Moving to Valencia with family is both exciting and overwhelming. You imagine the sunshine, the Mediterranean pace of life, and your children thriving in a new environment. But alongside the excitement comes a wave of questions: Which visa do we need? How do we find a home from abroad? What if the schools are full?
The truth is, you don’t need to have all the answers right now. Most of the families who relocate with us never come to Valencia beforehand. They arrive with everything already in place: a rental contract signed, school places secured, and residency paperwork underway. That’s possible because the process follows a clear timeline and because you don’t have to manage it alone.
What follows is a step-by-step guide to moving to Valencia with family, covering both EU and non-EU scenarios. It’s written from the perspective of families who have been there before you, with insights into what you’ll face and how we help smooth each stage.
6–12 Months Before Moving
At the beginning, everything feels wide open. This is when families start imagining their new life: children running in local parks, weekends by the beach, perhaps a house with more space than they had back home. But it’s also the stage when uncertainty can feel the strongest.
For EU families, the focus is mainly on preparation. You don’t need to worry about visas, but you do need to plan school admissions, especially for private bilingual or international schools, which can fill up quickly. You’ll also need to decide whether to rent or buy, and what kind of budget makes sense in a new city.
For non-EU families, this is when the real paperwork begins. The first big decision is which visa path to take: the Non-Lucrative Visa, the Digital Nomad Visa, or Family Reunification. Each route requires documents like bank statements, medical insurance, criminal background checks, often translated and legalized.
This is usually when we first meet families, often during a Pre-Move Consultation. They share their hopes, fears, and questions. We explain what each step looks like and how the visa, school, and housing timelines overlap. By the end of that call, families often feel a weight lifted: there is a roadmap, and they don’t have to figure it all out themselves.
3–6 Months Before Moving
This is the stage when things start to feel real. Non-EU families submit visa applications at their local consulates or with a Spanish Lawyer, while EU families may start school application process. Everyone begins to picture life on the ground.
It’s also when the question arises: “Do we have to travel to Valencia to visit houses or schools before moving?” The answer is no. Most of our families don’t. Instead, we become your eyes and ears.
We visit properties on your behalf, record detailed video tours, and share not just what the apartment looks like but what it feels like. We’ll tell you if the street is noisy at night, if the building has a welcoming community, or if the playground really is as close as the listing suggests. Families are often surprised at how confident they feel making a decision remotely once they’ve seen everything through our lens.
If a family does have the chance to visit Valencia at this stage, we organize a Real Estate & Lifestyle Tour. It’s a five-hour orientation tour (included in our packages) that gives a clear sense of neighborhoods and daily rhythms. But it’s not essential. Many families skip it and still feel perfectly prepared.
At the same time, we align everything with the visa process. There’s no point securing a rental too early if your visa isn’t ready. The goal is simple: when you land in Valencia, your home and paperwork are waiting for you.
1–3 Months Before Moving
By now, the countdown has begun. Flights are booked, children are saying goodbye to friends at school, and the reality of the move is sinking in. For non-EU families, visa approvals are coming through and with it, school application process is about to start.
This is when families often feel the most pressure: “What if we don’t find a home in time? What if the contract doesn’t allow empadronamiento? What if we miss something in the fine print?”
That’s where we step in most decisively. Through our Family Relocation Service, we handle the rental process from start to finish: negotiating terms, reviewing contracts with trusted lawyers, and ensuring everything is compliant with Spanish law. We make sure the lease allows empadronamiento (essential for residency paperwork) and that you’re not caught in common traps like illegal 11-month contracts.
Utilities, internet, and insurance are also arranged before you even arrive. Families are often relieved to know they won’t spend their first week chasing appointments or waiting for Wi-Fi installation. In some cases, we even help set up a Spanish bank account remotely, so deposits and payments are ready in advance.
By the time you’re packing your bags, the essentials are already in place. Instead of arriving to uncertainty, you arrive to a home.
Arrival Week
This is the most intense part of the journey. The excitement of finally being in Valencia collides with the practical reality of paperwork. Kids are wide-eyed, parents are jet-lagged, and yet official appointments can’t wait.
For EU families, the focus is on registering empadronamiento at the town hall and applying for the NIE green certificate. For non-EU families, it’s the same empadronamiento plus the TIE residency card appointment with the police.
These are the moments when families are most grateful not to be alone. Spanish bureaucracy can feel intimidating. Forms in Spanish, queues at offices, officials asking for documents you didn’t know you needed. We’re right there with you, guiding you through the process, translating when necessary, and making sure every paper is in order. Instead of wandering from office to office in confusion, you walk into each appointment knowing exactly what will happen.
Many families tell us this is the stage when they finally exhale. The weight of uncertainty lifts, and they can focus on settling in.
First 90 Days in Valencia
Once the dust settles, the real work of adaptation begins. Children start school, adjusting to later lunches and longer afternoons. Parents begin navigating the healthcare system, deciding between public registration (depending on the visa status) or private insurance. Everyday life takes shape: getting Spanish SIM cards, learning bus routes, signing kids up for sports clubs.
It’s a period of small victories and occasional frustrations. Families sometimes worry: “Did we forget something? Should we be doing more?”
We stay close during these months. A quick call or message can solve what might otherwise become a major stress: clarifying how school lunch works, explaining why the bank asks for yet another document, or recommending a pediatrician who speaks English. We also connect families with our trusted network: accountants, doctors, sports clubs, even language tutors.
The goal is simple: you shouldn’t feel like you’ve been dropped in the deep end. You should feel supported, with someone you trust to ask whenever questions arise.
Beyond 90 Days – Settling Fully
By this stage, life in Valencia starts to feel familiar. Children are making friends, parents are building routines, and the city is becoming home.
For many families, this is when the next chapter begins: buying a property after renting, renovating a home, or planning for long-term residency and taxes.
We continue to walk alongside families here too. If you decide to buy, our Home Buying Service covers everything from market analysis and negotiation to due diligence and notary signing. If you renovate, we coordinate builders and architects to keep projects on track. And if you need fiscal or legal clarity, we connect you to the right advisors.
Support doesn’t end once you’ve moved in. It evolves with your family’s needs, long after the first 90 days.
Why Families Choose Valencia
By now, you may be wondering why so many families go through the effort of relocating here. The answer is simple: Valencia offers a balance that few other cities can match.
- A city large enough to have culture, universities, and international schools, but small enough to feel manageable.
- A climate that invites families outdoors year-round, without the extremes of southern Spain.
- A cost of living that is reasonable compared to Madrid or Barcelona, making quality of life accessible.
- A healthcare system ranked among the best in Europe.
- A lifestyle where children can safely walk to school, play in local parks, and grow up in a welcoming community.
Conclusion
Moving to Valencia with family is not about uprooting into the unknown, it’s about building a life in a place that balances opportunity, safety, and warmth. Yes, the paperwork is real. Yes, the logistics can be complex. But with the right timeline and the right guidance, it’s entirely manageable.
Most importantly, you don’t need to do it all in person. Families move here successfully every year without visiting beforehand. We make sure the home is ready, the schools are secured, and the paperwork is in motion. By the time you arrive, you can focus on what matters most: helping your children settle in and beginning your new life together.
At Livin’Valencia, our role is to take the weight off your shoulders. We handle the bureaucracy, the housing, the schools, and the details, so you can arrive not with anxiety, but with clarity and confidence.
