The student moving checklist for Madrid.

📋 2–3 months before you fly

• Sort your visa or residence paperwork. Non-EU students need a student visa (type D). Start early, appointments fill up. EU students: bring your national ID and European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
• Confirm your housing. Residencia, shared flat, or homestay: get the contract in writing and confirm your move-in date and who hands you the keys.
• Check what your accommodation includes. Most Madrid student flats come unfurnished on the details that matter: no bedding, no kitchenware, no towels. Ask for a list. You'll need it for packing.

• Accommodation doesn't include furniture and essentials? PAKS delivers bedding, kitchenware, and towels to your flat before you land.

  Order paks
• Book your flight for a weekday morning. Landing Monday–Thursday before noon makes bank, phone, and key-pickup errands possible on day one.
• Get proof of acceptance + insurance documents printed. Border control and your residencia may ask for them.

🧳 2–4 weeks before

• Order a euro travel card or open a Spanish-friendly account. Revolut, N26, or Wise work from day one; a Spanish IBAN helps later for rent.
• Plan your phone setup. EU SIMs roam free; non-EU students should compare prepaid plans (Vodafone, Orange, Digi). You can buy one at the airport or any phone shop.
• Scan everything. Passport, visa, acceptance letter, insurance, rental contract. Keep one folder in your cloud drive, shared with a parent.
• Start packing clothes only. Madrid has real seasons: pack for heat in September and actual cold (5°C) by December. One warm coat is non-negotiable.
• Decide what you're NOT bringing. This is where most students get it wrong. See the next section.

🚫 What to leave at home

Every September we meet students who paid extra-baggage fees to fly in things they could not actually use. Don't bring:

• Bedding. Spanish bed sizes (90/105 cm singles, 135 cm doubles) don't match US or UK sheets. Your bedding from home probably won't fit the mattress.
• Kitchenware. Pots and pans are heavy, fragile, and eat your baggage allowance. Buy or get them delivered in Madrid.
• Towels and bathroom stuff. Bulky, cheap to replace, and the first thing you'll forget you need at 1am after your flight.
• Appliances with foreign plugs. Spain uses type C/F plugs at 230V. US appliances need converters that cost more than replacements.

✈️ The week of the move

• Confirm key handover in writing. Message your landlord or residencia with your flight number and arrival time.
• Download offline essentials. Google Maps offline area for Madrid, your airline app, Cabify/Uber, and Google Translate with Spanish offline.
• Pack a first-night pouch in your carry-on. Toothbrush, charger, adapter, one change of clothes, in case checked luggage is delayed.
• Know your route from Barajas. Metro line 8 (~5€), Cercanías train, airport bus (24h, 5€), or a taxi at a flat 33€ rate to the city centre.

🇪🇸 Your first 48 hours in Madrid

• Get your keys and check the flat. Photos of any existing damage, sent to the landlord on day one, save deposits later.
• Empadronamiento (city registration). Book a cita previa online early. You'll need it for your TIE card and many contracts.
• Non-EU: start your TIE appointment. You have 30 days from arrival; slots go fast in September.
• Get a transport card. The Tarjeta Joven (under 26) gives unlimited metro, bus, and Cercanías for ~8€/month. Easily the best deal in Madrid.
• Do a small grocery run, not a furnishing run. If your basics are already sorted, your first days are for exploring your barrio, not queueing at a furniture warehouse.