| Moving to Spain is a topic that has been | | | | is done this way, the very next day someone will tell |
| discussed,written about and even televised to quite a | | | | you that is not right and it is actually done like this. |
| large extent now, which I am sure many of you | | | | You begin to feel that you are just being messed |
| reading this will agree. However, i feel my personal | | | | around but part of the problem lies in the fact that |
| story is quite unique in a sense that I see myself as | | | | some people here are a law on to themselves and i |
| a Spanish person who was born and raised in the UK | | | | have even experienced cases when they do not |
| until the age of 27 when i finally made up my mind | | | | even know what the laws, regulations or procedures |
| and decided to move to Malaga. | | | | are themselves, but still happily make out that they |
| My parents from Galicia were essentially amongst the | | | | do. |
| first wave of Spanish, Italian & Portuguese people | | | | Ultimately, i had to end up getting a gestoria who |
| that emigrated to the UK in search of a better life | | | | specialised in registering foreign plated vehicles to sort |
| which in turn has made me part of a first generation | | | | the paperwork out for me as i just did not have the |
| of people that were born and raised in the UK but | | | | time or any patience left in going up and down |
| lived within an entirely Spanish home and community. | | | | constantly and wasting hours and hours of my time, |
| Since my teens, i always had dreams of moving to | | | | and remember, this is all while i could completely |
| Spain and I have always felt a very special | | | | understand everything that was being said to me and |
| connection with the country and in particular Galicia | | | | requested from me. |
| where my roots lie. I was lucky enough to travel | | | | You do of course have to pay for their services but |
| back to Galicia from a very early age and sometimes | | | | a gestoria is an official body who have members of |
| up to 3 times a year, each year up until the age of | | | | their team that can get things done very quickly and |
| around 17. | | | | that do not have to wait in the mayhem of queues |
| The reason I chose Malaga over somewhere in Galicia | | | | at the department of traffic. They will also take all |
| in the northwest corner of the peninsula was partly | | | | the details they require from you just once on that |
| due to the fact of wanting to live in an area of the | | | | day and organise everything else for you. |
| country where the climate was warmer and where a | | | | If you do plan to import a UK registered car into |
| summer season was always guaranteed, and partly | | | | Spain remember that you do not have to pay import |
| due to the fact that both my partner and I believed | | | | tax if you are a property owner and resident in Spain |
| it would be easier to find work and that the type of | | | | and the car in question has been registered in your |
| jobs we were looking for would pay much better | | | | name at least 6 months prior to buying a property. |
| here as opposed to the north. | | | | You must also apply for registration within 30 days |
| My partner only spoke English so again we felt that | | | | of declaring yourself as a resident at your local town |
| Malaga would be able to offer her more opportunities | | | | hall known as empadronamiento, Otherwise you will |
| due to the number of expats already living here and | | | | be required to pay the import tax which is 7% of |
| the various international companies that are either | | | | the estimated value of the car for engines up to |
| based here or have offices in Malaga. | | | | 2000cc and 12% of the estimated value for engines |
| After having now lived in Malaga in southern Spain for | | | | over 2000cc. |
| a number of years I have an interesting outlook on | | | | This experience is just one example, buying a |
| not just how i see myself but also on what it is like | | | | property on the other hand brought with it many |
| to actually live in Spain as a fluent Spanish speaker | | | | different scenarios and situations including a lawyers |
| and as someone who was brought up by a Spanish | | | | negligence on property transfer tax that I am still |
| family in the UK but never actually lived in Spain until | | | | fighting today, attempting to get a phone line |
| now. | | | | installed, getting the electricity connected, organising |
| As Spanish as i am, i feel completely English at times | | | | repairs on a new build property etc, etc. None of this |
| simply due to the fact that i lived and learned the | | | | has been straightforward and I speak Spanish |
| English way of life which makes perfect sense. Yes, | | | | perfectly! |
| it is true that my home was completely Spanish and | | | | The moral of the story is that if you are living in |
| that my first language was essentially Spanish until | | | | Spain and struggle with the language and |
| the age of 4 when i begun primary school. Also, the | | | | communicating with people the way you would like to |
| gatherings we had for parties, religious festivals etc | | | | in situations such as those mentioned above then I |
| was mainly within a Spanish community in the UK. | | | | hope you can at least have some peace of mind that |
| However, I now know that this can not be | | | | even if you did talk the language you would still |
| compared to actually living in Spain and dealing with | | | | struggle such as i do to actually get things done. |
| the day to day life over here. The difference is that | | | | You can not substitute being able to speak the |
| in the UK i knew all the Spanish people there who | | | | language but moving to Spain and settling here has |
| were connected either through family or friends and | | | | been harder than i imagined and i think you need to |
| the people of my parents generation created this | | | | be very brave to do it without understanding the |
| kind of special expat community if you like. | | | | language at all. From my perspective I also now see |
| Everybody knows about the Spanish 'red tape' and | | | | a significant difference between northern Spain and |
| how confusing or frustrating it can be to organise or | | | | southern Spain that I was not aware of previously |
| get the simplest of things sorted over here. Let me | | | | and to be honest they both have their pros and |
| tell you, it gets no easier even if you speak the | | | | cons. |
| language fluently. Of course it is better to be able to | | | | Nevertheless, I would never regret making the move |
| communicate in Spanish but by no means does this | | | | and I feel very privileged to live & work in such a |
| mean that it will make the process any easier or | | | | wonderful part of the world. It is all too easy to think |
| speed things along in any way. | | | | none of these problems are experienced in the UK, |
| An example of this is when i decided to begin the | | | | but they are, and I constantly have friends and |
| process for registering my UK plated vehicle in Spain | | | | family in the UK reminding me of that. |
| to obtain Spanish number plates. After obtaining | | | | I think the solution is to try and integrate with |
| information from the Internet and department of | | | | society and just accept that the people here have a |
| traffic in Malaga i had a good understanding of what i | | | | different mentality than in the UK. Part of me still |
| needed to do. Getting it done however is a | | | | thinks they have got it right, after all, one of the |
| completely different ball game. There is a multitude | | | | things that drew me to Spain was the laid back way |
| of documents that you have to present, get officially | | | | of life and the mañana attitude that it is renowned |
| translated, paperwork to fill in and present in | | | | for! |
| different places as well as vehicle engineer reports to | | | | The author of this article is Roberto Rodriguez who |
| obtain. | | | | has lived in Spain for a number of years. He works |
| It is not so much a case of the quantity of things | | | | for Plus Four SL who specialise in writing airport |
| you must do. The problem is when you try and get | | | | guides including Malaga Airport. |
| things done because one day someone will tell you it | | | | |