Hi all,

My parents, sister, nephews and myself are all thinking of locating to Spain within the next year but really have no idea where to start. We are keen to get advice on who are the best people to contact and where to get advice from. We have no idea whether we can afford to move or where to start. I have done some research but it’s hard to know what company to trust.

I would really be grateful for any advice of who to speak to or where to look for advice and any experiences any of you may of had; good or bad. Ideally what we are looking for is someone we can talk to who can help us identify financially whether it’s feaseable and what the whole process entails.

As i said I would be grateful for any information anyone could provide.

Many thanks

Bobbie xxx

If you are just thinking about it…use forums like this to ask specific questions or raise concerns.

I live in Spain and can give you some idea of what it?s like. 

Two main things I can recommend is

1) Learn spanish
2) Don?t rely on finding a job here. 

What sort of advice do you need?  Work?  Areas?

Thank you for your reply.

Mainly my question is where do you start once you have decided that moving to Spain is what you want to do. Who can you contact for professional advice and what options are available?

For example; is there a company who you can go to who can talk you through the process of moving to Spain and the costs involved?

Are you an expat and how did you move out there? Did you use a company for professional advice?

Are you thinking of a relocation company ?

I don’t know of any although you could google and see what comes up.

Have you been to Spain ?  What are your expectationns ? 

It would be a good idea to list what you would like…ie city or village, coast or mountains?  What type of temperature ?  What about schools ?  International or Spanish school ? 

I wouldn’t recommend that you buy at the moment unless you are certain your move is permenant.  Holidays and real life living is so different.

AG

Just to add, that when we moved, we thought that we would try for a year and then see how we got on.  That was two and a half years ago.  Our children were young enough to go to a spanish school but we did consider an International for our 9 year old.  However we thought that as she was just young enough to adapt well and learn the language.  Any older and we would of gone for an International school.

We did know the area from holidays but that was it..It really is a case of trying it out and seeing how it goes.  We booked a short term holiday let for 3 weeks and looked around for a long term let.  Long term lets are usually 11 months min and then renewable afterwards.  We paid two months rent deposit and it cost us for a 3bed townhouse 1200 euros.  I am certain you can get cheaper but you get what you pay for.  There are apartments around much much cheaper. 

Then there is a lot of form filling and queuing for NIE cards.  Give yourselves at least a month to get the paperwork together including registering with the town hall in the area. 

I would suggest that if one or some of you can come beforehand and look around, look at schools and speak to other expats around before any children arrive with you.  A couple of months will mean that you will find a place to rent, find schools and do all your paperwork.  I found it a nightmare to do it all while having children around.  But we did it and here we are now..

One other cost is removals..but you can contact a few removal companies who will come and pack for you and deliver to your new home.  Not sure about costs but you can easily get quotes.

Hi Bobbie,

Financial considerations are crucial if you are planning to emigrate abroad. If you are thinking about transferring money directly from your high street bank, you?ll find that this can be costly, especially if you are transferring a large sum of money ? Spanish banks regularly charge commission fees, transfer charges, and you will probably incur receiving fees from your foreign bank too.

Using a ?non-bank currency broker? when buying property abroad gives you more options, and can help you get a better rate. Monday saw the euro reach a fresh four year low, proving once again that the currency market is incredibly volatile at the moment. In order to secure your money transfers, it is crucial to keep yourself informed.

You can sign up to receive daily or weekly market commentary from any Foreign Exchange Specialists? website. You might also want to consider speaking to a forex broker about such things as limit orders (triggers higher than the market that could be achieved in the future) and stop loss (triggers at the very bottom of your budget), which ensure that you are comfortable with the exchange rates.

I hope this helps.

Best of luck,

David Kerns, Dealing Manager, Moneycorp [link removed - see rules]