You've made your decision, the house is secure, contracts are signed, funds are in place - now it's time to organise the move! Moving home in your own country can be worrisome enough; moving to another country can be quite daunting. If you intend to move furniture and personal effects we advise the following: always check with your local Spanish Or Italian Consulate regarding likely costs, bonds, customs clearance etc.

This is normally quite straightforward if you are travelling from another part of Mainland Europe or the U.K. - simply a door-to-door move - but if your goods will be entering the country through a port, this can be a little more complicated as there is a fair amount of paperwork involved.

We will be happy to supply you with as much information as possible; remember, we have handled this type of move many times before.

If you are looking to bring pets, again check with the Spanish or Italian consulate to know which vaccinations and certificates will be required. Your pet will not have to be quarantined.

Call us on 0845-7023908 or e.mail us : We will be happy to put you in touch with a Removal Company who has handled thousands of clients moves abroad.

If you have school-age children, one of the most important things is to research the schooling possibilities as early as possible. Decide whether you’d prefer for them to attend a Spanish school (state or private) or an international school where the teaching will be in English or may be in both English and Spanish. 

National Association of British School in Spain (NABSS) has links to the websites of all schools that are NABSS members. You can do a little initial research this way. Once you decide on the type of school, contact a few of them for a prospectus and line up some visits when you come to view property

Although English is widely spoken in southern Spain, it’s important that you know the basics before you arrive. It will help to smooth your path tremendously if you can communicate in Spanish, particularly if you’re going to be working.

Spanish isn’t a difficult language to learn and technology makes it even easier with the excellent BBC Languages website. The site allows you to test your own level, find out more about Spain and its people and learn a little about the working environment in Spain.

If you have a pet that you plan to bring with you to Spain, it pays to be well prepared, particularly if you plan to take it backwards and forwards to the UK. You need to make sure your pet will be allowed to enter Spain but also that it will be allowed to re-enter the UK without quarantine.

The UK has strict entry regulations for pets and even if you think you won’t want to take your pet back, it pays to be prepared in case of an emergency. Pets travelling within Europe can usually avoid quarantine as long as they fulfil certain health requirements. The will need an EU Pet Passport (no photos required!) and to qualify for one is a long process which can take up to eight months, even if everything goes straightforwardly

While public transport is generally excellent here in Spain, if you plan to live and work here, it will help if can get around by car. You'll be more independent, you can explore the area more easily and of course, you'll be able to get to those beautiful hidden away spots that the region is so famous for!

Before you get into the driving seat, make sure you're driving legally, that you have all the correct paperwork and try and get to know some of the main areas. It'll help to avoid any panics when you're driving to that important interview! The Costa del Sol runs along one main highway, so as long as you can find that and the sea, you can get practically anywhere

If you are moving to Spain then you will need to make the decision on whether you bring your existing furniture with you or whether you decide to furnish your new Spanish property from scratch.

Depending on your intended use of the property it may well be worth considering a company that specialises in furniture packages. It will save you time and cuts out all the stress!

If you’re entitled to a UK State pension, you can claim it from Spain. Contact the DWP for a pension forecast. If you’re already claiming a pension, the DWP will also advise you how to claim your pension from Spain.

If you move to Spain and become a Spanish tax resident then your pension income from the UK will be liable for Spanish income tax.

Only Spanish residents who sell one property and purchase another are exempt from capital gains tax. The current rate has recently changed 18% . This liability may be reduced by effecting certain allowances. If you do not have a residential permit for Spain when you eventually sell your property, the Spanish Tax Authority will retain a % of the sale price until they have ascertained that all taxes have been paid. This retention will be released to you via your Solicitor once the process has been completed.

Capital Gains Tax

Capital gains tax

Capital Gains Tax (CGT) in Spain for residents is a maximum of 15%, calculated as part of their Spanish income tax. As of January 1st 2007, Capital Gains Tax for non-residents has been reduced from 35% to 18%. 3% of the declared value of the property will be retained at the Notary on the day contracts are signed. The remaining amount is deductible with the subsequent year's tax return. Any expenses incurred during the property sale (ie., Notary and solicitor's fees) can be offset against this. Up to 31 dec 1996 residents & non-residents could deduct 11.11% p.a. from their profits after the first two years of ownership and pay no tax at all after 10 years of ownership but this has ended.

4 exemptions from Spanish Capital Gains Tax

1. Residents over 65 yrs old selling their principal residence of three years are not liable for capital gains tax in Spain.

2. Residents who reinvest all of the proceeds of sale to purchase another principal residence can get capital gains tax relief, provided they have lived in the property for 3 years or more.

If they use only a portion of the proceeds from a property sale, they will get a percentage relief up to the amount reinvested. (rollover credit)

For example:

If someone bought a house for 120k, and sold it for for 180k (i.e. 60k profit)
If new house is 180k = no Capital Gains Tax
If the new house is 90k = capital gains tax is payable on only 30k (i.e. half of the original profit, because half of the proceeds of the sale have been re-invested).

3. Property bought prior to 31st Dec 1986 is exempt from CGT liability for residents & non-residents, due to old legislation which ended in 1996. Property bought between 1986 and 1996 is partially exempt.

4. Elderly people over 65 who use the "inherit from yourself scheme" in which you sell your house but retain the right to live in it until your death are exempt from CGT.

A contract is made to sell the property in exchange for lifetime right to live there and a monthly payment which is called a usufructo.

The only reductions allowed for today’s non-resident sellers on their capital gains tax liability are

Example of Capital Gains Tax calculation.

Take the price you paid as per the escritura (Title Deed). For example, 90,000E

• Taxes & fees i.e transfer tax for a resale property or IVA for a new property
• Expenses for notary, property registration, the plus valia & lawyer fees In this eample, we are assuming the total expenses were 10,000 E You must have the official receipts for expenses in order to claim them.

In our example, the original purchase price including expenses is 90,000+10,000 = 100,000. If we multiply this by the inflation factor we get an original purchase price of 104,040E at today’s prices.

In order to calculate your capital gains tax, you must calculate your profit.
Say you are selling for 150,000E on paper.
So your profit on paper is 150,000E less 104,040 = 45960

Residents pay Capital Gains Tax on this as part of their income tax (15% is the limit as this is limit of CGT) which equates to 6894E tax.

Up until January of this year, when non residents paid CGT at 35%, the cost would have been 16086E. Now, with the new legislation in force, and Spanish Capital Gains Tax for non-residents levied at 18%, the cost is marginally over 8272E – almost halving the cost. Fantastic news for non-residents looking to buy property in Spain.

A Spanish Will can be made quickly and inexpensively and signed before a Public Notary without fuss. Your Solicitor can draft your Will for you – our office will be happy to make the arrangements for you if required.

If you do not make a Spanish will, your property may not be disposed of in the manner in which you would have wished.

Should you need finance on your property in Spain or Italy, Blue Sky Homes are able to help you.

There are two ways of doing this –

• Releasing equity in your uk property.

We are unable to provide specific information with regards to mortgages.  However there are a number of independent brokers who specialise in financing for property abroad. Through them, you are able to access literally thousands of mortgage schemes currently on offer to get the best deal for you. You will need to provide some information, i.e. income, equity available in your uk home etc and they can work out what is the maximum that you can borrow against your house. It is a simple process and provided that the credit check is clear, you could have the money available in principle to purchase your home in within a few weeks.

• Financing your home through a Spanish Bank or Italian Bank

We are able to offer, through the Local Banks, upto 70% of the purchase price of your property in (subject to status). Again, you will need to provide proof of earnings – if you are self employed, passport, three years accounts and latest tax statement or if you are employed, passport six months payslips showing that you are able to make the repayments and your P60. Should you purchase a property though Blue Sky Homes, we can assist in arranging the mortgages for you.

You could have the money available to buy your home within a few weeks!

Once you have found a property that you wish to purchase, you will need to buy Euros to pay for it. Blue Sky Homes can guide you through the whole process through our associate office, Global Currency Exchange Network. We aim to provide the very best exchange rates therefore saving you money on your property purchase. You will have a designated currency dealer who will guide you through the whole transaction and explain the various methods of purchasing foreign currency to help you get that better exchange rate!

Through Global, we are confident that we can save you money on other dealers, offer a fast, simple and efficient service.

Global Currency can offer :

The Best Commercial Exchange Rates
No Fees of Commission
No Telegraphic Transfer Costs
Forward Buying
Regular Monthly Payments for Mortgages and Pensions at Corporate Rates

Why not get a quote from your bank and then give Blue Sky Homes/Global a call – if we can get a better rate for you, use us!!

Protect yourself from the fluctuations in the exchange rate

Forward buying allows you to agree a rate and buy your currency today but only pay a small deposit

You then pay the final balance at the time that you need to send your currency abroad

You can agree an exchange rate up to a year in advance.

To start with, Spain is a healthier place to live but it does also offer an extremely high standard of medical care.

Britain and Spain are full members of the European Union (EU) and you are entitled to receive free general medical treatment in Spain (the Spanish NHS!)

For people staying for upto three months, they must complete the Form E111 which your local Post Office can provide.

If you are going to live in Spain permanently, you will need to Form E121 – again, this can be obtained from the Post Office.

If you working in Spain, you will need to pay social security contributions to be eligible for medical care. Over three million people in Spain have private medical cover and this entitles you to private treatment with the bills being settled by the insurance company.

If health care is a consideration for you, it is sensible to purchase your home within close proximity of hospitals and health care centres. Blue Sky Homes and our associate offices will be happy to show you the locations of the hospitals etc during your inspection trip with us.

Buying property in Spain should be an enjoyable experience and for this reason, Blue Sky Homes strongly advise you to employ an English speaking Lawyer (Abogado) when you have decided to purchase a property.

They will make the necessary searches to ensure that the land belongs to the vendor or construction company, is free of charges, has the necessary planning and building permission and that the contract is fair and legal.

Once you have found a property to purchase, we will be pleased to introduce you to an independent english speaking lawyer who will be able to answer any queries that you have and can be instructed to act on your behalf to handle your purchase and any associated matters that you might require.  You are, of course, completely free to instruct your own lawyers if you wish.

Our staff in Spain will arrange for your NIE numbers free of charge.