December isn't just holidays on the Costa del Sol. It's when Spanish administrative systems quietly set traps that explode in January if you don't catch them. Your TIE expires January 15? The cita previa — appointment system — books four-six weeks out, meaning you needed to start in November. Your insurance renews on December 31, but the new policy starts on January 1. Gap coverage leaves you uninsured if you need emergency care. School registration opens January 10, with documents required by January 5? You're scrambling over New Year's while everyone else filed on time.

Here's the December admin checklist that prevents January disasters: six specific things to verify, document, or book before December 31. Spanish bureaucracy doesn't pause for holidays—it just makes the consequences worse if you miss deadlines.

The trap: Your TIE card expires in Q1 2026. You think you have time. The cita previa — appointment system — books four-six weeks out usually, six-eight weeks during holiday season when offices run short-staffed.

If your TIE expires between January and March 2026, you need to book your renewal appointment now. Specifically: December 5-15 is your window.

Check your TIE card expiration date on the front, bottom right. If it expires before March 31, 2026, go to https://sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es immediately. Select Certificados de Registro de Ciudadano de la Unión or TIE renovation depending on your status. Book the earliest available appointment. If no appointments are available, check daily at midnight when new slots are released.

Documents you need ready: current TIE or NIE, passport plus photocopy, padrón — town registration — certificate issued within last three months, proof of income or employment, Modelo 790 payment receipt (€12, pay at bank), and passport photo.

If you're too late: Working with an expired TIE is a serious infraction, carrying fines of €500-10,000. If you can't get an appointment before expiration, bring all documents to your local Extranjería office in person, explain the situation, and they may issue a justificante — proof of application — that temporarily covers you.

The trap: Your health or property insurance renews on December 31. You assume it auto-renews. It doesn't, or the renewal notice went to an old email, or the payment failed, or the company changed terms requiring a new opt-in.

On January 1, you're uninsured. You don't know it. On January 15, you need surgery, or your pipe bursts. The insurance company says your policy lapsed on December 31.

By December 10, check all insurance policies—health, property, car, liability. Verify renewal dates, usually December 31 or your policy anniversary. Confirm the payment method on file is current. If you changed banks after banking issues, update payment details immediately.

By December 20, call or email each insurance company to confirm auto-renewal and request written confirmation via email. Check that coverage starts January 1 with no gap.

If switching providers, cancel your old policy with 30 days' written notice, ensure your new policy starts January 1, not later, and verify that there is no waiting period that delays coverage activation. Keep both policies active through December to avoid gaps.

The specific gap to avoid: Health insurance with a 10-day waiting period on a new policy, plus an old policy ending December 31, equals you're uncovered January 1-10. Structure the switch so your new policy activates on December 31 if the old one expires then.

If you're autónomo — self-employed — you file quarterly tax declarations. Q4 deadline: December 31. Miss it, and penalties accrue interest. Late enough, and Hacienda flags you for audit.

Who this affects: self-employed freelancers, Spanish SL company owners,and anyone who filed Modelo 130 in Q1-Q3 this year.

By December 15, gather Q4 income and expense records covering October through December. If using a gestor — administrative agent — send them records by December 10, since they're slammed December 20-30. If self-filing, prepare Modelo 130 on the Hacienda website.

By December 30—don't wait until the 31st—file Modelo 130 online or through your gestor, pay any tax due via bank transfer or direct debit, and save your confirmation receipt. If the payment due is €0, you still must file a nil return.

The trap: School registration for the 2026-27 academic year opens in January for many schools. But required documents—padrón certificate, health records, previous school transcripts—take time to gather. If you start on January 5, you're too late for the January 10 deadlines.

By December 15, identify which schools you're applying to—international, public, or concertado — state-funded charter schools. Check their specific application deadlines, typically January 10-20. Request document lists from admissions offices.

By December 22, get certificado de empadronamiento — town registration certificate — from your ayuntamiento — town hall (must be recent, usually within three months). Translate previous school records if from non-Spanish schools. Get vaccination records translated if required. Prepare passport copies and photos, and pay application fees upfront if required.

Common documents needed: certificado de empadronamiento; birth certificate, translated and apostilled if foreign; vaccination records, translated; previous school transcripts, translated; passport copies for parents and child; passport-size photos.

If you're late, some schools offer rolling admissions or waitlists. But popular international schools fill up quickly—January applications get priority over February applications.

IBI—property tax—comes due in different months depending on the municipality, but many charge annually in November-December. If you didn't pay, January brings penalties.

By December 10, check if the IBI payment has cleared if you pay annually, not through the mortgage. Verify community fees paid through December. Check if the year-end community meeting is scheduled, usually in mid-December.

If you own property but don't live there, designate a proxy for community meetings or ensure your property manager attends on your behalf. Review the proposed 2026 budget before the meeting.

You need 2025 bank statements for tax filing in Q1 2026. But if you switched banks mid-year or if your old bank closed your account, getting historical statements in March is a nightmare.

By December 20, log in to all banks you used in 2025. Download full-year statements covering January through December 2025. Save as PDFs labeled clearly: "Sabadell_2025_Statements.pdf". If you closed an account mid-2025, download those statements now while you still have access.

What you need for tax time: all income deposits, all business expenses if autónomo, international transfers for tax treaty calculations, and interest earned for income declaration.

December 5-10: Check TIE expiration dates, list all insurance policies and renewal dates, request school application document lists, and verify IBI payment status.

December 10-15: Book TIE renewal appointments if needed, confirm insurance renewals, gather Q4 tax records, get padrón certificate for school applications, and download 2025 bank statements.

December 15-22: Send Q4 records to the gestor, complete school application documents, attend community meeting or assign proxy, and verify all insurance payments processed.

December 22-30: File Modelo 130—don't wait until the 31st—submit school applications if January 5 deadlines, final check that all insurance confirmations received, final check that all property obligations are current.

"¿Mi póliza se renueva automáticamente el 31 de diciembre?" — Does my policy auto-renew on December 31?

"¿Necesito presentar el Modelo 130 este trimestre?" — Do I need to file Modelo 130 this quarter?

"¿Cuándo abre el plazo de matriculación?" — When does the registration period open?

"¿El IBI está pagado para 2025?" — Is the IBI paid for 2025?

"¿Hay junta extraordinaria en diciembre?" — Is there an extraordinary meeting in December?

Spanish administration is bureaucratic, but it's also predictable. The deadlines don't move. The requirements don't change weekly. If you know what's coming and prepare in advance, nothing breaks in January.

This checklist prevents TIE expiration panic, insurance coverage gaps, tax penalties and audit flags, school application misses, property fine accumulation, and banking documentation disasters.

The system works if you work the system. December isn't just holidays—it's when you set yourself up for a smooth January while everyone else scrambles. Six things to check. Three weeks to do it. Zero surprises in January.

Enjoy the weekend — A. and the TGIF Waypoint Sur team

With Waypoint Sur, you can always expect plain-English guidance to land, settle, and thrive on the Costa del Sol—work, schools, healthcare, visas, taxes, home, and daily life.  
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