Hi, Im looking at a move to Spain around June/July and am trying to clarify some points, iv’e used the search function but have come up with some conflicting info especially between different sites, so thought i’d post in the hope my queries may be answered!
Firstly I will introduce myself, Im stephen a 32uk male from the UK. Im a qualified decorator back here and am looking at a move as I have recently been made redundant here and i’m now single (no ties to the uk now) - it’s always been something I have wanted to do but the ex missus wasn’t partial to the sun, not good when my parents own two properties in the Costa Blanca (Polop / Javea regions) but still! anyay I feel the time is now right to give my dream a go, whilst I know it will be far from easy at least I can say I tried and either It worked or I failed, if it’s the latter Ive lost nothing! - at least I have accomodation I can flit between free of charge in the early days.
Onto my queries:
1) Can you enter spain as a technical tourist from the UK without taking residency and work - if only for a few hours (I would be self employed but would need time to establish work before deciding to take residency, (if this is possible)
2) The above tourist scenario would allow me to bring a car over for 6 months this year and the first 6 months of the next year, by which time I will know if I can make spain work for me. I have read elsewhere that to avoid re-registration / import taxes for re-registration you need to own the vehicle for the previous 12 months, given the above scenario, would I then be able to take residency and avoid the usual fees? - im unclear on this really so any info is appreciated
3) Looking at used car / van prices they are much higher than the uk equivilant - Is this how it is or am I just looking at the wrong sites / places. Is there any merit sourcing a LHD car here even one on spanish plates and taking it over as a tourist, then after a period importing it properly as part of my possessions when I take out residency?
4) Im going to apply for my NIE no when I go on Saturday (2week hol to scope work ideas out look at cars etc etc) - does this give entitlement to work or when I start to work (self employed) do I need something else? e.g. residency Certificate?
5) I know the new Residency Certificate, gives the right to work, must I apply for residency to work as If after say 6 - 12 months if its not working I will have to reassess the situation and to have taken out residency seems a bit silly If I have to go back to the UK.
6) Since over in the Uk I trade via ebay as a sideline, I will look into this in spain as well as trading at rastro markets - does anyone know of any wholesalers in spain (in particular Costa Blanca) for goods or how I can find them (I often use Sharman Imports in MCR here) but they wont ship to Spain
7) If Im self employed as a decorator and have a sideline business to add to my pennies will social security payments have to be made twice - I read its per business you run somewhere. or Could I keep under the radar so to speak by doing Rastros and be legal and above board on my main revenue stream.
Well thats all for nnow, I think ive bored you enough lol
As an EU born person you can live and work in any EU country without any requirements.
When you arrive get a rented apt, then go to the Polica for an NIE, then to Seguridad Social and register Autonomo, pay 250 a month and you’ll receive health care free.
Its a good idea to register as a resident as your doin all the above, its easy and it allows the council to claim extra money from central govt for the town, there money is dependant on residents that are registered, so if most don’t register then the up keep will be poor and you’ll be living in a s888 hole, so no excuses.
Forget working as a decorator, there are hundreds of thousands in Spain from all over the EU, some trained and others not.
Since your single with no ties your in a better position as the park benches can be scary with a family.
Don’t be fouled into buying an expat business, a friend of mine in Spain recently sold his electrical firm to a mug for 35,000 Euro’s, cut a long story short he is still in business and the mug paid 35 grand for a telephone number and about a grands worth of stock.
I haven’t spoken to my friend since, but as he argued he needed the cash to pay bills and someone was desprate enough to fall for it.
It is happening a lot in Spain, there are a lot of peeps trying whatever it takes to survive.
Blame the Spanish govt or peoples naivety, but when you can’t get benefit’s, your income is solely from work and your mortgage needs paying people get desperate.
Keep your wits about you, the Spanish legal system is falling apart, there is no small claims courts, people on criminal charges are waiting many many months for cases to be heard, civil courts are just as bad, so if your ripped off forget Watchdog and trading standards, its a playground full of cowboys and criminals.
Re Q2…If I read the question correctly, the answer would be that the six month period this year would have to be followed by 6 months out of country ; you can’t run two 6 month periods of non re-registration consecutively. However, the 12 months of ownership can date from the time you purchased the vehicle in the UK. Residency would not remove the necessity for payment of any import taxes.
You need also to consider the fact that over a 12 month period your UK reg vehicle would have run out of MOT; the Spanish equivalent, the ITV, is not worth the paper its written on for a UK reg car. To remain legal in Spain the vehicle’s UK documentation must be valid and in any case after 6 months the vehicle must be re-registered onto Spanish plates; depending on the work required this may be expensive; headlights changed, fog and reverse lights transposed (in the case of a car with only single fog lights). You will also need a Certificate of Conformity issued by the manufacturer of the car.
You will need the NIE to buy a car over here.
As Keidi so rightly says second hand cars are more expensive over here but the Plan 2000 scheme run by the spanish Government has been extended so there may be something to be gained by scrapping a ten year old car and buying new through this scheme…I believe Peugeot are offering in the region of 3,500 Euros discount.
Don’t think about 4x4’s or SUV’s ...so called Chelsea tractors are an embarrassment over here as you would find the first time you tried to park one in a supermarket…the slots are not big enough!
On the rest of your post…Overall I have to agree with Santi; we may disagree occasionally(!) but life for a ‘trying-to-work’ Brit out here is very difficult particularly in any aspect of the property maintenance game. Many have tried, most have failed; it really doesn’t matter how good you are, times are tight, Brits are cautious about being ripped off by vaqueros (cowboys) and most Spanish people won’t use a Brit tradesman (justifiably so if our experiences are anything to go by.)
On the social front can’t help I’m afraid, we live in an inland Granada Province village where there are only two other full time Brit couples, and we don’t mix much with each other. There are many Brit enclaves on the Costa Brava but reading between the lines i get the impression that they are mostly holiday home owners looking for Clacton / Margate / Blackpool with sunshine.
Best bet try it for six months; don’t burn your bridges (anymore than they are burned already!)
“Forget working as a decorator, there are hundreds of thousands in Spain from all over the EU, some trained and others not.”
I realise there are likely to be a lot of people doing it, that said in reality it’s the same here, however its where my skill set sits mostly (also have IT qualifications) - but I love the outdoor work that Painting gives rather than boring, stuffy office work!
I would be mindful to do it PT try and build up a good reputation, alongside something else such as retailing at Rastros, or continuing to sell items on ebay (possibly sourced in spain) - like I said I have free usage of two homes in spain for the time being.
In my first post I mentioned about wholesalers but only Keidi replied in respect of info I require regarding wholesalers, in Spain, their locations etc (As used by retailers, Ebayers, Rastro Market workers etc)
Any info appreciated!!
incidently my flight for today was cancelled, and ive rebooked for 2weeks time to have a potter around looking for work ideas, networking, and geting a general feel
Foxbat - I honestly have nothing to lose by giving it a try, which is why I feel the time is now right, if it doesn’t work out long term at least in my 60’s I wont have the regret of not trying!! (which incidently is something my parents have to a degree- they were going to do it before the big boom in the 70’s)
The worst feelin in my opinion is regret, that at least was cured, my urge to live/work in Spain has now well and truely ceased.
My motivation for writing on here is not to say don’t do it, just think about the optimum time and be aware of the situation that soon becomes apparent not by watchin tv or holidays, but by actually trying to earn a living and be as happy as you hoped you would be.
Both my parents and my OH said we are mad and we would return, friends all stated give it a go, you got nothing to loose.
We didn’t really loose anything beyond furniture, our house and a lot of possessions we could not take, boots sales were used to get rid of stuff.
I do kinda regret it now, I guess when your living in a place it feels the other side is better, in retrospect that does not work for everyone.
I gave up a good job for Spain, my replacement is still there, since returning and the crisis, finances are tough and my industry has changed, to the point I’ve had to change companies several times.
Thinking back if we could turn the clocks back, I would not have moved to Spain, that is one mistake I made and do regret, we have great life experience and still have some great friends from the town who visit, in fact one is coming to live in the UK this yr.
You may not loose anything, but the live you had before and for me looking back that life was far better than Spain or the present time in the UK, would it have changed to my position now even if we had not made the move, i don’t no, but it will have an impact on your life, for many yrs, that is guaranteed.
Ofcourse there are painters/decorators in the UK, but when you see Spain you’ll realise there is an over stock, in the UK business comes from word of mouth, advertising in papers or leaflets, in Spain add the walls and street lamps to the mix and frankly any available place that has people you’ll see ads for all trades people.
For all the doomers and gloomers there are plenty of folks who made out quite well in Spain. I for one regret only not having left Canada sooner. Canada has a great economy and I had a comfortable life there, but for me it was far more important to have a happy lifestyle, good friends, intellectual stimulation and warmer weather. I ended up working in businesses I never expected upon arrival here, and for those with an open mind there are plenty of opportunities (though, less these days). Most of my friends work in jobs they’d never have guessed they’d be able to get nor be happy doing before moving here.
It’s a new life, and as long as your old one wasn’t treating you super well, there’s lots to live to regret having missed if you don’t at least try the Spain experience.
Yes you are right - just so many of these people seem to think just arriving here and there problems are solved but frequently they don’t appear to have any skills in demand, no Spanish, no money just loads of kids and pets - a recipe for disaster. And I have witnessed some of them first hand - unpaid rentals, kids causing problems, illegal cars…........
I don’t believe giving advice on the pitfalls is doom and gloom.
There are many struggling expats, far more in my opinion than successful ones, most of the successful ones have made money from Expats or home working and both areas are struggling financially.
If you added all the members posting on all the forums who actually live in Spain you’d get a small percentage of residents, one even did a survey and found only around 15% of regular posters lived in Spain, they did a survey of Spanish speakers and that was even less.
It could be the misleading info that has forced so many back, tail between the legs and not willing to write on these sites.
I’ve met hundreds of Expats from all over the EU, successfully living in Spain wanting to return to there home country or move to another, unable or unsure whether to move.
One thing is for sure if your determined to do it, don’t cut off from your life here, make returning to the UK an option until your well established and secure.
As stated previously, I now have no official ties to the UK, My folks own 2 properties in the Costa Blanca, for me I agree the timing is bad economy wise, but it’s a now or never approach, I was going to do it several years ago, then met my now ex partner, I decided at the time the relationship was worth forgoing my planned move, now 3yrs on Im single again and in the same situation!
I cant remember in my original post if I put I was recently made redundant from my job here, so again one less tie!
Im mindfull that it will be hard, but im open minded in terms of money, jobs etc and with no accomodation costs (innitially at least) im in a better position than many to give it a try, on the family front by Bro lives now in Brisbane (OZ) and my parents spend a fair ammount of the year in spain, that just leaves a few close friends, which due to their jobs / family comittments etc, I now don’t see very often, as I used to!
If its not working in 6-12 months of going (I can live cheaply for that long), I will simply return, not much (if anything lost) but with a better tan lol!!
Thanks for the links, it answered my car question, I may purchase an older car here and take it over.
Iv’e seen on ebay and loot here LHD cars (british registered) which I could take over and drive before re-registering onto spanish plates as well as some spanish registered ones in the uk - how would I fare buying a spanish reg car here in terms of transfer of ownership?
Ste
What is it with all this “It didnt work out for me so you’re probably screwed”, its such a repetitive negative attitude that is seen over and over again on this site.
Go for it mate and have a blast trying.
Im one of the 15% that lives in spain and speaks spanish: I arrived nearly ten years ago with no qualifications, no spanish and no where to live.
I now have my own business, house, family etc etc etc and a quality of life I could never have had in Britain.
These nay sayers may claim that telling the truth is just making people aware of the situation in spain but all they do is come here and slag off spain and the spaniards…I have yet to read a positive thing from some of these members, why bother coming here.
These nay sayers may claim that telling the truth is just making people aware of the situation in spain but all they do is come here and slag off spain and the spaniards…I have yet to read a positive thing from some of these members, why bother coming here.
GO AWAY!
Oh come now. As Santi said, advice is free. I’m sure we can help provide some perspective (see my post above) that helps to balance out the opinions of the naysayers as well.
What I’m starting to realize is that it seems to be those British folks with dreams of selling up, bringing the family (and pets), don’t speak Spanish and require a job that are probably the ones the naysayers should legitimately advise and contest. Us single, flexible, dedicated-to-Spanish have a lot better time.
