Moving to Spain with caravan
 

Me, my husband and my 3 children are wanting to move to Spain but want to take our caravan and live in it full time on a site, I've heard it's hard to take your car and keep it there so best buying a car when in Spain? I've have read that to move to Spain and rent/buy you have to take £5000 per person? Is this the same
If taking a caravan, I'm not finding much help on the net people saying different things
Thanks

Re: Moving to Spain with caravan
 

Good luck.

Re: Moving to Spain with caravan
 

Great help!

Re: Moving to Spain with caravan
 

Which part of Spain are you heading for?
Are you planning to work in Spain?
Do any of you speak Spanish?

Re: Moving to Spain with caravan
 

Hi
We were looking at Estepona, but welcome to ideas, no dont speak any Spanish but will take a course before we go, yes hubby is an engineer but could struggle to find work for awhile if we don't know the area so I would get some bar/restaurant work till he finds something

Re: Moving to Spain with caravan
 

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst myself and BEVS moderate Europe. Please read the Site Rules Site Rules | British Expatriate Community adhere to them so that the site runs smoothly. Moderators are there to ensure that the rules of BE are maintained. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Re: Moving to Spain with caravan
 

As you are intending to live in Spain with your children you will need to live here fully legal.

To live in Spain legally you will all need to sign on the foreigners register after 90 days of arriving here.

To satisfy the authorities you will need to prove you have a "regular income" which is sufficient to satisfy the authorities you will not become a burden on the state. You will need to find out from the authorities of the area you intend to live how much that regular income figure is. You will also need to prove that you have "full healthcare cover" for yourself and all dependants.

After 183 days of living in Spain you will automatically become tax residents and are required to pay taxes to the Spanish tax man.

You cannot claim any child or dole benefits.

It is very rare to find any engineering jobs on the coastal areas. Any jobs in bars/restaurants are notoriously difficult to find as they are often given to people "who they know" and are often required to speak fluent Spanish. Pay in that industry is minimal and required to work long hours. Some desperate people are often willing to work for less than minimum wage. Bar work is often seasonal and layoffs are common at this time of year.

Living on a caravan park (even if it's your own caravan) is very often as expensive as renting an apartment and you could be paying around €400 per month. Don't expect the caravan sites and residents to be as the programmes on tv. You will be expected to re-register your car after 6 months onto Spanish plates etc and is quite expensive.

You will need to find out where the schools are for your children to attend. Have you checked out if there are any schools in the area you intend to live?

Find out about the 90 day and 183 day rules. Find out about what you need for full residency and obtaining your NIE number. Check out about the Modelo 720 that you will eventually be required to fill in to declare your wealth. Check out the cost of healthcare cover for yourself and all dependants.

It's not like the dream of turning up somewhere in Spain and getting bar work and resting in the sun. It's difficult from day one to settle nowadays in Spain and even more so (probably) after Brexit!!

Steve

Re: Moving to Spain with caravan
 

Also not sure re regulations with the caravan as here they have to have ITV or MOTS.

Re: Moving to Spain with caravan
 

You will find "people saying different things" on the web, because pretty much everything in Spain depends on what part of Spain you're in. My experiences of bureaucracy in the Castellon region of Valencia are very different from others' experiences in, say, Malaga.


There's a lot of information on the web about most of the Spanish bureaucracy connected with moving to Spain, you just have to read, read, read, and form a general view while bearing in mind it might be slightly different in Estepona or wherever you end up.


I believe the general consensus on here is that it's probably better to buy a car in Spain rather than attempt to change your own to Spanish plates, for all sorts of reasons - which again you can learn about by Google-ing.


As pwwm says, in Spain all trailers (which includes caravans) over 75kg (3/4 ton) also need to be MOT'd - it's called ITV in Spain. I don't know if the fact that a UK caravan will have the personnel door on the "wrong" side in Spain, would be another difficulty.


On the subject of the language - I see many people on this forum saying no, they don't know any Spanish but intend to learn. My husband and I did 3 years of evening classes before we bought our house. We've spent 6 months a year there for the past two years. I have a facility for languages and grammar, and manage quite well now - although I still don't think it would be good enough to get me a job . My husband, despite all his efforts, is still pretty much stuck at the hello, goodbye and thank you stage. He loves Spain as much as I do, but he feels very isolated there having only me to talk to, and the fact that he cannot do anything without having me with him to translate. However, I believe that - unlike where we are - there is a British community in Estepona so you'll probably find some help if you end up there.


Good luck.