Hi there,
My wife and I are going to be moving to Madrid from New York in a couple of months.  We’re Americans but have dual EU citizenship.  My question concerns import taxes on all our household goods.  We’re close to choosing a moving company and seem to have that part all figured out.  Prices seem to be quite reasonable to move a full 2 bedroom apartment complete with home office, so reasonable in fact that I am thinking of buying a bunch of furniture before we move because prices seem much cheaper in the US than in Spain and even bringing our car.  It seems that just from shopping on web sites in the US and in Spain, things there seem to be about 20-30% more expensive on a variety of electronics, tech items and cars.  But, we’re wondering if we’re going to get hammered on taxes when we arrive.  What’s the deal with import taxes?  I have heard 16% IVA but is that right and how is it calculated?  Please let me know.  Thanks!

In my experience, furniture is cheaper in Spain. As well you’ll find all kinds of european styles that you probably won’t find in the US. Don’t you think it would be fun to buy your furniture here in Spain instead of back home? It’s part of the adventure of moving here!

From a financial standpoint though, I can’t see how furniture would be so much cheaper in the US than in Spain that it would afford the costs of moving/shipping it from NY to Madrid. It may depend on what kind of furntiture you’re looking for too.

Electronics ARE cheaper in the US right now, mostly due to the valuation of the Euro vs. the US Dollar. The problem you’ll have is buying electrical adapters, which isn’t difficult in itself, just a pain in the ass. Additionally, some devices don’t have their own power converter, in which case you’ll have to buy the adapters with the converter built in (more expensive ($20 or so) and bulky). See Electricity in Spain

About the taxes, generally speaking if your items are packed in a way that they don’t look like new items (in the boxes, sealed, etc), then you may be able to avoid paying customs and VAT/IVA if you can show that the move is permanent. See Moving to Spain: The Move.

Welcome to the Forum by the way, and good luck with your move!

thanks.  any hints on proving that the move is permanent?

by the way, as far as electricity is concerned, i found a company that sells converters in a variety of hz measurements.  they said i can basically just plug it into the wall in spain, then plug in my US based power strip and then just plug in all my things just like home.  since I’ll be taking a stereo with about 10 components and also a computer with about 12 things that need to be plugged in, it seems like it is almost too easy.  i suppose i’ll still run into PAL vs. NTSC issues with video, etc. but otherwise should be good to go.  thanks.

Yes, you should show that you’re intending on a permanent move.  All the customs people can do is check your intent, so anything you can do to show that you’re pulling up roots in the US (e.g. selling a house) and that your reasons sound permanent (a job offer) could help. Note that the rules change, so better than guessing: call the consulate in New York and ask them.  (And then post back here with the definitive answers.) 

Don’t buy a car to bring to Spain. Too many clever people found out they could do a good business like this that they made a rule: you only avoid taxes for a car that you’ve had longer than a year.