EU, EEA and Swiss

Questions from Europeans on Gran Canaria

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens live and work here freely; after three months they register as residents. What people ask about it, north and south.

Questions from the rest of the world →

The Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, a stone-clad block crowned by a glass lantern under a white dome, at the end of Las Canteras beach, with surfers in the breaking waves and walkers on the sand, green hills with colourful houses along the ridge behind and paragliders in a cloudy sky
Las Canteras and the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus. Photo Bengt Nyman from Vaxholm, Sweden, CC BY 2.0, resized.

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I am Italian and start in a Maspalomas hotel next month. Which appointment do I book?

If you will stay longer than three months, the green certificate, with form EX-18; your contract is your proof. Maspalomas does not handle it, and the Santa Lucía de Tirajana unit that does was set up for residents of Santa Lucía, Agüimes and Ingenio, so plan on Plaza de la Feria 24 in the city unless the booking offers Santa Lucía.

Certificado de registro UE Las Palmas: why not Luis Doreste Silva?

Because policia.es lists the EU procedures (régimen comunitario) at Plaza de la Feria 24. Calle Luis Doreste Silva 68 is listed for the bare NIE and other procedures, not for the green certificate.

I work remotely for a Dutch company. Do I register?

Yes, if you stay longer than three months. Your proof depends on how you work, as an employee of a foreign firm, as a freelancer or on your savings; we check it with you.

I am a Swedish pensioner. Which health cover counts?

Two routes are usual: public cover proven with an S1 issued by the state that pays you, or complete private insurance valid in Spain.

Padrón first, or green certificate first?

There is no single rule for everyone, but registering on the padrón early gives you a certificate that shows, simply, where you live on the island. You register with the town hall of your own municipality.

My stays in Playa del Inglés get longer every winter. When do I register?

When a stay goes past three months, or when the island becomes the place you actually live. Until then, a purchase or a contract only needs the number, requested on form EX-15.