Immigration services

One of the downsides of moving to a foreign country, even to a place as wonderful as the Costa Brava, is having to deal with the local immigration paperwork, especially if you are less than fluent in the local language, either Catalan or Spanish. At callCarlos, our immigration services are here to help you with that.

Immigration services

Upon moving to Spain, one of the first things you should do is obtain your N.I.E. (Número de Identidad de Extranjero – basically your Spanish tax and I.D. number). We already have years of experience and are experts when it comes to this procedure. For citizens of the European Union the process is pretty uncomplicated but can be time-consuming and sometimes frustrating.

If you are not a citizen of an E.U. country you will have to obtain a T.I.E. (Tarjeta de Identidad Extranjera) which is a card similar to a driving licence, containing photo and fingerprint i.d. For the Brits among you, now that the U.K. has left the E.U, this means that you will need to have been registered as a resident in Spain before 31 December 2020 – you should have done this anyway but many people never bothered – and you will have had to obtain a T.I.E. to replace your N.I.E.

Now, U.K. citizens wishing to move to Spain can still apply for residency in Spain, just like any other non-EU nationals, by obtaining the appropriate visa from a Spanish consulate in the U.K. There is also a “golden visa” scheme where non-EU citizens who purchase a property in Spain can avail of a renewable 2-year residence permit, as long as the property investment is at least €500.000. Just callCarlos and we’ll be happy to go through the procedure with you.

Health

Getting yourself registered with your local health centre, or CAP (Centro de Asistencia Primaria) is something else that you’ll want to take care of as soon as possible in order to be able to avail of Spain’s excellent health service. Once you are a legal Spanish resident it is mostly free or very inexpensive. We’ll help you with the paperwork and ensure you have your CatSalut health card sooner rather than later. We can also advise on private health insurance, should you so desire.

Driving

For many of you immigrating to Spain will mean that your car is immigrating with you, and, just like humans, vehicles need to register in their new country of residence!

If you are coming to live longer than 6 months per year with your car from your home country, we are old hands at importing foreign vehicles and getting them re-registered with Spanish plates. If you are moving here from another E.U. country to take up residency you can bring your car with you free from import duties, but you should get your vehicle re-registered in Spain within 30 days of obtaining your resident status. Even if you “couldn’t be bothered” with the paperwork and would rather keep your old registration from home, the system will catch up with you in the end as your vehicle’s certificate of roadworthiness, known as the I.T.V. (Inspección Técnica de Vehículos), will eventually expire and you’ll have to either drive back to your original country to get it renewed or re-register your vehicle here. The I.T.V. cannot be done on a foreign-registered car in Spain. There is quite a bit of bureaucracy involved but at callCarlos we have all the necessary experience when it comes to driving in Spain.

We’ll also help you get the most competitive insurance quotes, arrange cover and manage claims processes and keep you informed as to any changing “rules of the road” legislation.

We can guide you through obtaining a Spanish driver’s licence and completing the procedure associated with the annual vehicle inspections (ITV).

In addition, as part of our immigration services, we can help you register both yourself and your vehicle with your local Ajuntament (Town Hall) so that you can avail of certain free parking spaces within your municipality.

Language

We can even help you register for language courses if you want to speed up your local integration. Many municipalities offer free, or at least heavily subsidized, Catalan classes for foreign residents, and we can help you getting enrolled.

Businesses

If you are a foreigner coming to Spain to start your own business, we can assist you with all aspects of getting started and, once you get going, how best to run your business according to local legislation.

If you’d like to know more about our immigration services feel free to contact us by phone, email, or by filling in the form on our website.

Immigration services: customers’ experience

“There is a lot of work involved in opening a Kruidvat in Spain and you face a lot of challenges. CallCarlos turned out to be our lifesaver and helped us a lot. Pragmatic, reliable and with knowledge of the facts. Top company!”

– Eva Wennekes