Moving to Spain in 2 months

New to this group. I'm married to a Spaniard for 22 years and we decided to semi-retire and move to Spain in April (2 months from now).
I wrote to the consulate in miami (where I live) and they told me that I was better off waiting until we are in Sevilla to legalize myself. They said I need to get “empadronada “ and then go to the police and request for my residency as spouse of a National.
Anyone has gone through something similar? I just don't know what to expect.
On a different note, we are planning to get a cellphone contract with a local provider. However, since we are still leaving bank accounts, one credit card, and other things here, I'm wondering what would happen with the apps I normally use here in america. For example, with a brand new phone obtained in Spain… will I ever be able to download a Bank of America app there? Should I also bring my old phone and get a SIM card for it so I can access certain American apps?

Deutsche Bank in Spain has an agreement with Bank of America in the USA to access your Bank of America account or at least ATM

Welcome @Beatraveling to the expat.com forum. Congratulations on your retirement, and good luck with your move to Spain!

For Android phones there are two Bank of America Apps available on Google Play, Global Card Access and CashPro.
Apple show a single Global App for the iPhone.

Thank you 😊

Hi Thanks. Does it mean that I can download on my Spanish iPhone the bank of america app and still be able to do transfers, use zelle etc online using my BofA accounts?

I would have thought so. I use the app for my UK bank here in Spain and other parts of the world (Asia and even China).  B of A should be able to confirm access for you. If they say no then it is still possible by getting a good VPN for your internet connection (Fibre preferably) and simply log on to a server in the USA.

Some of the USA financial apps/websites are quite picky about geographic location, especially when being downloaded.

I would suggest that you take your old phone, and try to put a Spanish SIM in it. Then you've already got your apps on the phone, and you should be able to use them as normal. But you might need to get your iPhone unlocked first so you can use other SIM cards.

I have bank and brokerage accounts in USA still, and it hasn't been too problematic.

It should be quite straightforward to get your residency once you arrive in Spain. You have up to 90 days visa-free, so you have plenty of time to sort it out.

The first step (usually) is to get a place to live, either by renting or buying something. With your proof of address (your long-term rental contract or your property deed), you can go to your local town hall (el ayuntamiento) and get your registration certificate (trámites de empadronamiento / certificado de empadronamiento). I think padrón, for short. It's just a certificate that states the address, and lists the people living (registered) there. This is a standard document used as a proof of address in Spain (within 90 days of issue date).

I'm not sure if Spain has a special process for spouses of Spanish citizens, or if they treat it as simply one specific case of "family reunification" (of a non-EU citizen, in your case) by EU citizens.

This is the official immigration page in relation to this process:
https://extranjeros.inclusion.gob.es/es … index.html

There is an online system for booking appointments (cita previa) at your local office.

I think the main requirements are your passport, your marriage certificate (proof of relationship with EU/Spanish citizen), proof of address (the padron), proof of funds (if you are retired/not working, which can be savings or pension). I think also proof of health insurance.

This is all super helpful! I think I will follow your advice and take my old phone with me. Thank you!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

I just posted this info on another topic, but it might be relevant if you're selling everything in the USA, but want to keep some accounts active.

I have a USA commercial mail drop (not a post office box). I put Apt # rather than Box # and usually nobody complains that it's not a residential address. I also have a Skype number in the USA, so I have an American phone number to go with the address. Skype is rather good as SMS messages (from security checking, for example) are received and displayed.

This kind of solution should work for remote ordering (e.g. Amazon) with onward shipping, but I'd expect it to be OK for brokerage accounts, credit cards, banks, insurance policies... and perhaps even your credit report.

Oh wow yes… this could be a good thing to have this Skype number… I will research about it. Assuming this has a fee?

Hello.  I am also an American married to a Spaniard and moved to Spain in 2015 after we had lived in Tampa for over 20 years.  We had our marriage recognized by Spain before we moved here. Once we were here we went a registered with the Ayuntamiento of the town we were living and got an padrón. Then went an got an NIE ( tax Id number) This number is used on all paperwork. After that I applied for family reunification. At least in 2015 it was not a long process and appointment were easier to get.  The biggest thing is make sure you have the originals and copies and for your passport make sure you copy all of the pages. The form is straight forward. I believe someone gave you the website already. Also need health insurance and proof of funds.

As far as your phone, I purchased a phone after moving to Spain and I was able to keep my Wells Fargo bank  apps. I have an android phone I checked the  play store and all I get for Bank of America is BofA Global Card Access and Cash Pro. Not sure which would world for you.

Just reminder have a lot of patience since things take time here..

Thank you so much Sherri. We never registered our marriage here.. so I guess we need to do it once we get there, is too late now since we move in 2 weeks :/

Hello. I'm sure you can do it when you get to Spain. Honestly I don't know how. Hope things go smoothly for you.

@gwynj
Hi GWYNJ,

I am an EU and US citizen, currently living in the US, but planning to move to Malaga next summer. Could you please explain what the commercial mail drop is and how it works? It this different from the virtual mailbox? I see that most of the banks (including Schwab, which is so popular among expats) require a physical address in the US and we plan keeping most of our finances in the US.

I am also thinking that I will need to keep a US phone number as nowadays wherever you want to log in online, they implemented the 2ways authentication process and usually they do it by sending you a code through a SMS on your phone and then, you have to confirm it. Do you have to pay the roaming for having an US number that you use aboard?

Thank you for your answer and good luck!

M. Zurlita

We have a US Skype Number. Our plan costs $30/year for the phone number and $3/month for our plan. From my mobile or PC I can call any US number as a local call. I receive texts free, voice mail, and can make international calls a very good rates.
One foot in each country?

@claxnes wow!  That's wonderful! Do you know the name of your plan? If I go to Skype.com how do I find your plan? We disconnected our cell phones in the US three months after moving to Spain and we are having problems with credit cards and the double authentication they require. Ir sucks! They only send texts within the US.