RELOC Barcelona

- Main aspects and requirements to get the Digital Nomad Visa in Spain - Spanish law defines an international digital nomad or teleworker as a person who carries out a remote working or professional activity exclusively via telematic means for companies located outside Spain. If this is your situation and you have a degree or appropriate professional experience, you could apply for a visa. In cases where you are undertaking a working activity, you may only work for companies located outside Spain. In cases where you are undertaking a professional activity (as a self-employed person), you may work for a company located in Spain without exceeding 20% of your total professional activity. Requirements for the teleworker: - Not being in an irregular situation in Spain or prohibited from entering Spain, having no criminal record in Spain or in the countries where you have resided during the five years prior to your application; - Having a prior and continuous three-month employment or professional relationship (as self-employed) with one or more of the companies in the group you telework for; - Having a public or private health insurance policy or committing to register with Spanish social security system; for EU countries the social security coverage from the home country is enough; and - Having financial resources for you and the members of your family coming with you to Spain, as follows: For the requester: more than 2,160 eur/month 2nd family member: + 810 eur/month Additional family members: +270 eur/month (so aprox 3,300 eur for 3 people) Requirements for the company: - Provide proof of the real, continuous activity of the foreign company during a period of at least one year (so for self-employed: activity running for + 1 year); - Authorisation, from the company, to work remotely from Spain; and - Proof of social security coverage of the worker. The permit is granted for 3 years extendable for periods of 2 years.
 As self-employed you need: - Proof of working relationship with some of your clients for longer than 3 months; - Proof that the work can be carried out remotely (e.g., via a letter signed by a client, among other documents); - Certificate of being up to date with social security coverage/contributions in home country; - Activity/tax registry as self-employed for more than 1 year (plus tax declarations); - Financial capacity: e.g. minimum income of 3,300 eur per month for 3 people; - University degree or proof of minimum 3 years’ experience in your work activity; and - You need to register with Spanish Social Security system for public health coverage. The permit should be issued within 20 days.

MORTGAGE IN SPAIN: ECONOMIC vs. REGISTRY CANCELLATION There is a difference between “economic” cancellation and “registry” cancellation of the mortgage. To obtain the cancellation of a mortgage in the Spanish Property Registry, the first and most important thing is that the guaranteed debt is paid, that is, that all the money that the bank lent at the time has been returned. Thus, the owner of the house, once he has fully paid the loan, must go to his creditor financial institution in order to be given what is called a "zero balance certificate", that is, a document in which the bank certifies that the mortgage loan in question has been fully paid. Therefore, it consents to the cancellation of the mortgage registration in the Property Registry. Once the owner has obtained this document, there are various ways to obtain the cancellation of the mortgage in the Property Registry. You may do it yourself or entrust your lawyer or realtor to do it. However, the best option is, once you have the zero balance certificate from the bank, to entrust the entire management to a Notary you trust, who will be in charge of finding a representative from the bank to sign the mortgage cancellation deed, as well as submit the self-assessment of the tax and, subsequently, present the deed to the Property Registry to obtain its registration. To cancel the mortgage notarially, it is enough for a representative of the bank (and not the owner of the property), to go to the Notary to sign the mortgage cancellation deed, where he states that the loan guaranteed by the mortgage is already paid. Subsequently, the property is registered in the Property Registry as free of encumbrances.

What are the up and downs of relocating to Barcelona? Relocating to Barcelona can be a significant life change with numerous factors to consider. Here are some of the main pros and cons of moving to this vibrant Spanish city: Pros - Cultural Richness: Barcelona is known for its rich history, stunning architecture (like Gaudí's works), and vibrant cultural scene. There are numerous museums, theaters, and festivals throughout the year. - Climate: The Mediterranean climate offers mild winters and hot summers, which can be a big draw for those coming from colder or more unpredictable climates. - Lifestyle: The city is known for its relaxed and enjoyable lifestyle. There are plenty of outdoor activities, beautiful beaches, and a lively nightlife. - Gastronomy: Barcelona has a fantastic food scene, from traditional Catalan dishes to international cuisine. There are also many markets, like the famous La Boqueria, offering fresh local produce. - Transportation: The city has a well-developed public transportation system, including buses, trams, and an extensive metro network. It's also a very bike-friendly city. - Cost of Living: Compared to other major European cities like London or Paris, Barcelona can be more affordable, especially in terms of housing and everyday expenses. - Healthcare: Spain offers a high-quality healthcare system, and as a resident, you would have access to both public and private healthcare options. Cons - Language Barrier: While many people in Barcelona speak English, especially in the tourist areas, Catalan and Spanish are the primary languages. Learning at least basic Spanish (and ideally some Catalan) is highly recommended. - Bureaucracy: Navigating the local bureaucracy can be challenging, particularly when dealing with visas, work permits, and other official documentation. - Employment: The job market can be competitive, particularly for non-Spanish speakers. It may be easier to find work in certain sectors like tourism or international companies. - Tourism: Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in Europe, which can mean crowded streets and higher prices in tourist-heavy areas, particularly during the peak season. - Cost of Living: While generally affordable, some aspects like rent in desirable neighborhoods can be relatively high, and prices have been rising in recent years. - Pickpocketing: The city is known for its pickpocketing issues, especially in busy tourist areas. Staying vigilant and taking precautions is necessary. - Integration: It can sometimes be challenging to fully integrate into local communities, especially if you're not fluent in Spanish or Catalan. Summary: Relocating to Barcelona can offer a rich cultural experience, a pleasant climate, and an enjoyable lifestyle. However, it also comes with challenges such as language barriers, bureaucratic hurdles, and potential employment difficulties. Balancing these factors will depend on personal preferences and circumstances.

Spain’s government recently announced that it intends to eliminate the country’s real estate golden visa, which since 2013 allows third country nationals who invest at least €500,000 in real estate (without a mortgage) to reside and work in Spain for three years. Separately, there are currently no plans to cease Spain’s other golden visa pathways ­(which require investment in Spanish government bonds, bank deposits, investment funds or the country’s share market). The real estate golden visa has been criticised for exacerbating property price inflation and effectively offering Spanish residency to foreign affluent individuals making it nearly impossible to find decent housing for those Spaniards who live, work, and pay taxes. But, according to the latest official data, between 2013 and 2022, less than 5,000 golden visa residence permits were granted in Spain, which is less than 0.1% of the 4.5 million homes sold in the same period. Non-EU foreigners buying homes has not led to any conflict in Spain. Spain's housing problem is not caused by golden visas but by the ever-increasing lack of supply and the exponential increase in demand to buy and rent. Given the scant number of properties sold via the golden visa program, its abolition is unlikely to mitigate escalating rental costs. It will change nothing because in reality the golden visas never made any difference. In short, it is a political blunder in the Spanish ever pre-election scene. It is a case of attacking make-believe giants when they are windmills.

23 April- Day of Sant Jordi in Barcelona Celebrating Sant Jordi on 23 April every year is tradition, and nobody wants to miss it. Sant Jordi (Barcelona’s patron Saint) is based on a remarkable legend that speaks of courage, love and honour. On this day we commemorate the knight and martyr George of Cappadocia, who died on 23 April 303. The story takes place in the village of Montblanc (Tarragona), where a vicious dragon is terrorising the entire population in the area. The dragon has devoured all the animals living there and is a constant threat to the people of the village. Once they started running out of animals, everyone living soul feared for their lives, and that’s when the king decided to come up with a solution to the problem. He made the drastic, but effective decision to provide the dragon with one person from the village as food each day, and this person would be chosen randomly. By giving the dragon enough to eat, they hoped it would be satisfied and leave the village and its people alone. The shock was immense when the first person that was chosen as a sacrifice for the dragon was the king’s own daughter! No one had expected this, and none of the villagers wanted the princess to be the first one to be fed to the dragon, as she was very beloved. The king, however, stuck to his decision, and with much regret, he sent his daughter to the dragon’s cave to be his meal. But then… a knight on a white and majestic stallion suddenly appeared at the horizon. His name was Jordi, and he came to save the princess and to prevent her from being sacrificed to the dragon. The fearless knight fought heroically against the dragon, until, finally, he was able to pierce the dragon’s body with his sword and kill it. To thank the knight for saving his daughter’s life, the king offered him to marry the princess, but Jordi refused and just left. Legend says that, shortly after the dragon had been killed, there was a rosebush with red roses that started to grow in the same place where the blood of the defeated dragon had poured out. Ever since that moment on, it is the tradition for lovers to give a red rose to their partner on 23 April, the Day of Sant Jordi. On 23 April not only Sant Jordi is being celebrated, as this date coincides with International Book Day. On this day we commemmorate and honour great authors, like William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes. That is the reason why you see the streets of Barcelona being filled with bookstalls, where famous writers sit behind a table to sign their works for you. Although 23 April is not an official public holiday, both locals and visitors love to gather in the streets of Barcelona to fully soak up the experience of Sant Jordi. This is the day to express how much you love the people closest to you and your passion for reading!!

Barcelona has had its highs and lows and its successes and failures, but it has always viewed city planning as an engine of change, thus demonstrating its ability to adapt to historical challenges with innovative solutions. The so-called Cerdà Plan of 1859 was an ambitious design whose main objective was to modernize Barcelona in order to meet the challenges of population growth and industrialization. It introduced the innovative concept of the “block” system, an urban design that prioritizes efficiency, accessibility, and quality of life. One of Cerdà's most outstanding achievements was the creation of the Eixample district, now well-known for its wide avenues, green spaces, and similar-sized buildings. The design made it posible to accommodate urban growth and encourage mobility, and it has become a model for city planners around the world. Later, Oriol Bohigas and others sought to improve living conditions with urban renewal projects designed to regenerate parts of the Ciutat Vella and even revitalize entire neighbourhoods. Under Bohigas, the city also opened up to the sea, a major transformation planned to coincide with the 1992 Olympic Games, enabling the city to modernize its infrastructure, build new sports facilities and introduce improvements in public transport. The renovation not only improved the quality of life for residents, but also endowed Barcelona with an international reputation. Despite the success of the Cerdà Plan, Barcelona now faces a number of challenges. Today’s concerns include urban sprawl, dense living conditions, lack of green spaces, and pressure on housing. The city is therefore currently reconfiguring its urban design in order to address major social and environmental challenges and cope with the climate emergency. The main issues that the city needs to solve to include: -Creating a pleasant environment in which to live and breathe. Increasing the number of trees within cities and encouraging sustainable mobility through the creation of green routes and infrastructures. Improving air quality and people’s health. -Maintaining the identity of the city by planning developments that preserve architectural heritage and repurpose available urban spaces. Implementing strategies in order to maximize soil permeability and promote sustainable urban drainage systems that allow rainwater retention for watering plants and the soil. The design of public spaces must ensure sustainable management of the water cycle, which is essential for the future of the city. -Maximizing green spaces and shade in public spaces to creatie cooler and healthier urban environments and counteract global warming. Designing allotments in public spaces to enable local citizens to grow produce. -Optimizing energy resources and promoting a more sustainable lifestyle. -Creating an inclusive city that ensures the health and wellbeing of all its inhabitants regardless of gender, origin, age, or functional diversity.

-PRESENTATION- SPANISH INCOME TAX: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO FULFIL YOUR PERSONAL TAX OBLIGATIONS https://lnkd.in/dr9GFNdB

State intervention in the property rental market does not necessarily mean more housing availability to those who seek it most.

Spain: Rent Control Leads to Rising Rental Prices In Spain, government interventions in the market are having the opposite effect to the one desired–instead of the rent controls lowering the rental price for long-term residential housing, rents have risen. Last summer 2023, the Catalan regional government initiated the process of implementing rent controls in many areas in the region affecting in total 90% of the population in Catalonia. The rental cap is a scale of rents set by the central government based on the personal income of renters in various parts of the city according to the most recent tax filings, varying therefore from neighborhood to neighborhood. The goal is to keep rent at about 30% of personal income. According to the government’s analysis, many rents would have to drop as much as 60%. However, it only applies to landlords with more than five properties, leaving most landlords in Barcelona, for example, unaffected. An analysis by the real estate portal Idealista shows that the measure has had no immediate effects on lowering prices, at least not in the city of Barcelona. Instead, according to Idealista, rental prices have increased by 4.3% on average, with a few cities seeing slight drops while in Gerona, near Barcelona, rents went up 6.4%. Additionally, according to Idealista, since the price caps went into effect, rental stock has fallen by 13% on average in Catalonia, the same phenomenon repeating itself in all of the region’s most populous cities. Some cities saw double-digit drops in a single month. According to real estate experts, it seems many landlords are opting to use their properties as short-term rentals or vacation rentals which are outside of the recently established rent controls. The real estate sector warned of this negative secondary effect of the housing law and has constantly advised that the answer to Spain’s housing problem is not more rules for landlords but rather more housing—increasing the number of rental units on the market. Compared to fellow EU member states, Spain has a very low proportion of public housing. The rent controls exacerbate the problems already existing in the market, with the risk to see how rental homes, both large and small owners, will gradually disappear. When politicians slap an artificial squeeze on prices, a shortage results. A lower price means more people want that good while fewer people produce it. With rent control, that means less housing. Many landlords will either sell their property or put it to a different use. 

Moving to Barcelona? 10 tips before relocating to Barcelona If you're considering relocating to Barcelona, there are a few things you should know before you make the move. In this blog post by RELOC Barcelona, a provider of relocation services, we'll share 10 tips to help you prepare for your new life in this beautiful city. -Learn some Spanish: Even though many people in Barcelona speak English, it's still a good idea to learn some basic Spanish. This will help you communicate with locals, and it will also make your relocation to a new country a lot smoother. -Research neighbourhoods: Barcelona has many great neighbourhoods, but not all of them are suitable for everyone. Before you move, research the different neighbourhoods to find the one that best fits your lifestyle and budget. -Find a place to live, even if temporary, until you find your ideal place: Housing in Barcelona can be competitive, so start your search early. Consider using a relocation service with house package to find a place to live. -Understand the visa process: If you're moving to Barcelona from outside the European Union, you'll need to obtain a visa. Research the visa process early on to avoid any delays or complications. -Prepare for the weather: Barcelona has a Mediterranean climate, which means hot summers and mild winters. Make sure to pack accordingly and be prepared for the occasional rainstorm. -Get familiar with public transportation: Barcelona has an extensive public transportation system, including buses, metro, and trams. Get familiar with the system before you arrive to make your daily commute easier. -Learn about Catalan culture: Barcelona is the capital of the Catalonia region, which has its own distinct language and culture. Learning about Catalan culture can help you better understand and appreciate your new home. -Join local groups and organizations: Joining local groups and organizations is a wonderful way to meet new people and get involved in the community. Look for groups related to your hobbies or interests. -Explore the city: Barcelona is a vibrant and exciting city with plenty to see and do. Take some time to explore the city and discover its hidden gems. -Stay flexible: Moving to a new city can be challenging, so it's important to stay flexible and open-minded. Be willing to try new things and embrace new experiences to make the most of your time in Barcelona.