From the UK to Madrid, most people end up needing a lawyer, a gestor and a tax advisor, each for a different job, and Expatronus helps you compare them. Updated October 2026.
This guide is for anyone in the UK planning a move to Madrid who keeps asking "who do I actually hire, and in what order?" By the end you will know which professional handles which part, what each one is not allowed or suited to do, and what to bring to the first call.
Why does a move from the UK need professionals at all?
Who handles what, in one table
This is the landscape, not advice for your case. Roles overlap at the edges, and a specialist confirms where the line falls for you.
- Immigration lawyer (abogado de extranjería): the route and the application file, appeals if an application is refused. Often the first call for a UK move. Not the person who files your tax return.
- Gestor (gestor administrativo): the day to day procedures with the administration, such as the padrón, appointments and registrations. Not a lawyer, and not the right person for a legal question about your route.
- Tax advisor (asesor fiscal): tax residence, the annual return, what you still owe attention to in the UK, and the UK Spain treaty. Not the person who files your visa.
- Relocation specialist: the practical layer around the paperwork, such as a home search, a school place or the order of your first weeks. Not a substitute for any of the three above.
What does an immigration lawyer do for a move from the UK?
What does a gestor do in Madrid, and what do they not do?
Do I need a tax advisor, or does the gestor cover it?
Both can touch tax, which is why people mix them up. The gestor's description above includes tax and financial procedures. A tax advisor is the person to ask when the question is about your situation rather than a form: where you count as tax resident, how Spanish and UK rules interact, and what you should declare.
That last point is where UK movers most often need a person, not a page: a UK pension, a rental property back home, savings in several accounts. None of these has a one line answer, and we do not give one. A tax advisor confirms your position and the figures that apply to it.
In what order do I hire them?
There is no universal order, but the shape of a UK move usually looks like this:
- Before you move: the lawyer. The route comes first, because it decides what you can do and when you can arrive.
- Around arrival: the gestor. Registrations and local procedures, with someone who knows the Madrid offices.
- Before your first tax year in Spain: the tax advisor. Ideally before you move your money or sell anything, not after.
- Alongside all of it: a relocation specialist, if you want help with the home, the school or the practical sequence.
Sometimes the same office offers more than one of these services. That can be convenient, as long as you know which person is responsible for which part.
Is Madrid different from other cities?
The rules for the visa and for tax come from national and regional authorities, but the day to day friction is local. Madrid has its own town hall procedures and its own appointment systems, and a gestor or a lawyer who works there regularly knows how they behave this season. A specialist elsewhere in Spain can help, but an adviser with Madrid offices on their weekly list saves you the surprises. Tax rules also differ between Spain's autonomous regions in some respects, so the region you live in is one more thing to tell your tax advisor.
What should I prepare before the first call?
A first call goes better when you arrive with a plain description of your situation. Write it on one page:
- Your route and move date: what you plan to do in Spain (work, study, retire, join family) and when you hope to arrive.
- Your income sources: employer, clients, pension, rental income, savings, and which country each sits in.
- What you already hold: your passport, your UK documents, any Spanish number or registration you already have.
- Who is moving with you: partner, children, a pet, and where each of them lives today.
- Your questions, in order of how worried you are about them.
Then ask each specialist the same short list: what exactly is included, who does the work, how will we communicate, and what is not covered. Same questions, several specialists, and the differences show quickly.
How do I compare specialists without starting from scratch every time?
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a lawyer, or can a gestor handle my move from the UK?
It depends on the question. A gestor handles procedures, a lawyer handles legal advice about your route and your file. Many UK movers meet both. A specialist can tell you which one your case needs first.
When should I hire a tax advisor?
Many people see a tax advisor before the move, because decisions about income and assets are easier before they are made than after. Your advisor confirms the right moment for your case.
Can the same firm do my visa, my padrón and my tax return?
Some firms offer all three, others focus on one. Ask who is responsible for each part, and whether the person doing the work is licensed for it.
Is the padrón something I register for, or something my gestor does?
The UK guidance describes it as a step you take after arriving, at your local town hall. A gestor can do the errand for you, and Madrid's town hall uses an appointment system for these procedures.
Do I still deal with UK tax after I move?
The UK government's guidance points to a double taxation agreement between the UK and Spain and says to check your National Insurance position if you work in the EU. What applies to you is a question for a tax advisor.
How do I know a specialist is registered?
Lawyers belong to a bar association (colegio de abogados) and gestores to a colegio de gestores administrativos. Ask for the registration and check it with the colegio. On Expatronus, specialists are verified and independent, and verification is not a bar membership check, so ask anyway.
