Moving To Spain? Things You Need To Know

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The regions of Valencia and Andalusia are the most popular, with over 81,000 in each, followed by the Canary Islands with 27,000. Catalonia, Murcia, the Balearic Islands, and Madrid account for another 62,000 between them. In fact, Britons are probably the largest migrant group in Spain. 

 

This mass migration was triggered by a number of things, especially package tourism, but also cheap airline flights, a well-developed infrastructure, and over time, improved technological links to the UK. Higher disposable incomes together with longer holidays and the chance of early retirement led to people buying second homes in Spain. 

 

Many people might think that most of these Brits are retirees, but in fact there are a lot of young families there, and there are many people setting up businesses in Spain in order to take advantage of the relaxed way of life and the sunny weather. Britons run bars and restaurants, work in property maintenance, become hairdressers, work as accountants, run estate agencies, open small shops, and more. 

 

If you want to live in Spain, your money will go much further than it does in the UK. For example, the cost of living in Madrid is nearly 40% less than living in London. Buying a home also costs less, although the housing is more expensive in the larger cities and the popular tourist areas than out in the countryside. Food is relatively cheap outside the popular tourist areas too. However, the cost of utilities is high, particularly if you need bottled gas for your home. 

 

 

Get A Gestor 

 

As one of the leading removal companies to Spain, and with two of our own depots there in Malaga and Alicante, at Movers International one of the things that we would recommend that you do if you are moving to Spain is to get yourself a gestor. There is a lot more admin involved in moving to Spain now that we have left the EU, and while a gestor is not an accountant or a solicitor, they can do some of their work. The main thing that a gestor does is to liaise between you and the Spanish administration, and for their relatively low fees they will save you a lot of time in dealing with the administration rather than trying to do it all on your own. This is especially true if you don’t yet speak Spanish. 

 

On that note, you should definitely learn the lingo. Spanish is not a difficult language to learn, and if you want to get a job there you will definitely need to learn it. You can get an audio or online course in Spanish if you don’t have the time to go to evening classes. 

 

You will need an NIE number which is a tax identification number issued by the police. You have to have one if you want to work in Spain, open a bank account, or buy or sell a home or other property, or a car. That means pretty much everyone needs an NIE number. In order to get it, you will need the following documents: 

 

• Your passport and a copy of all pages 

• Passport photos 

• Proof of legal entry into Spain 

• A complete EX-15 form: you can find this online along with English instructions but it must be completed in Spanish. 

• A supporting document stating why you need an NIE (plus a photocopy). 

 

If you are going to buy a property, you need to find a solicitor who speaks and understands English well. Their property rules are very different from ours. Not only that, if you buy a property that has any debts associated with the previous owner, you could be liable for them as well. 

 

As one of the foremost removal companies to Spain, we can move your belongings to wherever you are going. That includes all those villages where access is restricted. We can get you there, but you need to tell us if the roads are narrow.