Managing bureaucracy
One of the downsides of moving to a foreign country, even to a place as wonderful as the Costa Brava, is that sooner or later you’ll have to deal with the problem that is managing bureaucracy. Every country has its own form of bureaucracy of course, but at least when you are in your own country you’re probably used to the system and have a pretty good idea of how it works. Plus you also speak the language!
Managing bureaucracy
Sometimes there’s nothing more time-consuming than dealing with bureaucracy, especially once a problem arises, and especially in a foreign country where you are less than fluent in the local language. The good news is that here on the Costa Brava, you can leave all that stuff to callCarlos as we are experts in sorting through all that annoying paperwork and managing bureaucracy of all types; getting your tax number, registering as a resident in your municipality, dealing with utility companies, organizing insurance, paperwork to do with your vehicle and so on. The list is long!
Obtaining your N.I.E.
If you are a newly arrived resident of Catalunya one of the first things you should take care of is getting your N.I.E. (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) as you will need this number for just about everything. This might seem a bit daunting to new arrivals but at callCarlos we’re old hands at this procedure and know exactly what is needed for prompt results. For any immigration services, we’re the people to call!
Ajuntament / Town Hall
One place where managing bureaucracy almost becomes an art form is in your local town hall! It is rare to find anyone here who will speak anything other than Catalan or Spanish but we can help you through the local government process of registering in whatever municipality you are resident. Apart from this being a legal requirement, this also grants you certain rights and benefits such as some free parking, voting in certain elections, and even subsidised Catalan language courses.
Vehicle-related matters
If you are importing a vehicle from abroad, callCarlos can guide you through the importation procedure and help you get it re-registered with Spanish plates. We can also assist you in obtaining a Spanish driver’s licence and completing the procedure associated with the annual vehicle inspections, or ITV (Inspección Técnica de Vehículos), and any other issues related to driving in Spain, such as finding competitive insurance cover and claims management.
Utility companies
Dealing with companies that provide utilities such as electricity, gas and water can end up being a real hassle at the best of times. And the phone, internet and television companies aren’t a whole lot better! Our team can assist you with connection and disconnection issues, disputes over billing, or provide advice as to which tariff you should be on, and help you monitor your usage so you don’t end up spending more than you should. We can also advise on alternative sources of energy and water which could end up saving you a significant amount of money in the long run.
Health care
Registering with your local health centre, or CAP (Centro de Asistencia Primaria) is something that you’ll want to take care of as soon as possible in order to avail yourself of Spain’s excellent health service. We’ll arrange the paperwork and ensure you have your CatSalut health card promptly, and get you assigned a médico de cabecera (GP) in your local health centre – one who can speak your language if at all possible. We can also advise on private health insurance, should you so desire.
And all the other stuff!
So you see, managing bureaucracy doesn’t have to be a hassle. Just callCarlos and let us know what you need taken care of. Even if you need something done that isn’t listed above, like a legal matter for example, call us anyway and we’ll almost certainly be able to advise and help you out through one of our personal assistance services.
Managing bureaucracy: testimonials
“I am very satisfied with how you managed to organise the change of name of the vehicle that I acquired, through you. You have been honest and clear at all times and have taken charge of doing what was not possible for me, for work reasons. Thank you very much!!!!”
– Javier
“callCarlos changed my life. We’ve owned a home in a medieval village near La Bisbal since 1998 and had nonstop headaches managing the property from afar until we found callCarlos. They’ve taken on so many of the small and large tasks that go with renting out a holiday home. They’ve helped with licensing, renovations, helping with guests’ rentals. They’ve been a godsend. I highly recommend callCarlos. Prompt, responsive, resourceful, imaginative, dependable. Truly great service!”
– Kristen S.
“Excellent service for the administrative side of motoring, including change of registration, change of driving licence, handling speeding, parking fines etc. Believe me, unless your Catalan is really good, you don’t want to try this stuff yourself. Friendly and efficient team with reasonable charges for an invaluable service.”
– Michael Limb
Enjoy life! We’ll do the rest.
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Healthcare
Immigration services
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