Do you keep getting different answers online to your questions about moving to Spain? Skatz, Walter Ego and Angry Tommy tell you why everyone’s situation is so unique and what to do about it.

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For the conversational facts, carry on reading…

Skatz: Do you keep getting different answers when you ask questions online about moving to Spain?

Walter: Yes

Tommy: No!

S: Why is that and what can you do about it?

W: I don’t know!

T: Use yer noggin!

S: Stick around and you’ll find out. Let’s make your Spanish dreams come true.

W: I dream about a Facebook without trolls.

T: Snowflake!

S: That’s Walter & Tommy, they’re going to help me find the answers…

W: Am I?

T: Who says I am?

S: …in their own special way. Ask me a question Walter.

W: Can I work in Spain?

S: It depends.

T: On what?

S: First of all, it depends on which passport you have.

W: UK

T: British!

S: They’re both the same.

W: So can we both work then?

S: It depends.

T: On what?

S: Whether you got residency after Brexit or before Brexit under the Withdrawal Agreement.

W: I got mine after Brexit.

T: Me too. So can we both work?

S: It depends.

T: Onnnn whaaaaat?!

S: On what kind of visa you have.

W: I got a Non Lucrative Visa.

T: I got a self-employment visa. I am my own boss!

S: Then Walter, you’re not allowed to work, and Tommy, you are. 

W: So I can never work again?

S: It depends…

T: Onnnnn…

S: …on how long you stay on the Non Lucrative Visa, how long you leave Spain for each year or over a 5 year period of temporary residency, whether you get a job offer and successfully apply to switch to a working visa or do a strong business plan and switch to a self-employment visa, how much money you have…

W: Hang on, you’re going too fast, I’m trying to write it all down!

T: You’re giving me an headache! Why isn’t there just one answer?

S: Wellllll, it dep….

T: Stop saying it depends!!!

S: I can’t help it.

W: Why not?

S: Because you haven’t asked the right questions.

W: How do I know what questions to ask?

S: Ah, now that’s the right question.

T: What’s the answer? And don’t say it depends.

S: I’m not going to. The answer is, ask someone who knows what they’re talking about.

W: What, like someone on Facebook who’s moved to Spain and is in the same situation?

S: Possibly, but you might still get a whole load of different answers, even from people in situations that seem to be the same as yours.

T: Why aren’t they the same?

S: Because it only takes one subtle difference to make the answer a bit wrong for you.

W: Like what?

S: Well, you might be in a different autonomous region, a different province or even a different village and you might be dealing with different officials on different days, or the rules might have changed recently. For example, getting your first Padron Certificate in one Town Hall might just take a few minutes but in the next village it might take a month, and the paperwork they need could be quite different. 

T: So don’t bother with Facebook then!

S: It depends which Facebook group you use. Some of them have qualified experts and members who know how to say ‘It Depends’ and they ask you the right questions, but even then you should still double check with official government sources.

T: Why not just do that in the first place?!

S: Because the best and most complete government websites have mountains of rules and regulations to cover all of the ‘It Depends’ questions, and you have to wade through all of that information to find the rules that apply to you. And unless you’re the sort of person who’s very good at understanding the language that’s used in legal documents, and you can manage to stay awake while picking out the right information, some of which you might not even know applies to you until you’ve read all of the small print, then you’re going to find it quite difficult.

T: So you need a lawyer!!

S: That sounds logical, but some lawyers are better than others, and they tend to charge you in advance, and there’s no guarantee they have experience with cases like yours or that they’ve waded through all of the laws themselves and asked you the right follow up questions in response to yours, and also they might not be able to help you with other related aspects of moving to Spain.

W: It’s all so complicated, what do we do?

S: Well, it depends…

T: Stop saying it depends!!!!

S: Sorry, couldn’t resist that time. Here’s what I suggest you do.

T: How do we know you’ve got the answers?

S: Let me finish. For a start, I’m not a qualified lawyer or accountant or visa specialist, and even if I was one or all of those things, I wouldn’t necessarily have all of the answers…

T: Uuugh!

S:… but, I do listen to qualified people, and specialists with decades of experience, and I’m learning to ask the right follow up questions, and I write them down so that you two can ask them in these videos, and most importantly of all, I’m prepared to accept when I’m wrong about something when new information appears that’s backed by official sources.

W: So we should ask you?

S: Well not necessarily me, I mean I have got lots of very helpful videos and blogs on the YouTube channel and here on the website which are based on official sources and they’re a very useful place to get an understanding of what you need, but what I’m saying is you should definitely find people and companies that have a similar attitude, as well as a willingness to help, plenty of recommendations, lots of experience or qualifications in dealing with similar circumstances, preferably someone who is in the same region as you’re planning to move to and knows the local rules or has representatives in that area.

W: My friend Barry did it all himself.

S: That’s great! Some people are very good at it, or they get lucky and ask the right questions at the right time or they have a fairly straightforward application and the official at the appointment is feeling helpful. Either way, they’ll probably have spent time maybe watching YouTooSpain videos, asking questions online and visiting official sites and making notes, it takes time to research and plan moving to a different country with different rules and regulations and a different language.

W: You’ve been very helpful, Skatz.

S: I do my best, and hopefully now you know the right questions to ask, so post your questions in the comments on the videos so everyone can benefit from the answers.

W: And should we subscribe?

S: Yes, on YouTube and to the monthly newsletter on here.

T: Oiii! You’ve done a lot more talking than usual!

S: I have yeah. There was a lot to say. Are you going to take my advice.

T: Well, it depends!!!

S: Very funny Tommy, smartarse!

T: It takes one to know one!

S: You’ve got me there. You still love me though, don’t you Walter?

W: It depends!

S: Don’t you start

W: Ask me the right question then.

S: Alright, what does it depend on, Walter?

W: It depends on whether or not you do the hippie dance.

T: Don’t you dare!

S: One day you’ll do it too, Tommy, you mark my words.

T: Aaargh!

S: Anything else to add?

T: Wanna buy a motor?

S: Er, no. Peace & Love.

W: Peas & fluff.

T: Oiiiiiii!!!

W: See you in the next article.

S: Let’s dance!

Article by Skatz, Walter Ego and Tommy