Canary Islands (IC)
The Canary Islands are Spain's Atlantic autonomous community: Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa.
Leaving Canary Islands
How to properly exit — protecting your finances, rights and records.
📅 General Timeline
3 months before: notify landlord, utilities, telephony by burofax. 2 months before: file Modelo 030 address change, request pension statement from Seguridad Social, cancel private health insurance. 1 month before: baja del padrón, comunicación de cese de residencia at Extranjería (non-EU), book end-of-contract utility readings. Final week: hand over keys, final electricity/gas/water readings, collect final certificado de empadronamiento for your records. Final: file the exit-year Renta in following April–June.
Deregistration
Baja del padrón: deregister from your Ayuntamiento when permanently leaving Spain. Not automatic — you must request it. Required to avoid ongoing tax residency presumptions, IBI tax correspondence going to an obsolete address, and municipal tax continuations. Some Ayuntamientos also require baja del empadronamiento before issuing the baja consular through your home-country embassy. Free. For non-EU citizens with a TIE: also file the "Comunicación de cese de residencia" at Extranjería.
Tax clearance
Modelo 030: notify Hacienda of change of tax address. Crucially, file your final Modelo 100 (Renta) for the year of departure by the following 30 June. If leaving mid-year, you may remain Spanish tax resident for the whole calendar year if you have spent >183 days. "Impuesto de salida" (exit tax, Art. 95 bis LIRPF): if you held €4M+ in shares or 25%+ of a company worth €1M+, unrealised gains can be taxed on departure unless you move to another EU/EEA country.
Pension portability
Spanish state pension (Seguridad Social) contributions portable within EU/EEA/Switzerland via EU Regulation 883/2004 — you can combine contribution years across countries. For non-EU countries, Spain has bilateral social security agreements with: USA, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Japan, South Korea, Morocco, Philippines, Russia, Ukraine and more. Minimum 15 years contribution (in Spain alone OR combined via totalización) to qualify for Spanish pension at age 66–67. No lump-sum refund — contributions vest and pay out at retirement age.
Health insurance
Seguridad Social ends automatically when you deregister from Spain. Notify your Centro de Salud and cancel any private Spanish health insurance with the required notice (usually 1–2 months; check your poliza). Request a certificado de cobertura for any ongoing treatment you might continue abroad.
Bank account
Inform your Spanish bank of your new foreign address (and non-resident status) — do NOT simply stop using the account, as banks increasingly refuse to keep "non-resident resident" accounts for AML reasons. You can convert to a cuenta de no residente (typical fees: €3–10/month + €24/year NIE certification cost). Close accounts you don’t need. Keep one Spanish IBAN if you still own Spanish property (IBI, comunidad fees must be paid from somewhere).
Utilities
Cancel electricity, gas, broadband, mobile contracts. Standard notice period is 1 month for permanencia-bound contracts and immediate for free-market contracts. Read all meters on your last day; photograph and email readings. Request the final factura in writing. Internet/mobile contracts with permanencia (stay-commitment) penalties can cost €100–400 if terminated early — check your contract.
Rental contract
Under LAU (Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos) you may terminate after 6 months residency with 30 days’ written notice (burofax recommended). Before 6 months: landlord may claim one month rent per year remaining. Return the keys with an acta de entrega (handover minute) signed by both parties; take photos. Request deposit return by burofax if not paid in 30 days.
Leaving the Country
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