You can drive in Spain with the driving licences from the European Union and the EEE (Iceland, Liechtenstein y Norway). To drive in Spain if you are a Non European citizen, you have to exchange your license to the Spanish one in the first 6 months from your legal residence.

To drive safety in Spain there are some regulations you need to know, the most important are:

• The use of the mobile phone while driving is forbidden
• The radio and the mobile phone must be switched off at the gas stations
• You need to carry a reflective vest in the car and wear it in case you need to get out if the car is on the road
• The use of the warning triangles is an obligation if the car is broken down and immovable on the road
• Passing a car has to be made by the left side
• It is an obligation to drive with the seat belt on
• Wearing the helmet when driving a motorbike is compulsory

Parking

Blue and green lines on the floor imply that you probably have to pay; the amount will depend on the colour of the line, the neighbourhood and the duration of your stay. Put the money into the parking meter to get the ticket and leave it on sight on the dashboard.

Driving licence with points

In Spain the traffic code has a point system. Points will be removed or delivered depending on the offenses committed. You could not drive if all points are removed.

Relocations España is specialized in all formalities for the expats moving to Spain. It is part of the Mobility Services Network Group, formed by a group of companies whose services cover the whole process of an international assignment from beginning to end.

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When expats are moving to another country, there are many issues that have to be taken into account: The new job, the new house and in many cases a new language, but also if he or she comes with family there are other concerns that take priority such as the school for the children or medical care. Here is a short list of information on Spanish public health:

• The Spanish national health system offers a great coverage of free services and it is considered one of the best in the world.
• Foreign legal residents have the same rights as any Spaniard.
• If you need to go to the general doctor in Spain, you must make an appointment either by phone or in person. Usually and depending on gravity, the waiting time is 48 hours maximum.
• The health card is a personal and non-transferable document that accredits the right to receive the necessary health benefits.
In addition to public health, in Spain a private insurance payment policy can be contracted that which is faster than the public insurance in most cases.

The dentist is not included in the public health system (only in an emergency) but finding a dental clinic is simple.

Relocations Spain will help you with the registration process in the public or private social security system as well as obtaining the health card and registration in the health centre that corresponds to your new home.

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There are more and more international educational centres in Spain. They offer a great opportunity for the student to know, in addition to another language, another culture. This modality opens the doors so that the student can defend himself outside our borders or to access to a prestigious university.

Many of the children studying in the schools are Spanish but there are also a large percentage of children of expatriates who want to maintain the language of the country of origin or simply to learn a new one. It also teaches them how to relate to others in an increasingly globalized and rapidly changing world.

In relation to the price, we must recognize that they are not within reach of any pocket. The price usually ranges between 850 and 2000 Euros per month per child.

Some of the international colleges, although all maintain a fairly high standard of quality are:

– BRAINS (Madrid)

– RUNNYMEDE COLLEGE (Madrid)

– KINGS COLLEGE (various locations)

– SEK INTERNATIONAL COLLEGES (various locations)

– SAN FRANCISCO DE PAULA (Sevilla)

-AMERICAN SCHOOL (various locations)

– ENDAZE BRITISH INTERNATIONAL (Madrid)

– HIGHLANDS SCHOOL (Barcelona)

– THE AMERICAN SCHOOL (Bilbao and other locations)

International schools are a very good option to prepare children for the future in an increasingly globalized world where the languages ​​are keys that open many doors facing the working life. With international schools spread across the country we can say that Spain boasts a wide and varied education system.

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Holland is a country that offers endless places to visit. If you have to move to Holland you can enjoy beautiful landscapes, cosmopolitan cities, romantic villages, museums, safe cities, etc.

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Switzerland is one of the most developed countries in the world and it is considered one of the most culturally diverse European countries. 

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Barcelona is a city known worldwide for its original architecture, its multicultural neighborhoods, its Mediterranean climate, its beaches, its gastronomy, its range of leisure for all tastes, the quality of life it offers, etc.

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What is to apostille a document?

The apostille procedure consists in inserting on an public document, or an extension thereof, an Apostille or annotation certifying the authenticity of the signature of the public documents issued in a country that signed the XII Hague Convention of October 5, 1961, which eliminates the requirement of Legalization of Foreign Public Documents that should have effects in another country that signed it.

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VERY FRAGILE … This is the phrase that we usually read in the boxes when a move is made. It is fundamental when we make a national or international move that the company that provides the service is totally trustworthy and gives us guarantees: making an inventory, making sure that everything is well protected, counting the boxes that are in origin and verifying with a count in destination, as well as checking at the moment of unpacking.

The cost of a national or international move varies greatly depending on the quantity, volume of the goods to be transported, whether international or national, the conditions of access, etc.

The OCU has done a survey to know firsthand the users’ experience with national moving services, the most common problems are the price of this service and, in general, the degree of satisfaction with the company in charge of the move.

The first thing they recommend when preparing a move is to request a detailed budget since one in ten users paid more than budgeted.

Relocations España carries out national and international changes as part of its usual mobility activities with more than 25 years of experience. It has a team of professional, a fleet of vehicles adapted to the needs of each project and the current environmental standards. This experience ensures a standardized process in each transfer, such as the rigorous inventory of the equipment, packing procedures – following the international FIDI standards, the level of service of the human team involved in each process, which also has many years of experience in the company.

If the objects to be transported require special care, we have special packaging for example for: works of art, glass, technical material…

Once inventoried, packed, stored in boxes, loaded and cleaned the space, vehicles will take the belongings to the new destination: either 10 or 2,000 miles, by land, sea or air. If you do not have a destination yet, it is possible to store your belongings in the furniture storerooms, regardless of length or dimension, because what is important is to adapt to the needs of the client.

Even an additional service can be contemplated, such as the delivery storage room. If you need something that you were already storing with them or leave something new, the mobile storage system will make your work easier as it moves to the address you ask for with your belongings so you can manipulate them.

Trust only companies that offer a guarantee and enjoy a comfortable and efficient move.

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In Relocations España we aim to tailor our services to our customer’s needs. Therefore We are introducing our new Service RE 4.0. An easy, stress free virtual relocation service specially designed to medium term assignees that are coming to Spain alone.

We have seen an important increase in medium term assignments (between 6 and 18 months long) where the relocating assignee is usually coming to Spain on their own.

Often these shorter assignments don’t leave the relocating employee with much time to plan ahead their relocation, for example to come on a previous visit to find a house and gather all required documents for registration and immigration processes.

RE 4.0 is the ultimate virtual relocation helper, we are the assignees eyes and ears when finding a house. By using our RE 4.0 service the assignee will come to Spain to sign the lease and receive the keys to their new home, hustle free and ready to start their new professional journey in Spain.

With this service the assignee will:

• Have a virtual orientation in the different areas of the city that according to the needs analysis we think will be appropriate for them to live.
• After the needs analysis our team of experts will pre select a number of houses for the assignee to decide whether he wants to visit them
• Once a good number of houses have been pre- approved by the assignee one of our consultants will proceed to do the itinerary as if the assignee was coming with them
• Every house as well as the surrounding areas will be photographed or filmed to detail; at the end of the day we will email this information to the assignee together with all the conditions to securing the house.
•  Once the assignee decides on a house, we will prepare all documents, negotiate the lease agreement and proceed to the signing. Depending on the assignee’s date of arrival the lease can be either signed in Person or it can be negotiated to be done by regular mail.
• The day the assignee arrives we will accompany them to do the check in inspection.
• We will make sure the assignee has the basics for the first couple of days such as:

– City guides

– A goodie basket

– Bed linen and towels

– Any other missing basic item

This service will help the hiring company to reduce all temporary accommodation costs for the assignee while he visits and secures a home.

Note: This service is not recommended for longer stay assignments or assignees that are coming accompanied by their family as the house selection process in these cases should be in person to accommodate the needs of every member of the family.

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The departure process in Spain can become very stressful, more so now since the crisis has made property owners more aware of any damages caused to the property during the lease term when doing the exit inspection to avoid having to return 100% of the deposit. This, many times results in endless communications with no results.

To ensure a smooth departure process is better to have Relocations España’s support, we have over 25 years’ experience managing successful departures with 95% deposit return.

But if you decide to embark in this adventure here are a few tips that can help to a smooth departure.

1. Give notice
   New rental contracts are generally for at least five years and renewable annually by mutual consent. This can be unspoken and in fact the lease will be automatically renewed unless the tenant gives the landlord 30 days’ notice before the end of the year. Therefore, if you are leaving you must give your landlord formal notice of your intentions. Doing so by registered letter is usually the easiest way.

   If you have a fixed term contract you may not be able to leave before the end of your term, without having to pay the outstanding rent.

   Inform the authorities
   You will need to advise the local authorities at the town hall of your leaving date and also the tax authorities. If you are lucky you may even be entitled to a tax refund!

   3. Cancel utilities
   Formally give notice and terminate any contracts with utility providers, television, Internet and phone companies. Do this at least 3-4 weeks in advance, as some providers require several weeks’ notice. Also cancel any insurance contracts that will no longer be required. You may be entitled to a refund for any outstanding periods but you can also get an accident record showing whether you were responsible for any accidents. If you have had a good record this can help when taking out a new policy.

   4. Fix any damage
   Check the condition of the property against the inventory and repair any damage or make good any loss to avoid deductions to your security deposit. Allowance is made for normal wear and tear, existing faults or forces beyond the tenant’s control (force majeure).

   If you do not have an inventory you may lose out in the event of a dispute over the condition of the property. The law is often on the side of the landlord, so if no inventory exists then the tenant is presumed to have received the property in good condition and the landlord is likely to receive the benefit of the doubt in the event of a dispute. However, if you have evidence of the property’s poor condition, such as in photographs, this will be taken into consideration.

   5. Inventory
   Hopefully you will have conducted an inventory (inventario) with the landlord. When you are leaving rented accommodation you are required to pay for a professional clean, unless you can do a thorough enough job yourself.

   6. Show tenants around
   Your landlord may ask you to show prospective tenants around. It is usually better to facilitate reasonable requests to ensure you maintain the relationship with your landlord, which in turn can help to smooth the path towards getting your deposit back.

   7. Keep your bank account open
   This will allow you your landlord to forward your deposit (fianza)(less any deductions for damages). Additionally, keeping your account open will enable any subsequent transactions to be processed, such as refunds from utility providers or tax authorities. Remember though to cancel any standing orders or direct debits.

   8. Re-direct your Post
   It can be useful to have your mail forwarded (reexpedir) to your new address. You can do this by paying a visit to your local post office and advising them of both your old and new addresses.

   9. Get your deposit returned
   This will usually be one month’s rent and should be held by an independent agency, sometimes the housing department of the local government (Consejeria de la Vivienda). The deposit will not be released unless both parties agree. Usefully, if there is an unreasonable delay in the landlord returning the deposit then the legal rate of interest can be applied as a penalty.

   10. Return the keys
   Don’t forget to give these back, either directly to the landlord or to the bailiff. You’re done!

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