Moving to Spain Guide – Chapter 10 – Practicalities
Contents
Moving doesn’t have to be chaotic or traumatic if you use this contents section as a checklist for your planning:
Decide on a timeline
Plan financial outgoings
Letting or selling your home
Gather original documents
Healthcare
Insurance
Preparation for your pet
Removals
Possessions
Who to notify
On arrival
Decide on a timeline
Most things will take longer than you expect, though this does depend on your personal circumstances. For example, if you have children and pets, a lot of furniture, a house to sell or to let, the preparation time will be longer than if you are by yourself with limited personal possessions. In our experience the minimum planning time is three months, but most people will have a planning timeline of between six and twelve months.
Plan financial outgoings
Moving abroad can be expensive. You will have to budget for the removals van, the cost of travel to Spain yourselves, furniture storage costs, getting your current home ready to sell or to let, or cleaning costs if you are leaving a rental property. The cost of a Spanish lawyer, health insurance, insurance and settling in costs. Always have a contingency fund for those unexpected costs.
Letting or selling your home
If you are letting or selling your home, here are some things to take into account:
✔ check if appliances are in working order
✔ ensure gas and electric safety certificates are up to date
✔ get chimneys swept
✔ clear gutters
✔ put in place smoke and CO2 alarms
✔ organise landlord building insurance if you are letting your home
Gather original documents
The Spanish authorities will insist on original documentation to verify your background and status. If the documentation is not in Spanish and English, they will usually have to be officially translated.
The documents you might need are:
✔ birth certificates
✔ adoption papers
✔ marriage certificate
✔ divorce papers
✔ child custody papers
✔ driving licence
✔ passport (check on expiry date)
✔ social security cards
✔ diplomas and certificates (if you wish to work in Spain)
✔ financial records (copies of bank statements)
✔ other legal documents (e.g., power of attorney, will, trust, medical consent forms etc)
✔ national ID card
Healthcare
Before leaving your home country, book a check-up with your doctor and dentist, visit your GP or other medical professionals and ask for a copy of your medical and immunisation records. It is also helpful to bring a stock of medication from your home country so that you have a supply for the first months in Spain until you are legally resident (with TIE card & Padron) and fully registered in your local Centro de Salud. This can take several days/weeks in some provinces.
Insurance
We recommend that you have travel insurance in place, which will cover you for your journey as well as the first few weeks of settling in.
If you’ve bought a house, arrange for building and contents insurance. If you are renting, arrange for contents insurance.
Preparation for your pet
Many people who move to Spain bring their pet with them. In order to do so, however, you need to prepare and have the correct paperwork. See the chapter 7 – Bringing your pet to Spain.
Removals
Make a list of all the belongings that you want to move to Spain and get quotes from removal companies. Agree a date with them for picking up and for arrival in Spain. Also agree whether you will pack your own belongings or if they will do this for you, and insurance for the move.
Possessions
Decide on:
✔ items to be thrown away
✔ items to be donated to charity
✔ items to be stored
✔ items to be sold
✔ items to be moved to Spain
✔ items to be given away to family and friends
Putting your belongings in storage
If you want to store some of your belongings, research the options and get quotes well in advance. Cost of storage can vary widely depending on location and the size and value of the belongings you wish to store. It is useful to keep a list of what you are storing and bring this with you to Spain. Storage can be expensive, and once you’re in Spain you may want to review how much you’re storing.
Who to notify
Apart from family and friends, consider notifying the following organisations of your change of address:
✔ the post office to redirect your post
✔ your bank (some banks do not accept customers with an address outside of your home country)
✔ utilities companies (Electricity, Gas, Telephone, Solar)
✔ GP, dentist
✔ tax office
✔ insurance providers
✔ your employer
✔ estate agents
✔ pension providers
✔ children’s schools
✔ credit card and store card providers
✔ subscriptions you do not want to cancel
On arrival
Meet your neighbours, get to know people, and explore and enjoy your new surroundings. Many towns and villages have a Facebook group, which can be very useful for understanding what is going on and making contact with people. Alternatively, the local townhall (ayuntamiento) will have a webpage providing information on events and classes, which can be a good source for meeting people and making new friends.
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