My partner and i are thinking of moving to Spain. Where can i get all the info i need?

Question

My partner and i are thinking of moving to Spain. Where can i get all the info i need?

Answer 1

My first question to you is, "What's your nationality?" Are you English, by chance, European, or some other nationality? If the latter, expect to have a very difficult (to nearly impossible) journey ahead of you.

To really get all the info you need, you might pick up a book at your local library called "Living and Working in Spain". It's written from a British perspective, so you know, but there's still useful information for United Statesens, Canadians, Australians, and *people* from the Galapagos Islands (okay, I invented the last one).

You'll also want to check with the Spanish Consulate or Embassy in your country for information on Visa requirements (this is the difficult part).

Best of luck!

Saludos, BarcelonaMan (@youknowwhere!)

Answer 2

Your best bet is to go directly to the closest spanish consulate or the embassy. They will inform you of the paperwork required... If you are in the UK, you are in the EU group, so there is no great problem in moving to another EU country... If you are on the other side of the pond it's a bit more tricky..

Depending on where you are:

The following website will show you the locations of the ones nearest to you...

http://www.embassyworld.com/

Answer 3

Try:

http://www.thinkspain.com/

Answer 4

The sooner the better !!

Answer 5

There's the Internet, the problem with this is that much of the information is supplied by English owned Spanish estate agents who have a vested interest and only tell you the up side, in their world the down side doesn't exist, if you go ahead with the move and you buy property you will be dealing with estate agents, these people no matter how nice they are to you are not your friend and they will lie to you to get a sale, they probably will offer to handle all the legal aspects of any purchase but if things go wrong they tend to walk away and your on your own, find an English speaking Spanish Lawyer who understands the system,  it isn't England different rules apply.

You could try books but you need the latest editions because the Spanish are constantley changing the rules and requirements for non Spanish residents.

The British Government prints a booklet on living abroad particularly with regard to health and pensions, you could also look through the government web site.

While I'm on health the Spanish National Health system is starting to apply a rule that their doctors and staff is only permited to use the Spanish language while working, this my not apply to you if you intend to take out private medical insurance.

Find out as much as you can about the area you are thinking of relocating to but accept the fact that you will make mistakes.

I'm not trying to put you off I'm just trying to make you more aware, even though I am back living in the UK I don't regret my time in Spain.

Answer 6

My wife and I hope to move to the Costa Blanca this year, all being well.  Where are you looking at?

I find this group helpful...

http://groups.msn.com/LivinginSpainAdrea...

¡Buena suerte!

Answer 7

It would be a bonus to make sure your Spanish is quite good. Start taking lessons if you can. I know that Alicante/ The Costa del Sol / Murcia  area has a large Ex Pat community but having Spanish will stand to you in the long term.

   It may be a good idea to check the Common European framework to see if they have set a recommended Spanish level for your area of expertise.You may run into problems if you don't have have the correct qualifications. Many job areas such as teaching, medical / health and law require you to prove you are qualified in your field and you must submit the correct documentation to the relevant body if you want professional recognitation.

Check out the dept. of Foreign Affairs for more information

http://www.maec.es/subwebs/Consulados/Lo...

   If you are thinking about working as a teacher it is much harder to get a job as many schools & language academies now require you to show / prove your qualifications. If necessary you may be asked to convailidate them within the spanish system. The same applies in many other areas such as law, nursing, medical qualifications.

    Also it is a good idea to find out what benefits you may have gained in the U.K. ie. social welfare entitlements.

You may be able to transfer your stamps with an E311 and draw social welfare benefits if you don't find sufficient work in the beginning. This is based upon what you earned in the U.K. so do check it out and see.

    Make sure you get your E111 as this will entitle you to medical care whilst in Spain for one year.

Depending on what field you want to work in it would be a good idea to check out the job situation or try to find out about your own area of expertise.Try and get in contact with others in your field to see if there is work etc.... in  Madrid/ Barcalona/ the costas. You will pick up work but it may be more difficult to find a permenant or full time position and contracts( within teaching, health sector and law for example) are sometimes not worth the paper they are written on.    

    Added to this the salary is much lower to what you would be use to in the UK. You will notice this if / when you visit the U.K. as the wage difference really comes into play then. Added to this the pound is not as strong as it was & does not go as far as it once did.

If you can't find work in your area be  prepared to turn your hand to anything from waitering to bar work etc... but if you don't have spanish you will be limited in the job market.

Also it's not really a great time to buy a house or flat at the moment as prices are still quite high( as people try to recoup what they have invested in inflated house prices over the last few years), and you need to check out very carefully that what you are buying is legal or you will run into all sort of problems later on.

These websites may be off some help :

www.spanish-living.com

www.idealspain.com

www.andalucia.com/spain/working/home.h...

www.spainexpat.com

www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Working-Spain-...

www.thinkspain.com/services/joboffers

www.andalucia.com/law/tax.htm

Make sure you check out the tax system as it is can be complicated and the individual is liable to fines if you do not comply with tax laws. It is possible to go down to your local tax office where the staff are usually quite helpful with simple queries. There is a freephone number for Agencia Tributaria 900 333 555 or try 901 200 345.

Make sure you look at various areas,  from the Costa del Sol,the Costa del Luz, Alicante, Murica. The Costa del Sol is  not everybodies cup of tea so you must be very clear on what you want when you move to Spain.



I hope this is of some use to you but remember it's not all sun, sea and party in Spain. The system is very differant to the U.K. and at times is very frustrating so be prepared for a change. As an Irish national living here for the last thirteen years I still find the "laid back attitude" very frustrating.

It's best to know all the pros & cons before you make the move so take the time to inform yourself well. It will save you a lot of time queuing up in local offices.

As for your own home there, I'd hold onto it and rent it out until you are very certain that you are going to stay. Many people come here full of idealistic dreams which in the end never materialise or don't live up to their expectations. Best to know all the "ins" and "outs" before you really make the plunge.Good luck!!!

Answer 8

I usually start with sispain.com

It's mostly tourist-oriented, but will help with some facets of the planning.

A well-planned move is best!  

¡Buena suerte!