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Spain: Moving to Spain:
Dhw, that is excellent advice. I had friends there who helped shepherd me through the process, but I also ended up making three trips to the consulate in Miami to get my visado nonlucrativo. I'd be happy to answer questions, too.
Spain: A Year in Spain:
Hi, your best option would be for a "visado nonlucrativo" or non-lucrative visa. I suggest that you start on this page: http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/SANFRANCISCO/en/Pages/PasoaPaso.aspx
There is a step-by-step process that you can follow. Please note that this is the San Francisco website, but you MUST visit the consulate that applies to your region. For example, I live in Atlanta and I had to go to Miami for the consulate there.
I lived in Spain for two years on a non-lucrative visa while I worked in the US with an online job and lived in Spain. It's very do-able and I found it a great experience... so great, in fact, that I am making plans to go back and do it again! Let me know if you want more info through a private message.
Best,
Christopher
Spain: Visa type for property buyer:
Hi, Denise,
I live in the Atlanta area, too. I can give you the rundown on getting a non-lucrative visa. Please private message me if you want to discuss.
Kind regards,
Christopher
Spain: Appropriate dress in Barcelona:
Hi - the rule of thumb that I always use in Spain is "casual but not sloppy," That seems to be pretty much the standard in most Spanish cities. Also, Barcelona is a pretty cosmopolitan city and has a wide tolerance for the offbeat and different. I do not think you will have any problems figuring out what to wear and being comfortable.
Best,
Christopher
Spain: Visa necessary for short stay?:
No, you can stay in Spain for up to 90 days without any additional paperwork. Staying longer, or choosing to live there permanently, will require a residency visa, but you can worry about that later when you get back to the US. As far as income goes, that certainly sounds like enough money to live in most cities in Spain. It is not a very expensive country to live in at all! Good luck! -Christopher
Spain: Setting up utilities non EU:
Hi, epilot, I think you will find that setting up utilities is a pretty simple process, but you MUST have a bank account in Spain to do it as well as an NIE (if you need more info on this, please ask!). When I was in Valencia, the two places that I rented required me to give them my bank account number for utilities, which were kept in the landlord's name(s). Utilities were typically pulled directly out of your bank account... which is why you need the account.
As noted by anlgza, this is not a bad thing but one caution: make sure you check the POTENCIA for your power service. This is the overall KW amount of possible power assigned to your apartment, and while it is normally not a big deal, you pay higher per KW/hr for a higher potencia. You may not know the amount until your first utility bill, which is every other month. I found this out the hard way, when my first bill was 300EUR because my potencia was set for what was probably a restaurant. It took some time to resolve that, but once it was done, my power bill went down to 90EUR for two months.
Another component is the TV/Internet/Phone/cellphone. I used Movistar, and for ~100EUR/mo I got TV with a whole bunch of channels (which I rarely watched), fiber internet (good point from anlgza on this!), a home phone, and cellphone service with 3Gb of data usage. Here in the States, I am paying the same amount for just one cellphone service and none of the other services. This will also come automatically out of your bank account. One thing I really liked about Movistar is that they have a team of customer service reps who speak English, and not all of the companies do. While I can hold my own in a phone conversation in Spanish, it was much easier when I transferred my services from one apartment to another, and was able to keep my fiber service in my new location (which was, incidentally, in a very old building off of C/de Jesús)!
Please continue to ask questions if you need more information.
Kind regards, Christopher
Spain: Health Insurance Poviders:
Hi, there, and congrats on heading toward a new adventure in your lives! I recently lived in Valencia for two years, and originally had the only viable insurance that was offered internationally, which was Cigna, and it was for catastrophic insurance only.
I was able to get Sanitas insurance, total coverage, including dental and vision, and it cost me about $100/month. Their service was great, and doctor visits were covered at 100%. Every person is different, so this may be a different price for you, but I was very pleased with the experience.
I also investigated Adeslas, which is owned by the bank La Caixa. I was not pleased with their offerings and price, and only used their dental insurance for about three months before switching to Sanitas.
Good luck with your research, and let me know if you have questions!
Best,
Christopher
Spain: Help please:
Dialects in every region other than Madrid can make communication difficult. In Valencia, there is Valenciano, in Barcelona, Catalan, and in other regions there are other dialects. In Murcia, the lack of the ending of pretty much any word takes a bit of getting used to. As far as the cheapness of the area, that also depends on what services you need, such as hospitals, work environments, public and national transportation, and restaurants. Most areas have a wide variety of living expenses, so you will probably be able to find something within your price range! Best, Christopher
Spain: Moving to Spain's Coast:
You MUST start the process for residency within the US at the consulate that serves your state (http://www.immihelp.com/visas/schengenvisa/spanish-consulates-usa.html). You MUST make an appointment to submit any paperwork... So, to answer your questions:
-Residency must be started in the US. Spain does not make it easy to submit for residency while in Spain.
-When you have to move depends on your visa. You have a 90-day visa in your passport, but after 90 days you would have to leave. In order to work here, you must have a work-related visa.
-The permanent residency process takes about six weeks to three months for approval.
-Of course you can look for work, but you may not be hired until you have a more standard residency visa and authority to work.
To be honest, the number of British teachers providing English lessons here in Spain may make it difficult for an American trying to provide English, but I have friends who are successful at it. Unless you work at a school or academy, the pay is very low, but in the larger cities there may be many opportunities to teach English.
Good luck!
Spain: Do I need a visa?:
Hi, BCNResident. To be clear, the NIE is NOT residency. Your US passport allows you access to the EU for three consecutive months, but you will need to pursue a visa to stay longer. Hopefully, you live near a consulate and can get all of the paperwork together so you can legally apply for residence. If you are not going to be working in Spain, you can apply for a non-lucrative visa, which will give you temporary authorization for one year. The NIE is really a Spanish identification number that allows the country to add you to local registers when you live in an area. This is NOT the same as the EU Citizen card that your spouse carries, which allows access to any EU country for an indefinite period of time for any reason. Please feel free to send me a private message if you want to discuss that further. Kind regards, C
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