Moving To Spain: Some Things You Need To Know

When moving to Spain you need to make a decision about which part of the country you want to live in. It’s a large country, and the weather can actually vary quite a lot. Down south, it is hot – very hot. In the north, the summers are warm and the winters mild. Central Spain is away from the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and the temperatures can vary from very hot to quite cold. 

 

If you are not yet at retiring age and need to find a job, you need to do some research. This website - https://ec.europa.eu/eures/public/en/jobseekers-dashboard - is a good resource for finding jobs in Spain. Ideally, you should have a job lined up ready to go to when you move to Spain, but if not, you need to ensure that you have enough money to live on for six months while you settle down and find a job. You will also need a social security number in Spain. 

 

As you are no longer an EU citizen, you will need a visa and a work permit. You will also need the following: 

 

• UK criminal records certificate 

• Spanish criminal records certificate 

• Certificate from the Spanish sex offenders registry 

• Record of your employment history in Spain, if any 

 

If you don’t speak Spanish, it is a very good idea to learn the language before you go, and you can do this with an online class. It is actually quite an easy language to learn. 

 

 

 

There is a national health service in Spain which provides free or low-cost healthcare to Spanish residents. In order to apply, you must have been living in Spain for more than 5 years, or be employed in Spain, or be paying directly into the public health insurance scheme. You still have to pay for things such as prescriptions. 

 

You will also need an NIE number. It is a legal requirement in Spain for anyone who is working, wants to open a bank account, or buy or sell a property or car, so that covers most people. If you are taking your own car to Spain, you will have to change the number plate to a Spanish one after six months. You will also need to put it through a Spanish MOT test and pay an import tax on the car. 

 

If you want to open a bank account before you arrive, you need a non-resident account and for this you will need a Certificado No Residente. The procedure for getting one is the same as for getting your NIE number. 

 

Of course, when you are ready to move, you will need to use our Spain removals service at Movers International. We have been moving people to Spain for years. Indeed, so much so that we have our own depots in Malaga and Alicante, and we also have a regular run to Spain every week so if you are not taking a lot of belongings, you can send whatever you need to as a part load. 

 

Our Spain removals service is also ideal if you are not yet ready to move into your new home because you can store your belongings in one of our depots there for as long as you need to.