New members of the Spain forum, introduce yourselves here - 2021

Thanks Carlos, we already have an immigration agent. For now, we are looking for recommendations as to the best area to live for a family with a little girl.

Cheers

Lots of asesorias and gestores can do research for you, but if you're looking for more conversation you ought to try the Facebook groups like facebook.com/groups/spainexpats/ and facebook.com/groups/348560391936954

Hola Residentes de Valencia!

My wife and I are planning on moving to Valencia in August, assuming Covid restrictions on travel ease up soon. Currently we reside in Menlo Park,  California, just south of San Francisco.

We are excited about making new friends, both Spanish and expats.

Any advice from current residents appreciated. Nice to have this forum!

Hasta Pronto,

Brad

***

I'm so sorry I don't speak a word of Spanish  x

Dear sir

I'm really appreciate to write this letter to expat platform, please I am writing letter to have your assessment of travelling to Spain and work or a job requirements, thank you

Hello,  I am writing letter to have an expat platform proposal to travel to Spain and work or a job requirements, I am pleased to addressing my story to have your assessment of the expat opportunity to travel to Spain and work hard, thank you

Hi! New member in Barcelona from Portland, Oregon and San Francisco!

Hii, its nice to meet everyone, im carlos, im an attourney where i live, but it has always be my goal to live in a country of spain, ive dreamnt of it too many times and it would be really amazing to have this goal becoming into a reality.

If theres any need of more information about me you need, ill be glad to answer. hope you are all doing good and have a beautifull rest of day :3

Hello everyone - I will be flying (from the US) to Costa Del Sol on Jun 20th for 3 weeks, to look at villas and townhomes and possibly begin the process of purchasing one.  I have two locations in mind, but until I check out the surrounding areas, I won't know.

I'm looking at a place inside the Reserva del Higueron (Higueron West) in Benalmadena, but I'm told the area outside of the Reserva (Benalmadena, Fuengirola, etc) is not as nice as another location.  My other choice (which I really like) is a large (165 m2) townhome in Bahia de las Rocas (Manilva), a penthouse at Pier1 in Sotogrande Marina (but I hear the marina is very noisy during tourist season), or a place in La Reserva, Sotogrande, in the La Cañada Golf Course.

I plan on applying for permanent residency (via the golden visa program) and living in Spain full-time by the end of 2022.  My biggest concern is what the area I choose is like during non-tourist off-season.  I hear Sotogrande Marina is a ghost town... and I'd like to be living in a place were there are regular residents (not just vacationers) to socialize with.

Can anyone give me some advice as to the different areas I mentioned?  I do speak fluent Castilian Spanish, so language is not a problem... I would love to mingle with both Spaniards and expats.  Even more so, I'd love to find other people who share similar business interests - I've founded various tech startups, the latest of which was recently sold to Equifax.  I'm also an avid day-trader (index futures), and I manage my family investment portfolio.  Aside from that, I enjoy bicycling, hiking, concertos, some opera, tennis, racquetball, and martial arts (which I've been doing since 1978).  I enjoy knife fighting (training) and escrima (kali - fighting with two sticks) also, as well as gym.

I'd love to meet some people with common interests, or who are at least interested in learning about some of these things.  I'd especially like to meet someone with a cabin cruiser in the marina, who's willing to teach me about it - I'm trying to decide if buying a power boat (and marina slip) is something I'd enjoy or not.

John
lived here 4 years at La Granada in Barcelona Province. Retired 12 years ago and lived in South Of France.
Looking to rent a van in Spain to go to UK and back. Franchisees in Spain for big firms I have tried do not allow you to take the vehicle to the UK? Enterprise, Avis for instance. Same firms in UK allow you to bring a van to Spain and return to UK.

Anybody know one that does?

So lonely due to COVID, looking for new friends to meet.

Hi,

We are a family of four from India, with two beautiful daughters aged 7 & 12years and looking to relocate to Spain through the non lucrative resident visa option, if possible.

With my husband being in the merchant marine, we have been lucky enough to travel across quite a few countries. Though personally, I have not yet got the chance to travel to your country but intend to do so in the near future, if the option of settling there does come through.

It would be nice to get some practical advise & inputs from fellow Indians or any others,
regarding the best places to live, costs of living, primary & above school education, medical facilities etc.

And most importantly, references of local tried & trusted immigration lawyers/ agencies. To not only guide us through the migration process but also assist in settling in.

Look forward to some positive connecting!

Best regards,
Reshma Kochar

I had a hell of a time finding a lawyer that was both responsive and well-informed.  It was as if they did not want new business (would not return emails, staff would pick up phone and hang up to avoid talking, etc).  So I started requiring a phone interview before describing details of my situation by email.

I ended up hiring Carbray law firm... they have specialist attorneys in many fields (business, tax planning, immigration, real estate, etc).  My immigration attorney there is Magdalena Barrueto.

Thank you very much for the welcome.
Yes, I have lived in Spain for three years.

Hello Julian, im hoping to retire from uk next year to spain, i like the rural galeria area, will i be able to get all the programmes i watch in the uk, like quest red etc. would i be able to get weekly groceries delivered or would i need a taxi or car living in galeria.

thank you so much and nice to meet you
kind regards
Adrienne x

Thank you so much, your feedback is really helpful.

Would it be possible to share the contact details of Ms.Magdalena Barrueto of the Carbray Law Firm, who assisted you.

With thanks & best regards,
Reshma.

Hey there,

We are in the same situation here .. My wife and I bought a house in Alicante, and we have tkts booked for the last week of July. We are relocating and the plan is to live permanently there. We are currently based near Belfast. It would be great to start getting to now people and build some social aspect.

Regards,
Ahmed

Hi, im retiring from uk next year, so abit nervous, was it hard to get visa to stay their etc any advice which is best lawyers etc. Are taxis similar price as uk ie a 15 mins journery, as im moving to the rural area of galeria just purchased a house their ready for next year.

many thanks
kind regards
Anne xx

I need help with finding job it will be awesome if you are able to help me

Greetings,
My name is Julian and my partner of 38 years and I, along with our two little cairn terriers are planning on making the move as permanent residents in Spain.  We have been living in the US of A and we are real estate developers.  Our last permanent home was in the Las Vegas area where we bought and sold apartment buildings.  We are most likely settling in Barcelona and plan to buy a beach home in either Sitges or Marbella.

Hello all. My name is Rick and from the DFW area in Texas. My wife and I are retired and very active. My wife and I have just returned from two trips- one in Arizona and Boston. My wife Tessie and I have been world travelers for about 20 years and have always embraced the European culture. We have been seriously thinking about moving to Spain (at least)  6 months a year. Our first step is taking a trip to Spain next May for 2 weeks. We plan on stops in Malaga, Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona among others. Part is pleasure and part is looking for the ideal location. If everything goes well we plan on renting a home for a month in a city we enjoy. Sometime after that if the fire is still there we plan on moving to Spain long term. I understand its imperative to learn Spanish if i plan on living long term. My wife has already started learning through Pimsleur so I have some catching up to do.

I look forward to finding new friends and learning from your valuable experiences.

Hi

New to this forum but hoping it will be invaluable in researching a move to Ibiza. Myself, my partner and our son, currently 21 months. Planning a permanent move in a couple of years time, in the meantime researching areas and schools and working towards a part-time residency and property purchase.

Hi, my husband , 2 sons aged 19 and I have bought a house near Reus Tarragona. It needs work done and will take a while before its finished but we are totally in love with it and the area. It is off grid living, which has its challenges but is part of the charm.
I am English and have lived in Holland for the last 20 years, my partner is Dutch and we met in Australia. We plan to spend half the year in Spain with the intention to move permanently in the future. For now we have to juggle work in Holland and building projects in Spain, and with no Spanish skills either its an adventure.
It would be good to meet anyone who is in our area and swap stories and ideas.

Hello everyone

Never sure how much to put on introduction things, but I'll try to be detailed so I can always refer people here if they ask in the future.

About us
My husband and I are planning to move to Spain once we have sold our England house. House prices have currently gone insane in our area, so we want to sell. Young married couple, no kids. (Yet).

My husband has dual British/ Irish citizenship and has just applied for his Irish passport. He needs to evidence this with a parents birth certificate as well as his own. He doesn't have to apply for Irish citizenship. He has to prove his birth in the UK and his parents in Ireland.

I'm a British citizen, 2 generations of my family have emigrated to Spain, I would be the 3rd. I can't claim citizenship through that route, unfortunately.

Learning Spanish on Duolingo. I need to just go to Spain for 3 months and speak nothing but Spanish.  Feel like I have an ear for Spanish pronunciation. Also weirdly finding it easier to spell in Spanish than English!?!

Areas/ Home requirements
Currently looking at Malaga and Alicante regions. We are aiming to be within 30 mins of an airport and beach. But would stretch that to 45mins. For the right property.

Must have good internet.

Looking for at least 7500m2 of land.

The budget is what our current house sells for.

Our savings are earmarked for a deposit on a mortgaged English bolt hole that will be let out to lodgers (to cover the mortgage and expenses).

I prefer the Malaga region; however, I'm aware the Alicante region is more affordable.

I'm a reasonable DIY'er. So a house in need of a revamp is ok with me. I can fit a kitchen, plumb a sink, do patch plastering. I hate tiling with a passion. But a basic kitchen and bathroom revamp don't worry me.  Would need to be habitable from day one however I don't need anything stylish!

I would probably go to Spain alone/ or with a friend or 2 for 3 months to fix up the house after it was bought. (I'd cover food and plane ticket). My Husband needs to stay in the UK until the WIFI is secured.

Business Plan overview
What we can actually do is going to vary massively depending on the property. 

The current plan is a self-contained holiday apartment rental (hopefully 2 apartments to rent). Once this is established and bringing in revenue, expand into glamping through log cabins, yurts, safari tents and bell tents. (but we'll see how planning goes with that one. )

We'd offer add-on day trips as well as add-on food nights.  I've got a few ideas on that front already.

My husband's work is remote (not because of the pandemic) but would require a trip back to the UK for business once every 3 months or so. My husband would continue this work until the business is established enough to support us. I'm estimating 3-5 years for that because of the need to reinvest in the business. He might want to leave his job sooner or stay longer. Once I expand past the holiday apartments I would need hired help for the summer months if my husband isn't helping.

Hi Katie, I'm new on here too and have a similar business plan to yours. I've been researching spanish property as I would like to buy a home to renovate as a well-being retreat. The only thing I would say after doing research is that the Spanish government are really particular about allowing people to rent out property. A) they have tighter controls over who rents property out and B) you must have a tourist licence to rent out any property otherwise you won't be able to advertise and/or could face a fine.
Don't want to put you off but I'm just finding out about it now and having a rethink as lots of people who have been renting out their properties freely are now stuck.

Hi Tracy Thanks for the info. Your right tourist licence is a must.

From what I gather different regions have different levels of willingness to allow tourism licences.

But im keeping my eye out for properties with existing licences in place

Me too Katie. I think it's definitely the way to go even though it works out a little bit more 😊

I'm planning to move to the Canary Islands, with an exploratory trip this September, 2021. Does anyone know good source material for moving from the U.S., and learning about the Islands?

I live in Syria
So due to difficult life I am lookig to remove to spain by getting job contract my
Health is good I can work with harvest piking fruit .

Hi all,

I got a job offer in Barcelona. I am moving with my family.  I have three kids, one age 6 and other two are 4 years old. I am concerned about their education. How is the education system in barcelona. Is the education in spanish or catalonia. International schools appear not affordable for my salary. Kindly guide.

Hola

Hello all!
My family and I are moving from Washington DC to just outside of Malaga in early 2022. We will have 4 kids five years and under so are looking for a little more space in both a car and a house.

Any recommendations on sites and apps for both real estate and cars? Or if you have one or the other you are looking to sell let me know

Look forward to plugging in with the community!

Hi! My name is Anita. I am from Ghana and was born in Ghana. Actually I have been living in Barcelona for some years now, but I recently move to Girona. The only people I get to connect with was at church in Barcelona. Haven't really met and connected with people in the city. I don't go parties and stuff or organisations to meet new people. Well I would like to meet new people here and connect. I would like to make friends especially here in Girona to visit places around and discover this beautiful place. I speak mostly English, I know a bit of Spanish and German. Feel free to say “Hi”.

Hi All  - Ever since i was a young lad on my first holiday to Ibiza i have always had a desire to live abroad. Now 54 i have decided i want to sell up homes and business in the UK and take the plunge.

However only half of me is ready to slow down... the other is interested in starting a business wherever i locate.  I think my preference of location would be the Balearic's but not sure i would get the same year round weather - as Andalusia or Valencia.

I have recently separated therefore planning to relocate solo... I'm hoping i will be able to meet like minded people on the site particularly those who are already living in Spain and can offer various elements of advice and assistance - also those who are intending to make the move as i am.

Hola!
I am Adit from Indonesia. Planning to come to Barcelona with my girlfriend on September. My girlfriend is Spanish, she's living in L'Esquerra de l'Eixample. I work as a Lawyer and sunset Deejay (Balearic style) in Bali & Lombok (Indonesia).

Hope we can share positive energy!
Thanks all

Hello all my name is anne and i live in uk, just retired and would like to buy a home in spain and retire their, just trying to find out what papers i need etc to proceed to buy, from uk if poss

Hello everyone, my name Anne and live in lytham st annes in uk, im retired and would like to move to spain  i would like to buy a home in spain from uk base, as i cant get to spaint to view and buy as i have numerous pets which i cant leave, until the final journy. Happy to have joined and looking forward to chatting with you.

Hi I already introduced myself earlier! I am interested in finding out what I need to do in moving to Spain. I am a bit lost as I am hearing different information so please enlighten me! I would like to work over there (maybe a job online) in customer service/ TESOL? Also to look at properties but don't know where yet. It might be an idea for me to see properties with someone on here? Thanks!