In your first two weeks in Granada you should sort out your accommodation, register your address (empadronamiento), get a Spanish SIM and bank account, buy a transport card, complete your UGR enrolment, and — if you're an EU student — check your EHIC health cover is valid. Some of these need appointments booked in advance, so start the moment you know your arrival date.
Here's the sensible order to do it in, and the traps to avoid.
Before you land: book the slow stuff
A few things run on appointments (cita previa) that can take days or weeks to come up. Get ahead of them:
- Confirm your accommodation. Have a room booked (viewed in person or on video first — never pay before you see it) so you have an address for everything else. Browse the live catalogue at /en/pisos, and if you're starting from zero, the no-nonsense housing guide explains how the market works.
- EU students: get or renew your EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) at home before you travel. It covers state healthcare in Spain during your stay.
- Non-EU students: check your visa's requirements for the TIE (see below) — the clock starts when you arrive.
NIE / TIE: your Spanish ID number
Almost everything official needs an identification number.
- **NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero)** is the number itself, which you'll quote on contracts, bank forms and enrolment.
- **TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) is the physical card, required for non-EU students** staying more than six months. You apply after arriving, within the deadline on your visa.
Both run through the Oficina de Extranjería and need a cita previa (advance appointment) booked online — these get snapped up fast in September, so book the earliest slot you can find, even before you've done everything else. EU students often don't need the full TIE card but may register as an EU citizen if staying long-term; check what your specific situation requires with the UGR's international office, who do this every day.
Empadronamiento: register your address
The empadronamiento is your registration at the town hall (ayuntamiento) confirming you live at your Granada address. It smooths several later steps and is quick once you have a signed rental contract.
Bring your passport/ID and your rental contract (and check in advance that your landlord is happy for you to register at the flat — most are). Book the appointment online through the Granada town hall. Do this early: some bank and NIE steps go faster with the padrón certificate in hand. If you're not sure what your contract should look like in the first place, see the rental contracts and deposits guide.
Spanish SIM card
Get a local number in your first days — you'll need it for bank verification, WhatsApp with landlords, delivery apps and just about everything.
- Prepaid SIMs from the big carriers or the cheaper virtual operators are the fastest route: buy one in a phone shop or supermarket, top up as you go, no contract.
- Bring your passport — SIMs must be registered to ID.
- If your phone is unlocked, this takes ten minutes. Sort it before you rely on Spanish mobile data.
Bank account: no-fee options for EU students
You'll want a Spanish or EU-friendly account for rent, bills and daily spending.
- Digital/EU banks (the app-based ones common across Europe) are the easiest for EU students: often no monthly fee, no Spanish paperwork, an instant IBAN and free or cheap card payments. Many students arrive already using one and simply keep it.
- Traditional Spanish banks offer dedicated student accounts with no maintenance fees if you're under a certain age — handy if a landlord or the university prefers a Spanish IBAN. You'll typically need your passport, NIE and empadronamiento.
- Whatever you choose, aim for no monthly fees and fee-free card payments — as a student you shouldn't be paying to hold money.
Transport card (bono)
Granada's buses (and the metro line) are cheap, and a top-up transport card makes them cheaper still.
- Get the city's rechargeable credibus / transport card, load credit, and each journey costs a fraction of the single fare — with free transfers within a time window.
- There are reduced options aimed at young people and students; ask at a tobacconist (estanco) or transport point which card fits you.
- If you've chosen a room near your faculty, you may barely need it — check the declared walking and bus times on the neighbourhood pages before you assume you'll be commuting.
UGR enrolment and student credential
Finish the university side:
- Complete your matrícula (enrolment) and your Erasmus learning agreement with your faculty's international coordinator. Keep every stamped document.
- Get your UGR student credential / card, which unlocks the library, computer rooms, university sports and student discounts.
- Set up your UGR account and email — timetables, exam info and official notices all go through it.
Health cover (EHIC / TSE)
- EU/EEA students: your EHIC (the Tarjeta Sanitaria Europea, TSE, in Spanish) covers state healthcare in Spain during your stay. Carry it, and register at your local centro de salud once you're settled so you have a assigned GP if you need one.
- Non-EU students: you'll usually need private health insurance as a visa condition — confirm your policy is valid in Spain and know how to use it before you need it.
- For anything urgent, 112 is the free Spain-wide emergency number.
Quick two-week order of play
- Confirm accommodation and get your address.
- Book the cita previa for NIE/TIE straight away.
- Buy a Spanish SIM.
- Register your empadronamiento with your contract.
- Open (or confirm) a no-fee bank account.
- Complete UGR enrolment and collect your student credential.
- Get a transport card and check your EHIC/insurance.
Do the appointment-based items first and the rest slots in around them. Once the admin's done, the fun part starts — and if you're still house-hunting, the direct-from-landlord listings at /en/pisos and the student rent index will get you sorted fast. To plan the money side of your first month, the cost of living guide has a realistic budget.