Spain Explained

Last 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 […]

Last updated on October 28th, 2019 at 05:07 pm. It is perhaps an unusual combination, but we know that talking tax isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Talking tax and travel in our offices During the month of March we are inviting people into our offices to find out more about resident taxes. To make it […]

Last 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 […]

Last 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 […]

Last 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 […]

Last updated on May 9th, 2020 at 04:11 pm. Would you do a good deed if you didn’t anticipate a reward of some kind from it? The concept of the random act of kindness has taken root. In case you haven’t heard of this, there is even a website dedicated to it: http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/ Wikipedia describe […]

Last 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 […]

Last 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 […]

Last 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 […]

Last 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 […]

Last updated on May 30th, 2025 at 10:13 am. Do you enjoy sudoku? Are you one of those people whose coffee table is piled high with completed, half completed and ready to complete puzzle books? Working with numbers is absorbing; it can also be frustrating at times. When you are locked in battle with a […]

Last updated on October 28th, 2019 at 04:30 pm. If you own a property in Spain chances are that your recent electricity bills have given you cause to draw breath. The majority of householders have noticed a steep rise in Spanish electricity prices over the past few years. It isn’t just a case of poorly […]

Last 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 […]

Last updated on March 17th, 2026 at 11:31 am. Every resident in Spain who owns assets outside the country that exceed 50.000€ in any one of the groups that we will discuss later in this article must complete the Model  720 asset declaration form before the deadline of the 31st of March or face possible […]

Last updated on March 19th, 2020 at 03:14 pm. We recommend to all our clients that at some point they make a will in Spain to cover the bequeathing of their Spanish assets. In theory, a will made in their home country covers their world wide assets already. However, if you have only made a […]

Last updated on February 28th, 2023 at 12:32 pm. You’ve got your ticket, you’ve waited in the queue, you get to the ‘funcionario’, and guess what? You haven’t got the right paper work. There always seems to be something you’ve forgotten; not had copied; that’s out of date or you didn’t realise you needed. It’s […]

Last 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 […]

Last updated on February 28th, 2023 at 12:31 pm. It sounds a little like a bus route, the 720. The publicity surrounding its introduction last year certainly made it a household name, at least amongst the expat population. However, just in case you haven’t heard of it before, the 720 is the asset declaration form […]

Last updated on October 28th, 2019 at 04:31 pm. The market for foreign investment in Spain is a healthy one at the moment. Some of the latest figures on house purchase by foreigners paint a very good picture: In June 2013 the number of Spanish property purchases by foreign buyers increased by 31.5% from that […]

Last 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 […]

Last 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 […]

Last updated on March 19th, 2020 at 03:14 pm. When you first buy a Spanish property with your partner, husband, wife or even friend, you have no idea what might happen in the future. In the excitement of making the purchase your thoughts are to the here and now and not the ‘what might be’. […]

Last updated on May 9th, 2020 at 04:20 pm. Last year around this time, there was great consternation amongst many foreigners living in Spain. The requirement to complete the 720 asset declaration form really shook the community. In case you are blissfully unaware, the 720 is a form on which foreigners living in Spain must […]

Last updated on March 17th, 2020 at 05:40 pm. The 3% retention is the amount that is kept back by the Spanish Tax Authority after the sale of a property by a non-resident. It is used to pay the Spanish Capital Gains Tax and ensures that funds remain available. Ábaco sometimes receive notifications from the […]

Last 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 […]