Mallorca
Benvingut in the app. A local checklist, how-tos with real prices, and a directory of places that work for English speakers.
Your numbers
Real, checked prices — tap a card to dial in your own budget.
Newcomer checklist
21 tasks for Mallorca, sequenced by phase. Track progress in the app.
21 tasks
Before you move
First week
Month 1
If you land in November and half the seafront is shuttered, nothing's wrong. The season is over, the gyms, the markets, and everyone who actually lives here are still open.
Field notes · Mallorca
Compare & choose
Every option gets a verdict
Apps to download
The ten that do something your usual apps can't.
10 apps · Checked August 2026
Bank accounts
A Spanish IBAN for rent, nómina and direct debits.
4 banks · Checked August 2026
Home internet
Gigabit fibre is cheap here. Watch the contract lock-in, not the speed.
4 providers · Checked August 2026
Co-living & flexible stays
Furnished places to land for your first weeks, before you commit to a 12-month lease.
4 options · Checked August 2026
Gym memberships
Municipal pools to boutique studios. The Palma spread.
3 gyms · Checked August 2026
Private hospitals & clinics
Where to actually get seen this week, the private hospitals expats use, and the free public option.
4 options · Checked August 2026
Health & travel insurance
What actually covers you as a newcomer. And what just looks cheap.
4 plans · Checked August 2026
Where to live
Six Palma barris ranked on rent, noise, and sea access, filter by what matters to you.
6 areas · Checked August 2026
Mobile providers
A working number and data. Prepaid or monthly.
4 providers · Checked August 2026
Schools: public, concertada, and international
What it actually costs and teaches, school by school.
7 schools · Checked August 2026
Editorial guides
Living
Your first 72 hours in Palma
Land, get connected, dodge the pickpockets, and book the one appointment everything else waits on.
Bureaucracy & Visas
NIE and TIE in Palma, step by step
The foreigner ID number and residence card every expat needs. And how to win the cita previa game.
Housing
Renting in Palma without getting burned
How the market really works, what the fianza and aval mean, and where the scams hide.
Healthcare
Healthcare in Palma: IB-Salut and private
How Mallorca’s public system works, who qualifies, and the private cover most expats add.
Living
Best neighbourhoods for digital nomads
Santa Catalina to Portixol compared on rent, noise, Wi-Fi, and how far you are from the sea.
Bureaucracy & Visas
Which Spanish visa do you actually need?
Digital nomad, non-lucrative, work or student. The overview, and the rare good news about applying from inside Spain.
Bureaucracy & Visas
Taxes in Spain: the expat basics
The Beckham regime, what autónomos really pay, and the foreign-asset form with the scary fines.
Avoiding scams
Scams and traps to avoid in Palma
Rental fraud, illegal agency fees, and the street scams that target newcomers. Know these before you sign or pay anyone.
Living
The 10 apps you actually need in Mallorca
Appointments with the Govern, the last bus back, the ferry, parking in Palma. Ten downloads that do something your usual apps can't.
Schooling
Schooling in Mallorca: public, concertada, and international
Catalan immersion either way at zoned schools, a cheaper concertada tier than the mainland, and five international schools from Palma to Calvià.
Lifestyle
Weekend picks, seasonal events, and local rituals — updated without an app release.
Essentials
How to behave in Mallorca
Island manners, Mallorquí pride, and living here year-round.
Lifestyle
Your first weekend in Palma. What should you visit?
A Saturday-to-Sunday route for newcomers: Santa Catalina market, the bars of La Lonja, Es Baluard's rooftop view, a real local beach, and sunset at Bellver Castle.
Lifestyle
Sports in Mallorca, the island that trains all year
Real Mallorca on Saturdays, pro cyclists on the passes, Nadal's academy up the road and a bay full of sails. The island takes its sport seriously.
Local picks
Places in Mallorca that work for English speakers — checked for what expats actually ask about, not star ratings.
HealthcareFeatured
Hospital Quirónsalud Palmaplanas
Private hospital with an international patient unit and English-speaking specialists across most departments. Direct billing with Sanitas, Cigna and Allianz; same-day private GP slots.
English doctorsInternational insuranceWalk-in GP
Camí dels Reis · Open · 24h ER
Cleaning servicesFeatured
MopiClean
A local booking platform for verified cleaners across the whole island, home cleaning, vacation rental turnovers, offices and windows, including urgent same-day jobs. Book and pay online in English or Spanish, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
English supportOnline bookingVacation rentals
Island-wide · Book online · 7 days
Bureaucracy
Oficina de Extranjería, Palma
Where NIE and TIE applications happen for the whole island. The cita previa (appointment) is the hard part. Book early and check daily. Bring every document twice; English help is hit or miss.
Appointment requiredCash onlyBring copies
Centre · By appointment
Gestoría
Gestoria Palma
An English-friendly gestoría that handles NIE and residency paperwork, autónomo registration and quarterly tax filing, plus vehicle transfers and licence exchanges. Over a decade doing this specifically for foreigners on the island.
English supportAutónomo-friendlyNIE & residency
Son Espanyolet · Mon to Fri 9 to 3
Healthcare
Clínica Rotger
A central private hospital with an international desk and English-speaking consultants across specialties. Works directly with major global insurers; book GP and specialist slots online or by phone.
English doctorsInternational insuranceOnline booking
Centre · Open · 24h ER
Coliving & relocation stays
Palma Coliving
A coliving house aimed at digital nomads and newly arrived remote workers, with furnished private rooms, shared workspace, and a built-in community of other expats while you find longer-term housing. Booking and contact handled by WhatsApp rather than a front desk.
ColivingDigital nomadsFurnished rooms
Son Armadans · Mon to Fri 9 to 6 (WhatsApp/booking)
International school
Bellver International College
Spain's oldest British school, running the English National Curriculum from Early Years through A-Levels with Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel exam status. Small classes, mostly native English-speaking teachers; entrance evaluations kick in from Year 4.
British curriculumA-LevelsEnglish-speaking
Son Vida · Mon to Fri, by appointment
Coworking
Cómodo&Co Coworking
A flexible coworking space in the Santa Catalina expat hub: day passes, dedicated desks and private offices, plus a virtual office plan if you just need a registered address. Fast Wi-Fi, coffee and a community of other remote workers.
Day passesVirtual officeFast Wi-Fi
Santa Catalina · Mon to Sat 7am to 10pm
Yoga studio
Earth Yoga Mallorca
A central studio with a full timetable and several classes a week taught in English to a mixed expat-and-local crowd. Drop-ins welcome, class packs if you stick with it, a gentle way to meet people.
English classesDrop-inBeginner friendly
Santa Catalina · Open · until 9pm
Neighbourhoods we cover
Santa CatalinaPortixolSon EspanyoletEl TerrenoCasc AnticMolinar
Join our community
How-tos
All guides →Apply for your Spanish entry visa
Most routes need a consulate visa before flying. The digital nomad visa is the one exception.
1 to 4 months at the consulate (skip if doing the DNV)€80 visa fee approx (consulate routes)
Arrange shipping & customs for your belongings
What you ship, and how, depends far more on where you're leaving than where you're landing.
4 to 10 weeks lead time€600 to 4,000+ depending on volume and distance
Sort pet relocation, if you're bringing one
Start this months out, pet import rules are strict and depend entirely on your departure country.
10 weeks to 6+ months lead time€200 to 3,000+ depending on distance and route
Forward your mail & cancel subscriptions
A short list to clear before you go, so nothing important gets lost at your old address.
1 to 2 hours, spread over a few weeksFree to around €50 for a redirection service
Notify your bank & tax office back home
Tell your bank and tax office at home before you leave.
1 to 3 hoursUsually free
Get your NIE (and TIE)
The foreigner ID number everything else in Spain hangs off.
30 min at the office · weeks for the cita€9.84 (tasa 790-012) · €16+ for TIE
Register your address (empadronamiento)
The free town-hall registration that gets you on the list for healthcare and schools.
20 min at the OACFree
Get a Spanish SIM card
Working number and data in 15 minutes. Passport is all you need.
15 min€10 to 20
Get a TIB transit card
EMT city buses, TIB intercity buses, metro and train on one card.
15 minFree card + pay per trip
Open a Spanish bank account
For rent, salary, and the Bizum payments everyone assumes you have.
45 minFree at most banks (with conditions)
Register with IB-Salut (get your TSI)
Your Balearic health card. Public GP, hospital, and prescriptions.
20 min at the centre de salutFree
Set up home internet
Fibre is everywhere and fast. Pick the right contract length.
15 min to order · 3 to 10 days to install€25 to 40/mo
Exchange your driving licence
EU licences barely need anything. Non-EU depends on the country list.
1 hour at the DGT€28.87
Register as an EU resident (certificado de registro)
EU/EEA citizens: the green certificate you need after 90 days.
20 min at the office€12
Sign a lease (without getting burned)
Fianza, aval, and the temporada trap. Keys in hand with your rights intact.
1 to 4 weeks of hunting3 to 4 months' rent upfront
Get your social security number (NUSS)
Needed before your first day of work. And your employer can usually do it for you.
10 min online · days for the replyFree
Set up electricity, water & gas
CUPS codes, the cambio de titularidad, and why the previous tenant's contract is your friend.
1 hour total · 1 to 5 days activation€80 to 140/mo combined
Set up Bizum
How Spain actually pays. By phone number, instantly, from your bank's own app.
5 minFree
Register as a freelancer (alta de autónomo)
The double registration that lets you invoice from Spain. And the €80 first-year quota.
1 to 2 hours with a gestor~€80/mo first year (tarifa plana) · then €200 to 590/mo
Know what to do in case of an accident
One number for everything, a second one for when it's not urgent.
10 min to read and save the numbersFree
Handle a car crash, step by step
Most fender-benders settle on the spot. Know when that's not enough.
30 min on the spot, longer if anyone's hurtFree (your time only)