Expatronus Blog
Guides for Your Spanish Journey
Expert articles on immigration, tax, real estate, and expat life in Spain.
All guides
hoja de encargo
How Do Lawyers in Spain Charge for a Visa Application, and What Should the Hoja de Encargo Say?
A Spanish lawyer sets out the terms of the work in an engagement letter, the hoja de encargo. Here is what the bar's own code says it should cover, the three shapes a fee takes, and the questions to ask before you sign.
9 min read
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autónomo Spain
Do I Need to Register as Autónomo in Spain for Occasional Freelance Income?
A few freelance jobs do not make you autónomo by themselves. Whether you need a RETA alta depends on whether the work is habitual, which is judged case by case. Here is who decides, how the two registrations differ and what to bring to a gestor or tax advisor.
9 min read
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BLS Spain
Can an Immigration Lawyer Help Me Get a Spanish Visa Appointment When BLS Has No Slots?
A lawyer cannot jump the BLS queue, but can confirm your route, prepare your file and keep a record. Here is who controls the appointment and what to ask a specialist.
9 min read
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gestor
What Questions Should I Ask a Gestor Before Hiring Them in Spain?
Eight questions to put to a gestor before you hire one: what they file, who signs, how they act for you, who answers the tax office and how the fee is built.
8 min read
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gestor vs lawyer
Gestor vs Lawyer in Spain: Who Do I Need for My NIE and Residency?
A gestor handles the paperwork, a lawyer handles the legal decisions, a tax advisor reads your whole tax position. Here is how to tell which one your next step needs, and what to ask before you hire.
9 min read
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liability insurance
Personal Liability Insurance in Spain: Who Pays When You Damage Someone Else's Home
A leak into the flat below, a football through a window, a dog that slips its lead. Spanish law usually puts the bill on you. Here is where that liability comes from, when cover is required, and what to check in the policy you probably already hold.
8 min read
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immigration lawyer Spain
How Do I Choose an Immigration Lawyer in Spain? What Should I Ask?
A gestor and a lawyer are not the same thing, and not every website that says lawyer is one. Here is how to check who you are actually hiring, how fees usually work, and what to ask before you sign anything.
9 min read
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Spanish bank account
Opening a Bank Account in Spain: Resident, Non Resident, and the Two Year Clock
Spanish banks open accounts on a residency status, not a name. Which one sits on your file decides the documents, the fees, and the certificate you renew every two years.
8 min read
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temporary accommodation
Temporary Accommodation in Spain: Why Your First Contract Is Not a Lease
The furnished flat that bridges your first months in Spain is usually let under a different article of the rental law: double the deposit, no five year renewal right, and a clause that has to say why the stay is temporary. What changes, what Catalonia changed in 2026, and what it all means for your padrón.
8 min read
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business licence Spain
Opening a Shop or Café in Spain: The Declaración Responsable, the Full Licence, and the Check Before the Lease
Most small shops in Spain no longer wait for a licence. They file a declaración responsable and can open the day they file. Bars and restaurants follow a slower route, and the check that saves the most money happens before the lease is signed.
9 min read
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moving to Spain
Shipping Your Home to Spain: The Rules That Decide Whether It Arrives Tax Free
Used furniture usually enters Spain free of customs duty and import VAT. The relief runs on three separate time limits, and one figure still circulating in English language guides no longer matches the rule.
8 min read
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highly qualified visa
Spain's Highly Qualified Visa: The National Route, the EU Blue Card, and the Salary That Picks One
Two Spanish work permits sit in the same law and are filed with the same unit, and most job offers clear both. What separates them is the salary threshold, the credential bar, and whether the permit travels.
8 min read
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schools in Spain
School Enrolment in Spain: the Points Race in March, the Capacity Queue in September
A school place in Spain is guaranteed. The school is not. Admission is decided by a points score in a spring window that closes six months before term, and arriving later puts you on a different route entirely.
8 min read
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health insurance Spain
Health Insurance for a Spanish Visa: The Four Conditions That Decide It
Most rejected insurance certificates fail on one of four things: the insurer, a copayment, a waiting period, or the dates. Here is what a Spanish consulate is checking, plus the two public routes and what cover actually costs.
8 min read
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Sevilla
Where to Live in Sevilla: A Barrio Guide for People Who Are Actually Moving
Eight Sevilla districts, what each one is really for, and what you give up by choosing it. With August 2026 prices, the noise register, the tourist licence cap and the walk to the metro.
8 min read
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Spanish citizenship
Spanish Citizenship by Residence: Which Clock Applies to You
Ten years, five, two or one: the qualifying period for Spanish nationality depends on who you are, not how settled you feel. The four routes, the two exams, and the deadlines at both ends of the file.
8 min read
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autónomo
Registering as Autónomo in Spain: Two Filings, and a Cuota That Is Only Provisional
The alta itself is smaller than its reputation: two filings, and an afternoon. What catches people out is that the monthly figure you pay in your first year is a forecast, and Social Security trues it up against your tax return long after the year has closed.
8 min read
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double taxation
Double Taxation in Spain: Three Residency Tests, One Tie-Breaker, and a Credit With a Ceiling
A treaty does not stop Spain taxing you. It decides which country gets paid first, and caps how much of the other country's tax you can claim back. Here is how the three stages actually work.
8 min read
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EU family card
Spain's EU Family Card: EX-19, EX-24, and Which One Is Actually Yours
If you are the non-EU spouse, child or parent of an EU citizen in Spain, there is a residence card built for you. Since May 2025 there are two of them, and your sponsor's passport decides which form you file.
8 min read
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