Moving to Mallorca from the US or UK: What to Sort Out Before You Leave

When you move to Mallorca, the daydreams are about sun, sea and your new life on the island. But a large part of a successful move happens before you ever board the plane, at desks, in government offices and on hold with your bank. Many formalities are faster, cheaper and less stressful to handle while you are still in the US or UK than from a distance later. This post walks you through what to arrange before departure, which documents to get certified and which omissions can cost you weeks once you are on Mallorca.

Pre-move preparation covers all the formalities you settle with authorities, banks, insurers and contract partners in your home country before leaving. That includes gathering apostilled documents for the Spanish authorities, clarifying your tax position, cancelling running contracts and setting up mail and money for the transition period.

Get your documents apostilled while you are still at home

The single hardest thing to fix from Mallorca later is missing paperwork. Spanish authorities want foreign documents legalized with an apostille, and often translated by a sworn translator. Take care of this block first:

• Birth and marriage certificates with an apostille, ideally more than one certified copy
• Background checks for your visa: US citizens need the FBI Identity History Summary with a federal apostille from the US Department of State; UK citizens need an ACRO police certificate, legalised through the gov.uk Legalisation Office
• School records, diplomas and work references, with sworn translations where needed
• Proof of pension entitlements and insurance history
• Vaccination records and medical files, especially for children

As non-EU citizens, Americans and Brits need a visa for any stay beyond 90 days: typically the non-lucrative visa for retirees and people with passive income, the digital nomad visa for remote workers, or a work visa. You apply at the Spanish consulate responsible for your area of residence, which is exactly why this part cannot wait until you are on the island. If your timeline allows, you can also apply for your NIE from home at the same consulate.

Taxes: what the IRS and HMRC expect from you

The tax side works very differently for the two countries, so do not copy your neighbor's plan.

If you are a US citizen, moving abroad does not end your filing obligation. The US taxes citizens on worldwide income wherever they live, so you keep filing a federal return and, above 10,000 USD in combined foreign account balances, an FBAR. Tools like the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and foreign tax credits usually prevent double taxation, but the forms remain. Also check your state: some states keep treating you as a tax resident until you actively cut ties.

If you are UK tax resident, tell HMRC that you are leaving, either through your Self Assessment return or with form P85 if you do not file one. Depending on your dates, split-year treatment can apply for the year you move. Details are on the official gov.uk page on tax when leaving the UK.

In both cases the Spanish side is the same: spend more than 183 days a year in Spain or have your center of life there, and you generally become a Spanish tax resident. Plan the timing of your move with that threshold in mind.

Driving licence: Brits can swap, Americans cannot

This is the point where US and UK movers diverge the most, and where waiting costs the most.

• UK licence holders can exchange their DVLA licence for a Spanish one without taking a driving test, thanks to the UK-Spain licence agreement in force since March 2023. You must start the exchange within six months of becoming a resident, and a simple medical check (psychotécnico) is part of the process. The procedure runs through the Spanish traffic authority DGT.
• US licence holders get no exchange. Your American licence is only valid for your first six months as a resident; after that you need a Spanish licence, which means the theory exam and a practical test. Many Americans book the theory test in English and start studying before the move, because the rules differ more than you would expect.

Healthcare, pensions and mail

Clarify your health cover for the transition period before you leave. Visa applicants generally must show full private health insurance valid in Spain with no copayments. UK state pensioners are a special case: with the S1 form from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services, the UK funds your Spanish public healthcare once you register it with the Spanish social security.

For pensions, notify your providers of the move. US Social Security can be paid to Spain, and UK state pensions are paid abroad with annual increases in the EU. Private pensions vary by provider, so ask about payments to a foreign address and any tax withholding before you go.

Finally, sort your mail. Royal Mail offers an international redirection service for UK addresses. USPS does not forward mail abroad in any practical way, so US movers are usually better served by a virtual mailbox service that scans letters, or by redirecting everything to a trusted relative.

What the preparation costs

The preparation itself is manageable, but a few fixed costs add up. These are typical figures; consulate fees also vary by nationality and visa type.

If you bundle the paperwork before the move, you save yourself expensive courier runs and lost weeks on Mallorca. For the full picture of the move itself, from shipping boxes to the first weeks on the island, our complete moving checklist gives you the step-by-step order, and the guide to movers and containers covers the physical side.

Can I open a Spanish bank account before moving? Some Spanish banks offer non-resident accounts you can open with your passport and NIE, occasionally even online. It makes the first weeks easier, but it is not essential: a low-fee multi-currency account gets you through the transition, and you can switch to a resident account once you have your paperwork.

Conclusion

The best preparation for a move to Mallorca from the US or UK happens at your desk at home. Handle the apostilles, background checks, tax notifications, licence plans and account questions before departure and you arrive on the island without a bureaucratic backlog. Order documents in the right sequence, watch the 90-day validity of police certificates, keep your home account and phone number for the transition, and get one more certified copy than you think you need. That way your first months on Mallorca are spent on the life you came for, not on couriered paperwork.