Emigrate to Spain:
Pros and cons

Are you going to emigrate and will you take the plane or opt for your own transportation? And how will you arrange for your belongings to arrive? Will you move your possessions yourself or would you rather leave this to a moving company? Keep in mind, for example, that your household contents may not arrive in Spain until much later. This can be inconvenient if you are dependent on certain medications, for example.

De-registration and registration with a municipality in Spain

Before you permanently leave your country of origin to begin your emigration, it is important that you deregister from the municipality where you are leaving. In some regions in Spain, you will need this proof in order to register with your new municipality in Spain. You may also be asked to deregister with the tax authorities, your energy supplier, and health insurance.

Cancel your subscriptions and insurances

Look through your bank statements to see where you have subscriptions and insurance policies. Write these down and inform these organizations of your emigration. Make sure you receive cancellation confirmation of all subscriptions and insurances you have looked up. Map all this out in good time. In some countries, such as the Netherlands, emigration is not a valid reason to terminate a multi-year contract prematurely.

Apply for a NIE number

You may be wondering, what is a NIE number? The NIE number is a personal number linked to your identity. You need it in Spain for almost everything. For example, to register with the municipality (ayuntamiento). Even receiving packages you order online often requires a NIE number. For the Dutch, it is comparable to a citizen service number.

If you have not arranged this before arriving in Spain, you still have three months to arrange this in Spain. You can apply for this number at the Spanish Foreigners Office (Oficina de Extranjeros) or at a police station. You can usually find more information about this at the Embassy of your country of origin. To help you detour, we have a list of embassies of different countries in Spain.

Embassy list in Spain

• Netherlands
• Belgium
• Germany
• Poland
• France
• America

A Spanish bank account

If you wish to purchase insurance or subscriptions in Spain, you will need a Spanish bank account number. If you use a gestor, we advise you to open an account with one of the larger Spanish banks during your orientation phase. Some well-known banks are Sabadell, ING, CaixaBank and Santander.

Importing a car into Spain

If you are a fiscal resident in Spain, you are not allowed to drive a car with a license plate from another country. If you meet certain requirements, you may not have to pay VAT or import duties when you want to import your own car. Make sure you arrange this well in advance and know how importing a car into Spain works, what costs are involved, and the time it takes. Of course, you can also just buy a car in Spain.

Health insurance in Spain

When you are employed or self-employed (autónomo) in Spain, you are automatically entitled to social security through the Seguridad Social. You need to register yourself with the Seguridad Social. Once registered, you can go to the health center (Centro Salud) in your municipality to request a health card (tarjeta sanitaria). This pass will give you access to public health care. It is important to know that waiting times in public health care are often long. We, therefore, recommend that you also take out private health insurance. The quality of care in Spain, both private and public, is good.

Working in Spain

If you are going to emigrate to Spain without a job, it is important to find one quickly. A job not only contributes to a successful and long-term emigration but can also help you integrate into Spain.

Finding a job can be a real challenge in Spain. Just consider a language barrier if you do not speak the language and the differences in labor markets between different countries. Although a limited number of Spaniards can speak English, starting a career is really only possible if you speak Spanish. This will help you make new contacts, get references, and respond to job openings.

Emigrating to Spain with children

Your children will also have to get used to living in another country. Fortunately, Spaniards are extremely child-friendly, and this alone is a reason to emigrate to Spain with your children.

In many places, you will find playgrounds and various facilities for children. Also, the cultural differences in dealing with children are great compared to other European countries. In restaurants, for example, it is never a problem to have children around. At 23:00 - 00:00 hours, you can still quietly see parents with friends and/or family sitting on the terrace with children playing outside or half asleep. And breastfeeding in public is quite normal here.

Schools in Spain may have different rules and methods than you are used to. For example, summer vacations in Spain are much longer than in Northern European countries.

Taxes, finances, and benefits when you emigrate to Spain

Also, in Spain, you have to pay taxes in most cases. Of course, as in other European countries, in Spain they have income tax, wealth tax, and, for example, municipal taxes.

The advantage for you is that these are usually a lot lower than the country you are emigrating from. The tax rate in Spain depends on several factors, such as your family situation, income, etc. It also depends on whether you are a tax resident. If you are, you will be subject to a progressive tax system. If you are not a tax resident, the employer applies a flat rate of 19% (IRPF). You must file a tax return if you are a resident and stay in Spain for more than 183 days. Tax returns in Spain for the previous year must be filed between April 1 and June 30.