to feel local.
Essential resources
- Empadronamiento (city registration)
How to register your address at Granada City Hall. Mandatory for most residents and required for healthcare and many services.
- Healthcare (SAS — Andalusian Health Service)
Apply for your tarjeta sanitaria to access free public healthcare regardless of administrative situation.
- NIE/TIE for EU citizens
EU citizens need a Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Unión. Apply at the Comisaría de Policía in Granada.
- Public transport — Metro & bus
Metro and metropolitan bus passes (Bono Joven for under-30s, Bono +65 for seniors).
- Granada City Hall · English resources
Council services. Mostly in Spanish — use browser auto-translate.
What you wish you knew on day one
- Get used to siesta — most small shops close 14:00-17:00. Big supermarkets stay open.
- Tap water is safe to drink across the entire province.
- Free tapas with every drink in most bars (still a real thing in Granada, unlike most of Spain).
- Public healthcare is excellent; private insurance not strictly necessary unless you want faster appointments.
- Renting: standard contract is annual, with deposit (fianza) of 1-2 months plus first month upfront.
- Local time zone changes (DST) happen last Sunday of March and October.
Monthly digest
We publish a short monthly digest in English with the most relevant stories, events, openings, and policy changes affecting residents (Spanish, EU, and beyond) in Granada.
Subscribe to the EU residents digest →(We're launching this digest in summer 2026. Subscribe now to receive the first issue.)