The magazine for expats in Spain

Expat news in Spain

How does the new real estate law in Spain affect foreign tenants and owners?

Published in the Official Gazette on June 2, Spain's new real estate law has been in force since June 30. The law was urgently introduced to regulate Spain's strained real estate market and facilitate access to housing, especially in "stressed areas". The new law tightly regulates rents and puts tenants and landlords on an equal footing. So what do you need to keep in mind when buying property in Spain?

Everyday life

From Argentina to Barcelona: A freelancer's adventure

Born in Argentina, Vanessa has always been passionate about her Italian roots. This led her to Rome in 2015, the same year when she met the love of her life. In 2021, she decided to follow him to Barcelona, where they now enjoy a fulfilling expat life. Being a freelance translator, Vanessa shares her story of why she chose to move to Europe and all that comes with it.

Visas

Why the Spanish Golden Visa program could end soon

Are we witnessing the last days of the Spanish Golden Visa? While Portugal and Ireland have announced the end of their Golden Visa programs intended for wealthy foreign investors, Spain's political left wing is proposing a law to abolish access to citizenship through real estate investment. How is this going to affect immigration in Spain?

Expat news

Everyday life

Immigration to Spain: What are the prospects in 2023?

As Spain prepares to launch its new Digital Nomad Visa, what should you know about moving there in 2023? The country also has a new Startup Act to encourage entrepreneurship, even from expats, and it boasts of the lowest inflation in the EU and multiple new social welfare policies at the moment. Retirees have historically been a big expat demographic in Spain, but there are now increasingly more young expats in their 20s and 30s.

Tax

Andalusia eliminates wealth tax to attract more expats

The sunny autonomous community of southern Spain, Andalusia, has scrapped the wealth tax that used to be levied on assets. It wants to attract expats and boost the economy with its tax attractiveness. Other autonomous communities, Galicia and Murcia, are following suit, while the central government plans on adopting measures that will cancel out the advantages of Andalusia's fiscal reform.

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Features

Children

An expat in Valencia talks about his routine during lockdown

Expat.com meets Stefano, an Italian expatriate who lives in Valencia with his family. Let's talk about his routine between remote work and managing children during the lockdown.

Barcelona's population is half expatriate !

Almost half of Barcelona's residents are foreign-born and this is a record. This was revealed last week by the Municipal Register of Inhabitants of the city. Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, an autonomous region in Spain, seems to be a haven for expatriates. This is due to two reasons: firstly there is record growth of expats joining Barcelona's multicultural composition that is rapidly changing the face of the city and secondly there are the deliberate efforts by the City Administration to transform the existing multiculturalism into an interconnected, intercultural community for all its citizens.

Work

A glance at Spain's booming startup ecosystem

Spain's pleasant climate, relaxed lifestyle among friendly people, international community, and access to talent are some of the factors that have been attracting foreign entrepreneurs to the country. If you're looking for new business opportunities abroad, Expat.com gives you some good reasons to launch your start up in Spain.

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Expat interviews

Everyday life

Being women entrepreneurs in Madrid: two expats share their story

Madrid is known to be a land of opportunities, and Alice and Emilie cannot deny it. They both moved to Spain in 2018 as trailing spouses. Today, they are their own boss and are part of a network of women entrepreneurs. Alice and Emilie look back on their expat journey and tell us about their everyday life in the Spanish capital.

Everyday life

Changing countries and career paths: Alicia teaches couture to expats in Barcelona

Alicia has lived in different countries on different continents and had a taste of different working cultures -- which made her realize that she needed to work towards something more meaningful. She has always had a passion for couture, so she decided to earn a living from it. Now an expat in Barcelona, she talks to Expat.com about her journey and the challenges of being an entrepreneur in a new country, especially when you don't speak the language perfectly.

Everyday life

Silvana, singing her way from Italy to Spain

Silvana left Sicily to travel the world. And after living in London and Barcelona, it is in Ayamonte that the young singer decided to try her luck at her craft. Navigating between jazz, swing, bossa nova, pop and rock, Silvana tells us about her expat life as a singer.

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Global edition articles

Visas

Golden visa reforms to continue attracting foreign investors

The Golden Visa has not had its final say. Despite the visa controversy, several countries keep relying on it to attract foreign capital. Let's discover which countries are relaunching or reforming the program and what has changed.

Everyday life

What are the challenges faced by expats of color in Asia?

Who are “people of color”? What is “Asia”? What are these never-ending gazes? This article aims to explore terms that are controversial and raise questions about our relationships with others and with ourselves as expats.

Everyday life

Embracing culture shock: How it shapes you for the better

Moving to a new country almost always comes with a set of shocks. You may run into them right away or several months and even years into your stay. Out of all the shocks of an expat journey, culture shock is the most known and talked about. There are lots of resources online that will tell you how to manage culture shock, typically labeling it as something negative and unpleasant. But what if the culture shock you are experiencing is actually making you raise your own standards? It turns out that for some expats, culture shock can be a push.