Residential Information

1.Banking
To enable you to transfer for funds for your purchase, and subsequently to pay your bills by standing order, you will require an account here in Spain. Banking in Spain is more relaxed than the U.K. so please allow plenty of time for the transfer of your funds to take place, at least 7 working days. Most banks here on the Costa del Sol have staff that speak English but we have found Sol Bank in Arroyo de la Miel to be particularly helpful.

2. Health Care
The National Health Service in Spain is excellent. If you are here as a non resident then you will be able to receive medical treatment free of charge provided that you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) issude by the U.K. Government. The E111 form is no longer valid so you will need this card to receive necessary healthcare during a visit to an European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland. More information at http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAdviceForTravellers/fs/en There are alternatively a number of private care options which we can recommend.

3. Moving
As both the U.K. and Spain are Members of the European Union, there are now few restrictions on what you are able to bring into Spain. There are several local companies who are known to us, who specialise in moves from The U.K. to Spain. Should you require any assistance please let us know.

4. Mortgages
Mortgages are readily available through Spanish Banks at very favorable rates at this time, providing you have the necessary proof of income. We can introduce you to several banks that we work with in this area. Under certain circumstances, a few financial institutions have been able to offer 50% non-status (no questions asked) mortgages at very competitive rates, however the granting of these mortgages has become more scarce of late. We can introduce our clients to several Spanish banks here in Spain, whom we have very close working relationships with.

5. Other Services
In addition to property sales and purchase, we are also able to offer the following services:

-Household & motor insurance

-Application for or transfer of telephone connection

-Application or transfer of Sevillana connection(Electricity supply)

-Application or transfer of water supply

-Apartment letting and property management services

6. N.I.E. (Foreigner’s Identification Number)
This is the number that identifies you as a foreigner in Spain, whether you are a resident or non-resident. You will need it if you intend to open a bank account, own a property, intend to buy a car in fact anything that involves money. The application is simple and made at the local police station.

7. Taxes
Property taxes are payable annually, and we would recommend that you appoint a recognized Assessor (Accountant) to prepare and submit the forms on your behalf. Apart from the local Town Hall rates(IBI) and rubbish collection charges (basura there are 2 further property taxes.

Rental Tax - If you live here permanently or only own one taxable item this tax does not apply to you. The tax is set at 0.5% of the rateable value of your property.

Patrimonio (Wealth Tax) - If you live here permanently and your property is worth less than 102,000 Euros there is nothing to pay. Above this figure a tax of 0.2% is levied on the entire value of the property. For non-resident homeowners the 0.02% tax is levied regardless of the value.

There are no other property taxes but you will of course be required to fill in a tax return each year if you are a resident. Your accountant will be able to assist you with this.

8. Education
The standard of education in Spain is excellent. There are 2 options open :

i) To attend a Spanish school where the standard Spanish curriculum is taught. This will give your children an excellent opportunity to pick up on the Spanish way of life and language very quickly.

ii) Private Schools - There are a number of private international schools here on the coast where the syllabus follows the English school curriculum, to GCSE and A LEVEL examinations. These are all fee paying. We can discuss these options with you personally while you are here.

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