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For many people who want to move to Spain, the non-lucrative visa provides the best option: it’s relatively easy to obtain (assuming a person has enough savings), and can usually be acquired in less than three months. The downside of course, is that the non-lucrative visa doesn’t allow any lucrative activities, such as work. That means a person must came to Spain with the intention of living off a passive income stream (or savings), and cannot perform any activities within Spain such as working for someone else or working for his or her self. But what happens if a person […]

One of the hardest aspects of moving to a new country is having to deal with an entirely new bureaucracy. It’s hard enough paying taxes in your own country, but trying to sort them out in a different country, especially with a language barrier, can be especially trying. One particularly nasty reality in Spain involves what is known as the Modelo 720 form. This form is required for all residents that hold significant assets abroad, and it’s meant to let Spain known exactly where you keep all your money and other goodies (which of course is necessary so the Spanish […]

It seems like forever since I’ve had the time to sit down and actually pen a new blog entry. I’m currently sitting in a cute little co-living space, surrounded by other remote workers, on the island of Tenerife, an island that is part of Spain’s Canary Islands. I’ve been living in Spain now for over a year, and I thought today would be an opportune time to look back and reflect upon the experience of living in Spain. Lifestyle Living in Spain, like most countries, comes with certain pros and cons. Other than a few months in the summer when […]

If you’ve found this page, chances are you’re a citizen of the United States, looking out the window at the snow, the rain, or the endless months of winter dreariness, and wishing you were somewhere else. I know, because that’s exactly what I was doing approximately a year ago when I came up with the idea of moving to Spain from Canada. And here I am now, a year later, living in the beautiful coastal city of Valencia and eating paella with new my Spanish friends. You can read about some of my reasons for moving to Spain here. So […]

One of the challenges with bouncing between Canada and Europe is having to deal with money in two different currencies. If you find yourself in the scenario where you routinely need to move money from Canada to Europe, here are some of the best options. If You Don’t Have A Bank Account In Europe If you don’t have a bank account in Europe, then some combination of cash and credit is likely your best bet. If you pull out money from an ATM machine once you land in Europe, you’ll likely be hit with 5-7 Euros in fees per transaction, […]

About six months ago I stumbled across an article here in Spain that basically indicated that it is possible to renew most non-resident visas online, including the non-lucrative visa. I found that interesting since most of my friends here on the non-lucrative went into the office in person or hired lawyers to help them with their process. Despite scouring the internet on the subject, I couldn’t find any other accounts of people attempting to renew the non-lucrative visa online, so I’m going to assume I’m one of the first (at least one of the first with a website). If you’re […]

If you’re on this page, chances are that you are looking for information on how to buy a property in Spain and are looking for more information. You’re in luck! I recently went through the process of buying a property here in Valencia and have documented the entire process. This information has been split into a series of posts, each of which will give you more information on each part of the process. To find out how to buy your dream property in Spain, please refer to the following posts: Many home buyers in Spain use a mortgage to help […]

If you’re able to finance the entire purchase of a property in cash then you are ready to make your offer. But most people nowadays typically engage a bank or a lender at this point to obtain a mortgage to finance a portion of their property purchase in Spain. The mortgage system in general here in Spain is quite a bit different than back home. Unlike in Canada where most mortgages are amortized over a longer period (such as 25 years), but are renewable every five years, most Spanish mortgages are fixed for the entire term. What that means is […]

For those of my friends that follow me online, you may have noticed that I’m currently in the process of buying a flat here in Valencia. While the process isn’t quite over yet, I wanted to give people information on everything that is involved here. I’ll break this out into a multi-part series, the first part of which is this one: how to find a property in Spain. Looking For A Property If you’re starting out in a search for a property, chances are you are already looking at some of the more popular real estate websites such as idealista.es […]

I’ve been living in Spain, and consequently Europe now, for about ten months. While I’ve always enjoyed the time I’ve spent in ‘the old world’, I’ve really come to appreciate it much more now than I’m an actual resident here in Spain. So I thought I’d make a post about some of the aspects of living in Europe I really enjoy. Freedom of Travel Previously as a Canadian resident I was allowed up to a 90 day visit in a rolling 180 day window in any of the Schengen countries. That may sound like a lot, but there are 26 […]