The driving force of your expatriation in Spain

What was the main factor that led you to choose Spain as your new home?

Well, for us, it wasn't about sun, sea, and sand. Or the siestas and slower pace of Spanish life. It was entirely about the special case of Spanish citizenship by residence, of only 2 years for Ibero-American citizens. My partner, who is from Brazil, was so excited when she read that... she started bugging me every single day until I agreed to look at getting us relocated to Spain! (We were previously in Bulgaria and Cyprus.)

What were the other criteria that made Spain your preferred destination?

Relocating just for a passport is a bit of a pain in the backside. So it wouldn't be possible unless there were nice properties available at a decent rental/sales price. There are expensive parts of Spain, of course, but there are still places which are quite surprisingly affordable.

We were very lucky that on one my Ebay explorations, someone was selling off their unwanted Spanish apartment. It was a bit of an adventure, as they had old photos, no keys, and couldn't come back to Spain to show it. It was one of those Ebay "take it or leave it" type deals! We were pretty nervous, but the price was very tempting... so we took it.

Turned out (fortunately), that it was a great decision. It needed a complete renovation, but it had "good bones". And it was large, and in a very nice, upscale location. It's in the historic city of Elche, on the Costa Blanca, just minutes from Alicante city and the Alicante-Elche Airport. There are some nice beaches nearby at Arenals del Sol, Santa Pola, and La Marina. Elche is known for its UNESCO-listed palm groves, and our apartment has a nice balcony where we can sit with our morning coffee, while looking out over one. And it's just a few minutes from the Rio Vinalopo (and the walking trail) that goes through the city.

Are you satisfied with your choice? Please, tell us why.

My partner hasn't got her passport yet, but we got our residence permits, no problem, and she signed up for a law degree. She recently submitted her citizenship application with all required proofs, so we are just waiting for it to be processed. The flat, after renovation, is delightful... we're both very pleased with it. We did a great job. :-) We even threw our spare bedroom up on Airbnb for a bit of extra cash! (I was a Superhost, until Covid torpedoed our hospitality sideline.) And while we knew Alicante, we had no idea what to expect from Elche. But it's really a lovely, traditional Spanish city, with lots of well-preserved historic buildings. The Municipal Gardens and the riverside trail are excellent, and I walk there every morning. Overall, Spain, Elche, and the apartment have all turned out far better than we expected, and we really enjoy spending time here.

Did you have any other good surprises when you arrived or any disappointments?

Elche is not a big draw for tourists or expats. But it's great! We quite like that it's more traditional, and mostly Spanish. Good for practicing my Spanish. And the prices, for food and IBI (property tax), seem to be lower. But the Elche beaches are not far away, so we can still go there for a morning walk, or spend a day out. The airport is very convenient, so it's very good from a travel perspective back to Bulgaria or UK.

No disappointments really. It's been a great experience. I can carp that Alicante's in summer is like an oven, so I definitely try to avoid it. But many people enjoy that. And while the Ibero-American exception allows for dual citizenship, it's not an option for us Brits. So if I want an EU passport, I'm gonna have to keep up my Cyprus residence and get it there.

Have your priorities changed in the current period? If so, did this play a role in your choice of destination or in the reconsideration of your whole expatriation project?

The Covid period? Well, travel is a pain. Hospitality is a pain. And lockdowns were unpredictable, so she was caught in Spain, and I was caught in Bulgaria. However, overall, the Spanish expatriation project was very successful. It will continue. Two thumbs up from me! And two thumbs way, way up from her! :-)

I came from Holland to Spain 25 years ago for two months and I stayed. Nicer people, much better food and weather. Not too expensive. I went to law university here. Spain is a place where you can find the right balance between work and family.

ThankYou for your very positive message. Gives us confidence for our proposed relocation later this year! Finding the Galician people so very warm and welcoming on our visits.

We spent 6 weeks in Torrevieja and loved it so we are now checking into the requirements for a NLV and Spanish health insurance.  We will be contacting the Spanish Consulate in Miami Florida

I am afraid that I must answer this truthfully no matter how unsavoury the answer is, but I have since left, I had lived in Catalonia for 6 years, I found the place hostile towards foreigners and very racist. Evidently I made a few wonderful friends there whom I still have contact with but after coming from London I found the level of hatred including towards the Spanish shocking.
I moved down to Seville and stayed there for around 4 years, had I stayed in the town centre I probably would have stayed, and not been traumatised by what I had witnessed, which was incredible abuse to animals, including the hanging on Galgos (Spanish hunting dogs)
Happily I no longer live in Spain but in Portugal which is a much more encompassing and peaceful environment, of course animal abuse happens everywhere but here it seems to stem more from ignorance than wilful cruelty.
What I saw down south in Spain will stay with me forever, I suggest doing your research thoroughly before making the move.
I feel that I have to answer this honestly to stop anyone else going through the misery we went through

Hello RD49,
    We are in process with the NLV now & wish to share what we are learning. 1st, I haven't been able to get the Miami Consulate to answer any phone calls or email messages yet....months. I read in expat posting that this is commonplace, if daunting.
    Concerned, esp in this chaotic time, we hired a Spanish immigration lawyer yesterday to see things through. The news I got this morning was that processing now takes 2-5 (5?!) months because of high demand overload.
    I am wondering if getting Apostille, translation & more completed here first will help expedite the process. Hoping to submit all applications this week. There is always hope....& tracking, right? We all must persevere &
Good luck!
BM

Galicia and the people are very nice but the Mediterranean has better weather.

You must tell the Police about that dog killing. You make it look like a normal practice and it is not like that. Most Spaniards have pets and they love them.

The weather will suit us in Galicia it's probably better or similar to what we are used to in sw France...having just visited we were surprised to see plants, trees and shrubs much further advanced..

We have 2 rescue Spanish Galgos...from the wonderful Galgos Del Sol......and we know only too well the plight of these lovely dogs in Spain.GDS are doing much great work raising awareness....we are hoping that we will be able to help in some small way when we move to Spain.

Rubencito, What I say is 100% true,  the hanging of Galgos is one of the best kept secrets in Spain, certainly in Andalusia, evidently not in places where there are tourists, please google it, when you have bullfighting as a national sport then cruelty should come as no surprise.
These dogs are used for gambling ie.....racing and at the end of each season are discarded if they have not brought in money. either by hanging, abandonment or other atrocities, while there I would rescue and foster as many hunting dogs as I could. Each hunter will have at least 2 to 25 galgos none which have been sterilised, so do the maths,
Believe me I wish this was I lie, I sold my house at half price just to get the hell out, I was lucky to get away with my life, so do not tell me this is not true....
I am assuming you are Spanish so there is no way that you would not know about it, I have it documented, I went to the Town Hall, I went to the Police, the place I lived is Viso del Alcor, 22 kilometres outside Seville.
I was very lucky indeed to escape with my life, it took me years to get over the horrors I saw and heard first hand. I made it my mission to tell the world what goes on there.
Sure there are people that have pets, but let me assure you that what I saw is something that is an everyday occurrence, and decent people that lived there were afraid to speak out, racing is gambling, which means big money, hence mafia.

I became a Spanish citizen a few years ago after regularly visiting. I have yet to make the full time move to Barcelona, which I love. But I do spend 3-6 months a year there, and the rest at my home in NYC.
What started my journey to Spain, was learning Spanish, and having a good friend there.
Visiting often I fell in love with the city, which is far calmer than where I'm from, yet has culture and cuisine equal to it. I find the quality of life in Barcelona far superior to NY, and the pace is more tranquil. The metro and airport make it easy to travel around and in and out of.
The proximity of the beaches, especially the nice ones outside the city on the Costa Brava are a joy, as are the many villages nearby. There are many wonderful day trips to be had.

What was surprising was how passionate Catalonians are about their wonderful culture which does not mean they all want to separate from Spain. I was there for all the demonstrations and am so impressed how engaged politically people are, unlike the US , for the most part.
Also, their health care system is so much better and equitable than that of the US. I wound up in the ER one night, and had great care at a fraction of what it would've cost in NY.

It has taken me a while to adapt to the cuisine, especially much of the focus on meat eating, tho fish is just as popular. I'm a lover of spicy food, which is not so much a part of Spanish cooking.

I have made many  wonderful friendships, which keeps me coming back,  but as a single older man it can also be lonely. Spaniards are mostly quite friendly, but there remains some resentment of outsiders at times. the best thing about Barcelona is it's an international city, so you meet many other mostly Europeans.
The biggest surprise has been discovering how low salaries are and how high taxes are.
While I'm a citizen, I'm not a resident. Taxes have a big part to do with that, but more so my commitment to living in Spain full time, taking the plunge. The pandemic has delayed my decision as I have had an 18 month hiatus, but so happy to be back.

Thk you for yr genuine story B.

I am also in the  autumn of my life (if I may say so) and will move to Spain with my wife  from The Netherlands within  4-5 months. I like in the first place the  Mediterranean Sea climate with the so much warmer and sunnier winters than in Holland, Then the way people live, so much out doors which is more normal in warmer climates. One of my hobbies is cooking what the best cultures can offer me. The Asian cultures and their spicy food is one of my favorites.

Spanish is what I am learning now, while my wife speaks the language  fluently already.  Spanish, as for some unknown reason ( never asked her, I remember now) she studied at the university being then  a blond very Dutch young girl. I studied biophysics and then psychology (I know a strange combination) for my (then unknown to me) philosophical curiosity in what the structure and then the meaning of life could possibly be. An ongoing journey to reveal that indeed all life is a journey too with a not so much hidden purpose.

We hope for and actually also expect to find and make friends to share the good things in life. The house  we will choose  will be between Tarragona city and Girona, preferably not more than 30 minutes from Barcelona, and 30 minutes from the beach or less
Who knows who  we will meet.

Kyrill