Moving to Spain: all the nuances
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Spain is associated with a pleasant life: flamenco, jamon, palm trees, olive oil and wine. People come here for the warm sea, hot climate and relatively low prices. At the same time it is difficult to find a job here and it is very desirable to know the language. And also here it is not customary to be in a hurry, especially if you are an official. But it is customary to love everyone - and their own, and strangers.
Pros of living in Spain
Prices! In Spain, compared to other developed countries in Europe, prices are really low for everything except electricity. Although over the past 2 years, prices have increased significantly, but it is still cheaper to live here.
Attitude towards foreigners. For Spaniards you are always first of all a person, and already in the second turn - the owner of some passport.
Easy legalization. For Ukrainians at the moment the easiest way - it is a temporary protection, but there are other options: visa digital nomad or student visa, as well as residence permit without the right to work or residence permit for a business project, residence permit for "sedentary", or Golden Visa, if you invest from 500 000 euros in real estate in Spain.
Entrepreneurial opportunities. Foreign entrepreneurs have access to loan programs, incentives, subsidies and other benefits, just like nationals.
Medicine and education. These items can be a plus or a minus. Public health care is free, but it is not available to everyone and has a number of disadvantages. For example, it is very difficult to get to specialists. Public education is available to everyone without exception, even children of illegal immigrants. However, it has some disadvantages. Many complain about the quality of academic knowledge compared to Ukrainian schools, for example.
Minuses of life in Spain
Difficulty to find a job. The pay in hiring is small compared to other European countries, but unemployment is high - almost 12%. In 2024 the minimum wage in Spain is 1323 euros.
Bureaucracy. The complexity of bureaucratic procedures, their length and confusion. If you need to perform any administrative procedure or get some document - prepare for the fact that it will take you a lot of time and possibly nerves.
Renting accommodation. To find and rent housing in Spain is not an easy task, it can take months of time, especially in popular cities because of the high demand and Spanish legislation, which does not protect the rights of apartment owners - because of what they arrange a large casting of potential tenants.
Non-commitment and unpunctuality. Everything from banks to beauty salons work at their own pace and in their own mode, and not at the pace you are accustomed to exactly.
Expensive electricity. Currently, electricity bills in Spain need to pay a lot of money - more than 100 euros per megawatt per hour.
To find out how to choose a country to relocate to, read the article "How to choose a country to move to? Criteria to consider"
How to obtain Spanish citizenship
Spanish citizenship can be obtained without hindrance:
- Descendants of Spaniards (those with at least one parent who had Spanish citizenship).
- Children who were born in Spain and whose parents are unknown.
- Children adopted by Spanish citizens.
All others must follow a long path to citizenship, which consists of several stages:
- Obtaining an initial residence permit - issued for a maximum of one year.
- Obtaining a regular residence permit - issued after three years and for a maximum of three years.
- Obtaining a permanent residence permit (Permanent Residence Permit in Spain) - issued for an unlimited period of time, but every five years it must be renewed.
- Obtaining Spanish citizenship is possible only after 10 years of legal residence in the country.
How to get a residence permit and residence permit in Spain
The initial residence permit is obtained by those who "acquired" a visa category D. The grounds for its receipt can be:
- Work under an employment contract;
- Studying at a local university;
- Legal business in Spain.
A residence permit can also be obtained after three years of residence in Spain or in connection with family reunification. Also from March 2022 Ukrainians can get temporary protection, which is equivalent to a residence permit and gives all the same rights.
Permanent residence in Spain can be obtained by those who:
- During the last six years legally reside in the country
- Are the children of foreigners, but were born in Spain and lived in its territory for more than three years
- Are refugees, have lived in Spain for the last three years and have documents proving the state of emergency in their country
- Receives a pension from Spain's social funds
To obtain citizenship you need to have lived in Spain for at least 10 years and then apply to the Spanish Ministry of Justice and officially renounce your previous citizenship.
What documents are needed to obtain citizenship in Spain
The documents you need to submit with your application for Spanish citizenship are:
- Foreigner's Identification Card, Family Card of European Union Citizen or Foreigner's Certificate from the Central Registry Office;
- Passport;
- Certificate of Registration;
- Applicant's birth certificate, duly translated and certified;
- If the applicant is an adult, a certificate of no criminal record issued in the country of origin or a certificate of good behavior issued by the consular authority;
- Proof of financial means for living in Spain (this may be an employment contract, payroll records, employment report or other document confirming the availability of funds);
- Birth certificate of minor children, if any.
How to get a residence permit in Spain without a visa
Until recently, anyone could come to Spain, get any job and after three years, even despite their illegal status, to apply for a residence permit. Now the rules have been tightened. But this does not change the fact that you can get a contract job and apply for a primary residence permit.
Despite the fact that Spain has a fairly high level of unemployment, and even the Spaniards themselves can not always find decent offers, it is still possible to get a job. Especially a lot of offers in the service sector and seasonal work in agriculture or construction.
After signing a contract, it is necessary to obtain a work permit to work in Spain. After that you can count on all social benefits, like any other employee of the company.About the conditions of entry to Spain for Ukrainians read in the article "Ukrainians in Spain: everything you need to know about life in the country.
What you need to know about life in Spain
Work in Spain
As we have already mentioned above, there is a problem of unemployment in Spain. It is not easy to find a job, but as in any European country, there is a shortage of qualified professionals, so if you have a profession, you can confirm your diploma in Spain and find a high-paying job. Among the demanded professions are specialists in information technology (IT), medicine, engineering, tourism, specialists in international trade and business development and others. The average salary in Spain - 1990 euros per month.
Services for job search in Spain:
The problem of unemployment is compensated by social security in Spain. After working officially for six months or more, a citizen or resident is entitled to a payment of 50% of the salary he or she received at the last place of work. The amount of the benefit is based on the number of family members, children, hours worked and type of work - in some cases the benefit can be as high as 100% of the salary. You can receive this benefit every month for six months until a new job becomes available.
Taxes in Spain: 19% pay those whose income for the year was less than 12 450 euros, 24% - from 12 450 to 20 200 euros, 30% - up to 34 000 euros, 37% - up to 60 000 euros, 45% - over 60 000 euros. What is tax residency and in what cases it is necessary to pay taxes in a new country of residence, read in the article "Ukrainians abroad risk paying taxes twice: how to avoid it?".
Cost of living in Spain
Average prices for basic material needs:
- Dinner in a restaurant - €22
- Coffee in an establishment - €1.55
- A liter of milk - €0.92
- A dozen eggs - €1.62
- A kilogram of chicken - €5.80
- Bottle of wine - €4.50
- Transportation - €1.85
- Cab ride (one kilometer) - €1.05
- Monthly pass - €35-45
- Madrid-Barcelona high-speed train ticket - €65-128
- Rent a one-bedroom apartment (not in the center) - €500
- Utilities in a one-bedroom apartment - €120
- Mobile tariff and home internet - €35
- Trip to a movie theater - €8
- Health insurance - €50
We found out the average prices with the help of Numbeo.
Food: food in Spain is relatively inexpensive, as the country has a well-developed agricultural industry and food production. Buying groceries for two people will cost an average of 400-500 euros per month.
Public transportation: Spain has an excellent public transportation system. There are subways in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Bilbao. There are also many buses, intercity buses and high-speed trains, which makes traveling around the country quite easy and budget-friendly.
Housing: in Barcelona and Madrid renting a 1-room apartment will cost an average of 1200 euros per month, in Valencia, which according to many ratings is the best city to live in, - 900 euros, in Alicante - 700-800 euros. In villages and suburbs prices are much lower, but this option is suitable for those who have personal transportation. How to rent housing in Spain and what problems you may encounter, more details in the article "How Ukrainians live in Valencia"
Minimum prices for buying real estate in Spain:
- Apartment in Barcelona -€3160 - 5075 for 1 m²
- Apartment in Madrid - €2730 - 4280 per 1 m²
- Apartment in Valencia - €1295 - 2385 per 1 m²
- Apartment in Alicante - €1060 - 2225 per 1 m²
Medicine in Spain
Spain has high quality medicine: most of the population receives public health care (asistencia sanitaria pública).
Most medical care in Spain is free for residents with public insurance, including tests, operations of varying complexity, childbirth and more. There are discounts of up to 90% for medicines prescribed by a doctor. In state medicine there is a disadvantage in the fact that consultations with doctors-specialists can wait from several weeks to months, and the queue for operations stretches for six months or more.
Spain also has private medicine. You can take out insurance with one of the private companies and get access to doctors much faster.
Using our website, tripmydream, you can find airline tickets starting from 15 EUR. Look for the cheapest flights in the Flight Discounts section. To do this, select the departure point, and the service will find the most advantageous offers for you.
