A guide for foreigners on every aspect of safe property ownership in Spain
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Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. It’s almost a national institution. The chiringuito, or Spanish beach bar, can really make your holiday that extra bit special. Equipped with young, energetic individuals, music into the night and the cocktails and spirits to match, they are a key feature of most beaches in Spain. […]
Read moreLast updated on February 28th, 2020 at 11:36 am. As in other countries, you can expect to be fined in Spain for a number of infractions of the traffic code. Speeding, parking where you shouldn’t, not having the right paper work in the car, all carry traffic fines in Spain – some substantial. An unusual […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. During March we welcomed people into our offices to answer their questions about tax and legal matters. However, we know that not everyone can make it to Torrevieja or Alicante. That’s why we’ve been running our ‘Tax, tea and travel’ roadshow. We started off by visiting […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. It remains a strange feature of the expat phenomenon that many of the expats who live in Spain know more about what is happening in the country they’ve left behind than the one they live in. Expat radio shows, access to the home country’s TV stations […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. Spain is renowned for its collection of unique, rich, varied and perhaps rather bizarre festivals. Las Fallas has to rank high on the list of those internationally acclaimed opportunities to make lots of noise and party. In 2014 Las Fallas took place in Valencia from March […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. Ábaco is in the middle of a roadshow of events. We’ve packed our bags and instead of answering your queries on the phone, by internet or in our offices, we’re coming out to you. So far we have been to Algorfa and our next location is […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. It is rather an unusual combination. Tax, tea and travel aren’t often found together. But there is some logic behind us combining such an odd trio. It’s the run up to the resident tax declaration deadline (June 30th). We are aware that many people living in […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. There is perhaps an assumption amongst my generation that buying a piece of freehold, be it land or property, is a good investment. We were encouraged to buy our own home as soon as we could. Mortgages were easily available and it was part of the […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. The recession has hit the vulnerable hard. Those already on the bread line have few resources to fall back on when times become even more difficult. It can be easy to block out the hardship experienced by some of the people in our community. It’s just […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. The economic crisis in Spain is hitting the most vulnerable hard. The unemployed, seasonal workers and the low-paid have children. Through periods of hardship, such as we are experiencing in Spain, they suffer too. We can all feel sympathy for those caught up in austerity. We […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. When you use the word ‘certificate’ it usually conjures up images of celebration, graduation and prize givings. Some of us have studied long and hard to amass a collection of these things. Sometimes wondering what the point was after all! When it comes to the residency […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. How valuable is a family holiday? Time away from the day-to-day grind continues to be a must for many. It represents opportunity to talk to each other without the usual interruptions of work and household routines getting in the way. Two weeks away in the sun […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. We are all unique, of course. The reasons why people emigrate to another country are various and can be complicated to unravel. What were the strongest pulls to move to Spain for you? Was it the weather, the lifestyle, the culture? Was it the need to […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. It’s the end of the February, half term holiday for most children from the UK. The aeroplanes in the Spanish airports will be full and the journey will be ‘lively’. Most will be sad to leave Spain. Hopefully they have had a few pleasant days away […]
Read moreLast updated on June 5th, 2020 at 06:38 pm. You may have already received a communication about SEPA in Spain. SEPA stands for the Single Euro Payments Area. It is an initiative introduced by the EU governments, the European Commission and the European Central Bank to create an integrated payments market across Europe. It is […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. Signs around every town centre in Spain will point you in the direction of the ‘Ayuntamiento’. They are directing you towards one of the most important buildings in the area – the town hall. As you would expect, the Town Hall is the official base for […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. Do you use Facebook? It has crept, or perhaps leapt, into our lives at a startling rate and there are now few people who do not have an account. If you live in Spain or know someone who does, it has the attraction of being an […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. January is a pretty grim month. It’s cold, Christmas and the New Year celebrations are over and most people are out of money. Some people seem to save enough to make the January sales worth a visit, for the majority, it’s batten down the hatches […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. The use of the word ‘embargo’ in Spain is a lot more widespread than it is in many other countries. Whereas it’s often associated with a ban on trade between different countries, in Spain it can refer to an action taken against your property or Spanish […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. Most travel guides and tourist handbooks introduce you to the main attractions of Spain. Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and Granada are covered in depth. They are fascinating places to visit and you could spend weeks exploring them. However, it would be unfair to neglect some of the […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. Waiting at the airport to greet someone you care about is a wonderful feeling. On Sunday 22nd, it was our turn. My daughter and boyfriend were flying in from Stansted and we took our usual position at the barrier. As the flight was delayed, we had […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. I am writing this blog post at Christmas time when the heat is up, at least in terms of present-buying in bulk. However, present-buying headaches for relatives abroad can happen at any time of the year. There are perhaps two issues for the resident wanting to […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. Wherever you live in the world, it is likely you have heard of the Alhambra in Granada. The only Muslim palace to survive from the Middle Ages, it was originally Al Qal’a al-Hamra which means ‘the red fort’ hardly an inspiring description for such an amazing […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. Most people have heard of Gaudi. It’s one of those names, like Picasso or Dali, that if you know nothing about art or architecture you still have a chance of recognising. If you are visiting Barcelona, there is no doubt that you should pencil into your […]
Read moreLast updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. How are you at book-keeping? People might fall into three book-keeping categories following a request for an invoice: Category 1 answer: ‘Here is the invoice for the 31st December 2010’ Category 2 answer: ‘I had an invoice somewhere for that’ Category 3 answer: ‘What’s an invoice?’ […]
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