Moving to Spain - Preparation & Removals
Preparation
While there is a limit on what you can actually get done before you leave your country of residence to start a new life in Catalunya (Catalonia), with the internet there is almost no limit as to the amount of research you can do. There is never such a thing as time wasted researching a move such as this, every hour you spend arming yourself with information will save you many more hours at the other end where access to the web or even the phone may be difficult. The problem is however finding the information relevant to you as quickly as possible, and that is where these pages aim to help.
Wading into the web without having a clear idea about what you want to achieve will get you not very far, pretty quickly, so the first thing to do is sit down and ask yourself some questions about what you want to achieve from your research and write down the answers no matter how obvious or stupid they may seem. Many people arrive here inadequately prepared and with almost no knowledge of the system and the procedures they need to complete leaving themselves at the mercy of others advice. While in many cases this advice may be truthful, honest and given with the intention of being helpful there is the equal possibility that it is given for the benefit of the person giving it. So find out as much as you can for yourself from reputable sources and when there's money involved, such as a house purchase, always employ professional help.
They may sound obvious but we've listed a few questions you could ask yourself below with some examples of the type of follow up questions they can result in. If you can answer all these without a second thought you're probably already very well prepared. If not, read on.
Q. Why am I going?
If you're taking up employment is the company entirely English speaking or will you have to eventually learn Spanish and or Catalan to really fit in and get along? If you're planning to start a business have you thoroughly researched the market and have you done a realistic business plan? If you're retiring do you have sufficient income to live comfortably and return to your country of origin if you need or want to? Do you have a plan at all? If not – get one!
Q. Where am I going and do I know anything/enough about it?
Do you know about the language (Catalan is very different to Spanish), the culture, healthcare or even the weather?
Q. What do I have when I get there?
Are you renting, buying, building a house? Do you have a car? Furniture? A cooker? A fridge? Is it cheaper to buy these things before you leave and transport them or when you arrive?
Q. Who's coming with me and what will they need? Eg children, pets.
Have you looked into schooling? How will your children cope with the move? If you're taking a pet have you looked into the procedures?
Q. What are the costs of moving?
Including removal costs, transport for you and your family/pets, time off work, return trips to your country of origin.
Q. Do I know what the cost of living is? Including everything! Can I afford it?
Catalunya and Spain is not as cheap as it once was and wages may be lower than you're used to, so estimate your outgoings realistically. Some examples from a 2006 cost of living survey are shown below.
| City |
Rank |
Index |
| London |
5 |
110.6 |
| New York |
10 |
100 |
| Paris |
15 |
93.1 |
| Dublin |
18 |
91.8 |
| Amsterdam |
41 |
83.4 |
| Madrid |
53 |
81.6 |
| Barcelona |
56 |
81.2 |
| Frankfurt |
61 |
80.5 |
| Birmingham (UK) |
69 |
79.9 |
| Brussels |
70 |
79.5 |
| Hamburg |
77 |
78.2 |
Removals
It can be tempting to make a decision on a removals company based purely on price, and while this should obviously be taken into account, it should be no means be the only factor considered.
Start by looking for removals companies near you as the cost of them getting to you will be added to the final bill. There's also the option of looking for companies based near your destination as many will do journeys both ways but the ideal scenario is to find a company with a base, agent or partner in both countries. It's always a good idea to go and see the set up they have to reassure yourself of the standard of service you're likely to receive from the staff and administration to the quality of vehicles they use.
Quotes are normally given by square metre of space you occupy so it's easy to quickly establish and compare different companies top line costs. And above all remember to look into removals well in advance as a good company will get booked up quickly and getting packing boxes well ahead of the date will help considerably.
Check our business directory for comapnies offering Removals to Spain.
