Hi folks,

We want to move to Spain. Only been there once for 2 weeks but fell in love with the place and the people we met. I am essentially English, my wife is German, the kids are dual. We are all non-typical and get on very well with people from most countries and cultures.

Our plan is to buy an old minibus and remove some seats to qualify for lower insurance as a private vehicle, fill it with the crap that's important. Oh, and the kids & pets. Then go, after finding a place to rent short-term online.

Home is where we are so no worries about missing places etc.

Any flaws or advice?

Thankies

HIya

I guess you have to do things as you find fit .

We are moving over in 2 weeks with our 2 kids - but i did lots of research on where we wanted to be - what school , what services /amenties we required as a family.
Will you be working over in Spain? I have read many threads on things not working out for people as they have been unable to find work - or if they do its not paying enough for them to live. ? My husband is continuing to work offshore and will commute each fortnight.

Kat x

Well you really need to decide which area you want to move to as well really and come over and look first.

On the vehicle side of things, you wont be able to import a minibus into Spain if its brit plated RHD I dont think. Its classed as commercial and not allowed.

Hi Kat,

I'm a war pensioner and can't work full-time so we will be able to survive on the money i get from that. Hopefully though, i might eventually do some part-time or voluntary stuff, or work from home as i felt a lot better there.

The only really big thing that is important to us is knowing where the nearest cardiac hospital is for my daughters pacemaker and INR checks. I believe Barcelona is the nearest to where we want to be (between Tarragona and Valencia).

Cheers,
Glenn

Well i can't afford to go house shopping like that but we do know a couple of spanish people who would probably be happy to check things out for us. We are just going to get somewhere short-term while we look around and decide where to settle.

I'll definately look for more info on importing a minibus though, thanks. I'll try and get an ex-army LHD one if i can. I'm fairly sure it could be re-classified as a private car or van once most of the seats are permanently removed.

Cheers,
Glenn

Glen

Wish you all the best in your adventure and hope its all you wish for.

Kat x

It is not the seats that is the problem is the size and the general use the vehicle was constructed for.
Like if you bought a Sherpa or Transit it is classified as a commercial. If you bought a Belingo ( or similar types), then it can be classed as either a commercial or a car. You will not be able to contest the system when registering the vehicle. If it is a commercial then it has to be ITV tested (MOT) every 6 months. There has been a lot said about this before so read through the other postings too.

Aah, now i get it. Thanks! I did have a look through but wasn't sure what to look for, hence the stupid question lol.

Would it be a problem as a commercial vehicle then? What about a motor home? If it is a LHD?

I suppose i could always sell the vehicle the somebody returning to the UK once i'd got all the spanish docs sorted and bought a car.

Cheers,
Glenn

As a commercial vehicle you wont be able to get the Spanish docs sorted.

I meant i wanted to sell the brit plated vehicle on once i'd bought a car in Spain. Would save a lot of trouble i think.

Hi Everybody

Just came across this forum today, I have lived here in Girona for 27 years.

I think your plan sounds great Glasgowgeek, if you enter as tourists in an old campervan or bus as you describe you won't have a problem, then if you do not find a buyer here, you could always just drive it back to the UK by yourself, sell it there then get a cheap flight back.

Good luck!

Possibly true, but he wont be a tourist, he will be coming here to live

LOL only when he settles

He might come here with his family stay a month and decide it is not what he had previously expected and go home again- I mean until he is actually living here, he can be anything he wants

I would definitely consider myself a tourist until I had been here at least three months and all the family agreed they wanted to stay.

Thanks Diana :-)

When we moved from Germany to Scotland we hired a minibus and had a friend return it for us but this way should work out cheaper in the long run and means we won't be without transport for the first few months while we get paperwork sorted and find somewhere more permanent to stay.

Glenn

OK, the impression I got was that the vehicle was for transporting some stuff over, and to get them to a permanent place of residence ... maybe I'm wrong