GrapeEater

OK, after years of research, talking, reading books, exhibitions, inspection trips, checking, googling and 'expert' advice I still feel as though I (And many others) have not conformed or got the immigation red tape all tied up here in Spain.

Been here 4 fours and still worry if I am 'legal'. In all our converstions and study we never found a sinlge source (check list) of what we might need for permanent living in Spain.

This Expat site is useful but you find plenty of contradictory advice and 'bar-room' Jonnies swearing they know.

Has anyone come across a resource, organisation or up-to-date web site that says - DO THIS if you are XYZ ??

You'd think that as Spain relies so much on immigration and foreign investment in property they'd have sorted something for unsuspecting foreigners ?

... I can dream.

Mitzyboy

I have seen a few of these info web sites pushed and advertised ...... but I have to say when I went on to look I found that some information on them was incorrect and misleading. They arent often put together by experts, they are put together by people trying to make a buck through advertising

I know what you say about bar room experts, but you have to remember that the majority of info on here is put up by people who have been there and done that. People who come on with incorrect infob are quickly found out, and when you remember that the mods on here are often contacting experts to verify info, I wouldnt write of the useful info on here to readily

twistedmelon

If you have been here four years you should know that the reason there is no such site or why there is so much contradictory advice is that no one knows least of all the spanish.

GrapeEater

As I said ... I can dream (that maybe in there had been a widsy bitsy bit of progress !)

spainrico

Is it that complicated?

Register on the Padron
Take out Residencia & obtain NIE
Declare for Spanish Tax (if liable)
Drive a legal car (Registered, ITVed, Insured)
Drive with valid licence

Mitzyboy

Its fairly simple, given some time, to list what someone has to do when they move here.

What isn't fairly simple unfortunately is trying to unravel the confusion when someone who doesnt know the correct procedures comes on here and contradicts what we know to be right.

GrapeEater

Yeah maybe it "sounds simple" but in reality !??!

And what about other stuff that's applicable to most:

• Property Tax
• Planning
• Suma
• Medical test for Driving
• SIPs Healthcare
• Wealth Tax
• Wills
• Water
• Electricity
• Ermmm !!

Maybe (if not already) Expats has the DEFINITIVE list - most of it's probably already there.

Do the British Consul / Embassy have such a thing ?

spainrico

Now you have moved the goalposts - you said to be legal

I don't see that all items on your list have to do with legality and have to worried about on a daily basis. Just something to deal with as they arise, maybe with professional help - its called life.

JLFS

HBG

I consider myself lucky in the sense that having lived among Spanish people for many years and having a wife who has lived longer in Spain than her native UK and swears in Catalan, I no longer worry too much about the silliness of some local laws or practices which change regularly anyway.

For example, we used to put garden rubbish outside in the street and it was collected and disposed off once a week. Now we are supposed to take it to centralised containers, ours is half-a mile away. An elderly Spanish neighbour who doesn’t drive couldn’t possibly push his wheelbarrow that far, so he dumps it in the ordinary basura bin. Another one dumps it on same nearby waste ground that is totally overgrown anyway.

Being such a law-abiding chap, I now have a dozen large green garden rubbish sacks piled up inside my gate, and at least three times that amount waiting to be picked from the garden. Transporting them all by car will take forever and make the car filthy. And the sacks are full of weird crawly things, that I don’t want in the car.

So, early tomorrow morning, while it’s still dark, I will empty the sacks of garden rubbish on the waste ground which is much nearer than the container (which is always full anyway).

And, also early tomorrow morning, I’m going to dump an old settee next to the Basura for the local gypsies to collect. I’m thinking about wearing a balaclava in case I’m spotted by some law-abiding do-gooder.

JLFS

A mans gotta do, what a mans gotta do.....

Get a hoodie as well, we dont want to read about you in the local paper for fly tipping

Michael74

Sometimes the basuras in our village look like an Eco-tip. They put settees, tv's, broken up wardrobes (which incidently made some good shelves in my garage) garden rubbish in fact anything.

Not so long back there was a dining table and 4 chairs, my next door neighbour rounded up some kids to sit in the chairs while she was away with the table and could get back for the chairs.

The village road sweeper even sweeps up the doggy do's and puts that in the basura so they do smell a bit ripe sometimes. Having said that they are emptied without fail every night between 2330 and 0100 - I know cos I can hear them !! - and that costs me €99 per year.

Lushdaddy

How do you mean 'legal'.? I may sound daft for asking but I don't get what water and electric have to do with being legal. Also a couple of other things you put down. You said originally, to be legal for 'permenently living in spain'.
Or do you mean something else that I have missed.. Sorry to quiz you but I hope I am legal and if you've missed something that I might need then I want to know what it is so that I can do it too.

UKinSpain

Hi,

It's Sally here from the British Embassy in Madrid. There's some information on our website about living in Spain which might help answer some of your questions. And if we haven't got the answer, there should be a link to somebody who does!

http://ukinspain.fco.gov.uk/en/help-...ving-in-spain/

On the right-hand side of this page there is a link to the 'Living in Spain leaflet' which has also got some useful facts and contact details.

I hope you find it useful!

Sally

GrapeEater

Thanks for being so helpful! I suspect it's just a different interpretation by you what I meant!! Anyway congratulations on being such a confident 'get-on-with-life' type person. Certainly the many many people I have bumped into find some of this red-tape either scary, a pain in the ass and fraught with mistakes... and often find that rules / red-tape is frustrating in Spain even if you DO KNOW the rules and speak the language. How many of us have thought that something would take a few hours - only to still be dealing with it days / weeks later... ?