Settling in Seville, Spain

The numbers, apps and words you will need in your first months.

Emergency numbers

112: Any emergency, anywhere in the EU. Answered in English and other languages.
091: National Police (Policía Nacional): crimes and documents for foreigners.
092: Local Police (Policía Local): traffic, noise, neighbourhood matters.
062: Civil Guard (Guardia Civil): roads and rural areas.
061: Medical emergencies in Andalusia.
080: Fire brigade in Seville, Spain.
016: Gender violence helpline. Free, and it does not show on the phone bill.
024: Suicide prevention line, at any hour.
116 000: Missing children, across the EU.

Health

Public healthcare: The Andalusian health service (SAS). You register at your local health centre once you are on the padrón and covered.
Private insurance: Required for most visas, and kept by many families for shorter waits and English-speaking doctors.
Pharmacies: The green cross. One pharmacy in each area stays open at night in turns: the farmacia de guardia.
European health card: For EU citizens on short stays only.

Everyday apps

Renfe: Trains, including the high-speed line to Madrid.
Tussam and Metro de Sevilla: City buses and the metro.
Sevici: The city’s shared bikes. Seville, Spain is flat and has long cycle lanes.
Cabify and Uber: Rides around the city and to the airport.
Bizum: Instant payments between Spanish bank accounts. Used for everything from rent to school trips.
WhatsApp: How schools, landlords and most businesses talk to you.
Idealista and Fotocasa: Where most rentals are listed. Good flats go within days.
Spotahome: Mid-term rentals, often furnished, that can be booked from abroad. Many people use it for the first months.

Words you will hear

NIE: Your foreigner’s identity number. Needed for a bank account, a lease, a phone contract.
TIE: The residence card with your photo, once you live here.
Padrón: Registration at the town hall. Almost everything else waits on it.
Seguridad Social: Your social security number, for work and public healthcare.
Cita previa: An appointment, needed for almost every office. They can be scarce.
Gestoría: A firm that handles paperwork, taxes and payslips for a fee.
Apostilla: The stamp that makes a foreign document valid in Spain.
Traducción jurada: A sworn translation, by a translator Spain recognises.

A guide, checked October 2026. Numbers and services change; check official sources before relying on them.

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