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The Biggest Challenges of Relocation to Spain

According to the Ministry of Inclusion’s Statistics of Foreigners Residing in Spain, 5,8 million foreigners resided in Spain in 2020. Despite the difficulties the pandemic and travel restrictions on mobility have had, it’s the highest number in Spain’s history.

Moving to Spain is full of a lot of challenges. There are legal, professional, emotional, and family challenges. In this article, we’re going to cover the biggest challenges that people face or expect to face when they move to Spain.

Where Is It Better to Live in Spain?

This is obviously a big challenge you have to figure out and overcome because where you live will set up how much you enjoy your experience here, so it really is critical.

People generally gravitate to four different areas of Spain:

1. Andalusia. It is a region of contrasts: amazing beaches, ancient cities and deserts, the most southerly ski resort in Europe, and also the highest mountain in Spain. Generally, Andalusia is a safe place to live.

2. Madrid and Barcelona are Spain’s top cities to live your active life. Today cities like the capital Madrid and Barcelona are cultural centres buzzing with life day and night.

3. Valencia. Valencia is cheaper, more manageable, warmer in the winter (it’s further south) than Barcelona.

4. Green Spain. It is a different side to Spain, full of soaring mountains, dramatic coastal landscapes, and lush green meadows. Living in this area, you can explore the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia in a couple of days.

Relocation Spain

How Much Will It Cost to Live?

It’s very important to have a really good idea about the cost of living in Spain. It’s going to depend on your lifestyle, but also on the region where you’re going to live.

The most expensive regions are the Basque Country, Madrid, Catalonia. Malaga, Valencia, Galicia are more affordable. The cheapest regions are Extremadura, Castile, and Leon.

Numbeo is a pretty helpful website when it comes to figuring out what your cost of living is going to be. It allows you to do a comparison between the place where you live in the United Kingdom or wherever you are and the place that you are looking at or considering. It even also compares cities within Spain.

The Visa PaperWork Is Overwhelming

If you don’t live in the EU already, you will need to apply for a visa to move to Spain. You can find more information about work visas on the official SpainVisa website.

Relocation Spain

The Real Estate Process Is Scary

The next challenge is the real estate process. It can be very daunting to buy a house in a country that is not yours. First of all, you need to know that you can even buy a home not being a resident in Spain.

One of the things that people find very confusing is the whole fees and taxes that they’re going to be paying on top of the purchase price. This is usually between 10 and 15 percent of the purchase price, but it depends on whether you got a real estate agent or a lawyer involved. Also, depending on the region, you’re going to be paying more or less taxes. And depending on whether it’s new or not, it’s going to have a different kind of tax and a different percentage. So, all of those things need to be taken into account as well.

How Can I Get a Work Permit?

A lot of people are overwhelmed by the idea of how they could work in Spain. Swapp Agency covers a whole employment process, the work visas and all the relocation issues. We will help you get the available visa and explain how you might be able to achieve it. For more details visit Swapp Agency.

Relocation Spain

I’m Concerned About Taxes

When it comes to the taxes in Spain, you have to really do a huge research of this topic. A lot of people freak out when they see high income tax rates in Spain.

All the individuals performing activities in Spain are subject to tax based on source of income and residence. If you’re in Spain for 183 days in a calendar year, you will become a tax resident. All the residents are taxed on worldwide income. There are several tax exemptions that may apply to expatriates.

So, you need to understand the broad concepts, or you have to talk to a tax advisor if you’re concerned about this. If you just leave it, you will get an email from a tax company a couple of months later.

To make sure everything is compliant with the relocation program and tax codes, you can apply to Employer of Record. An Employer of Record offers a simple way for expats, remote workers and employers to work and get their payments wherever they are. Swapp Agency is a helping hand in international relocation, employment, and legal issues.

I’m Worried About Learning Spanish

Now you have done all your paperwork, your visa, you have your dream home, everything is perfect in your taxes. The next one is concerns about language. Some people think that one of the biggest challenges is going to get the visa and figuring out the tax and they leave the language issue.

There are a lot of areas with large English-speaking communities in Spain, but if you really want to integrate, and that’s what most people want, you need to learn the language.

Start learning Spanish as soon as you decide to live in Spain because it will really pay off. You need to start building your base and then, once you’re in Spain, you will be able to absorb it much faster.

Wrapping Up

From taxes to visas, there are a lot of challenges of relocation to Spain. Swapp Agency will be your instructor about how to move to Spain. We will walk you through the steps you need to take to move to Spain. Work in Spain with Swapp Agency.