Learn Spanish, you and your children
should be learning Spanish as soon as possible too. Moving
to a new country, changing schools and making new friends
will be hard enough for them as it is.
Choose an area to live in. You may want to move to
somewhere where you will be able to speak English if
you have to - if that is the case, choose somewhere near
the coast, or near a major inland tourist area such as
Antequera. It can be more interesting to live somewhere
more typically Spanish though - you need to research
as much as you can.
Save money. Living inland you will
need at least 700 euros a month to live on (in those
cities you may need more), as long as you don't mind
living in a cheap rented apartment initially. You may
not find a job quickly, or your job offer may fall through,
so take at least 3 months worth of money with you.
If you own your house, decide whether you want to sell
it and live on the capital for a while, or if you want
to rent it out while you decide what to do. The latter
option is generally the safest, but either way, you should
talk to some local estate agents and start to make arrangements.
Plan your move. If you have children, then summer is
a good time to move to Spain as most schools will not
accept new pupils mid-year. In fact you may want to move
in May/June, so that you have the best chance of securing
a place in the school of your choice for the following
September. If you are planning to find a long-term rental
property, then book 2 or 3 weeks in a hotel or apartment/villa
either a month before your proposed moving date or immediately
prior to it. You are unlikely to be able to organise
anything any further ahead than that as properties tend
to be rented out quickly in Spain.
Check whether your bank will allow you to keep your
accounts once you live in Spain. If your bank does not
allow it, move your account to one that does.
2 months before you go
Start to sort your belongings and sell or give away
anything you do not want to keep. This always takes
longer than you think it will!
If you are taking your car, get it MOT'd and check whether
your insurance covers driving in Spain
Find an international removals company and buy some boxes
(it is not worth trying to save money on boxes - you want
the double thickness international freight ones).
1 month before you go
If you are British, then get form E111 from the Post
Office,fill it in and get it stamped.
Fill in form P85 and take it to your nearest tax office
or your employer. Unless you are moving to Spain in April,
you should have a tax rebate to collect (since you can
claim your full year's tax allowance)
Go to your bank and fill in a "Not ordinarily resident" form
so that you will not pay tax on your savings - make sure
you give them your new address.
