Just my two pennies - I lived in Spain for two years before moving back to the UK. Although I lived in the Canaries where things are a bit different.
The downside to Spain is just how complicated and archaic everyday life things can be (like getting NIE or a bank account).
The one big bit of advice I would give is to get a good accountant - you do not, under any circumstances, want to fall foul of the Spanish tax authorities.
Haha already finding that out with my NIE. I tried for weeks to get my appointment, before giving up and using a company to get it for me. They managed within a day! I guess they know what time they're released! I've setup a bank with N26 which is an online bank like Starling/Monzo. However it seems it's not compatable with the Spanish system for paying self employed fees so i think i'll switch to OpenBank which is an online division of Santander.
To be fair, they do seem very archaic and it doesn't have a digital by default stance like the UK has, but the procedures are quite simple when you understand them. Just bureaucratic. You certainly need a printer if living in Spain or you'll be taking multiple trips to the print shop.
To top it off every autonomous region does things their own way, so unless the guide you are reading/following is for your region, don't be surprised if the process is a little different.
Another thing to be aware of is Spanish banks. Unless you have a digital account they can be a right rip off. There's also the fact the local tax authorities can take money out of your account if you owe them, same for utilities (though I believe they need some kind of order). The general rule is to keep your main cash in an account outside of Spain.
Yeah, as above, i've an account with N26 but will try and always will try and stick with online banks. My parents are with Caixa and they're always being blackmailed with "invest another €10k or we'll charge you money for your current account"
We found that with a printer. The whole drag with paying the tax for the NIE. The most bizarre thing was i went on a Monday but the bank don't accept cash on a Monday so i had to go back on the Tuesday. As you say, archaic but once you understand it then it's not as bad as it first appears.
Well yesterday i left the house and saw the "SOLD" sign up. So that's a nice thing to happen
Then i drove to Cazoo to sell them my car, before going to pick up my van. I explored loads of options for getting to Spain, including 1 way van hire, buying a van, taking a car with a trailer or paying someone to transport our stuff.
The paying someone didn't make sense as we have a dog and i wouldn't want to send him with a company. He hated the journey when we did it with him in March and so being stuck in a crate would make me sad.
One way van hire would be great - Get a decent new reliable van, cost was only around £1300 for 5 days, but i'd have to get to Gatwick and back to Preston which takes up a day and additional cost. They also book up around 4 months in advance
The Car and Trailer sounded ok, but i have no experience of towing a trailer, and i wouldn't want to take my Mazda as it'd be hard to sell in Spain so would be buying something old and cheap and hoping to sell that (and the trailer)
As such, buying a van made sense. I don't know much about cars, and the used, cheap Van market can be a minefield. My wifes cousin runs a garage and had a Mercedes Vito. It was a 2015 model but with 520,000 miles on it! I "kind of" trust him, and he wasn't actively selling it and said if i ever made it back to the UK in it, he'd buy it back.
I'm afraid i've done a bit of a
@moon man here and taken a screenshot of a picture on my phone for some reason!
The issue is i'm now questioning if it's big enough. We're not taking much, and i'm sure it's deceptive but it's hard to judge. Luckily he said i could use it through his work insurance and then just pay him once i was sure it'd be ok. The main issue are the bikes, but if i get a bike rack for the rear door it might work as they're awkward items and not stackable.
I've asked a couple other people selling vans so will go look at those other the weekend.
