Helpful advice gained from first-hand experience of moving
to Barcelona from the UK and of living in Spain.
Arriving in Barcelona, you need to find somewhere to live, register at the town hall, get your NIE number, take a Spanish language course, and find your way through the administration system in order to get all these things done. Find your way around Barcelona with this site before you even arrive!
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How To Get Your NIE
If you're from another EU member state you don't need a work visa
in order to work in Spain but you do need an NIE (Numero de Identificatión de Extranjero). Go to your local Oficina de Extranjeros (Foreigner's Office)
to collect an application form: ex14 (or you can download the form). You also need:
- two photocopies of your passport
- three passport
photographs with your name written on the back
- three copies
of the completed application form.
- documentation supporting your reason for applying (this
can be the tricky one).
How To Get Your NIE >> continues... |
Free Banking in Spain in English
Halifax in Spain gives customers banking in English. If you also have (or set up) a bank account with the Halifax in the UK, it's FREE to transfer money between your Halifax UK account and your Spanish Halifax bank account.
The Halifax Xtra account offers free banking, with an annual fee of €25 and a minimum opening balance of €600. The account comes with a Visa Electron, which you can use to withdraw money free of charge at most ATMs, a cheque book, guaranteed bank cheques and free direct debits. Available to non-residents and residents. Free Banking in Spain in English >> continues...
Six Ways to Find Work in Barcelona
Finding work in Barcelona is not so easy if you don't speak Spanish, and a lot of the Catalan companies also prefer their employees to speak Catalan.
Having said that, it is possible to find work in Barcelona, even with the current credit crunch affecting jobs here too. There are many international companies based in Barcelona as well as those small to medium-sized businesses set up by expatriates, many of which need employees who speak English. Top Six Ways to Find Work in Barcelona >> continues...
Barcelona Walking Tours
Barcelona is such a compact city that one of the best ways to explore it is by walking, particularly through the narrow streets of the old town. Whilst you can buy a map and set off on your own, by taking a walking tour you can concentrate on the alleyways, architecture and history rather than studying the map, and a tour guide will take you to all the best places and point out objects of interest that you might otherwise miss. Barcelona Walking Tours >> continues... |