The driving force behind ThisIsSpain is my desire to give accurate and up-to-date information about expat life. With a country that is changing as fast as Spain, this is not always easy and hence I always value updates and new information. One thing I will ALWAYS recommend against is "Bar-room Bill solicitors" who know "everything" about importing a car ....but have an illegal banger themselves. What they do not know about planning permission is not worth knowing.... but they are petrified that their illegal exyension is going to be knocked down. Their knowledge about Spanish mobile rates is unsurpassed .... but they still spend 200 euros per month on a PAYG as they are not able to get a contract phone. We all know these people and many of us know the danger of taking their information. Beware!
In many towns and cities their are expat self-help groups run in the expat langauges, Whether this is a Newcomers' Club, an Age Concern or a Help Association you can usually be confident of quality information. However, there is NO substitute for professional legal advice from an INDEPENDENT solicitor or gestor. I wrte independent in capitals as I cannot stress enough that everybody buying a home in Spain MUST MUST MUST take independent legal advice. I enjoy hospital dramas but that does not mean I am qualified to perform open-heart surgery. I love sports TV but I couldn't score the winning goal. PLEASE do not even THINK about purchasing a house in Spain without using an INDEPENDENT solicitor. Do NOT use the builder's solicitor, do NOT use the agent's solicitor but DO use an independent one. Most people would not dream of buying a home in the UK or Scandinavia without a solicitor (where they "know" the rules and speak the language. Why is that when they come to Spain they take the advice of the "Bloke in the Bar" ? After all these years I am getting tired of scraping people off the floor.
If you are looking to start a business of any sort I would recommend that you join Working in Spain and Ecademy (as below) . Both sites are free to register and you should get much information. You can link to me through either of these sites as I am a regular contributor to both
Sadly, many expats also fail to make due arrangements for funeral provision, wills, tax planning, divorce and many other matters that we all like to try to forget about. In almost all circumstances, the requirements/arrangements will be VERY DIFFERENT and I urge you to take PROFESSIONAL advice. As a quick "For Instance", I would recommend this UK Divorce & Family Law Advice Practice for all matters to do with divorce law for expats. Woolleys even have their own specialist department dealing exclusively with expat matters.
That said, my BIGGEST piece of advice is ALWAYS ......LEARN Spanish. Close your eyes and try to imagine living in the country where you are now and not being able to speak the language of the street, the langauge of business and the language the children are being taught in. Now can you see why I am fanatical about people learning Spanish?
Learn Spanish
