Hi I'm Rory 👋,
In 2018 I moved to Spain. There’s so many things I love about this country from the culture to the food to the weather. But when I first arrived I spent so much time struggling with little things that seemed needlessly complicated. I found myself trying to book appointments on Government websites with contradictory information about what I need to bring and spending endless hours on the phone to the bank with 6 months' worth of Spanish classes under my belt.
'I wish someone would summarize what I need to do into clean, modern web interface!'
I cried out more than once. That's why I created this service, 'Move to Valencia'. My aim is to give you a clear roadmap for how to get established here in Valencia and to connect you with expert professionals who can advise you for when things get more complicated.
Welcome!
Why Valencia?
⭐ Thriving Digital Nomad community
We have events every night of the week and groups for every taste. Check out some of our communities on Telegram and Meetup. You'll find groups for tennis, board games, hiking, beach parties, no matter what you're into, you'll find your people here.
⭐ Authentic Spanish culture
Unlike some other nomad destinations, Valencia is a great place to learn Spanish and try to integrate into the local culture. It's definitely not an expat city.
⭐ Affordable
You can rent a whole apartment in Valencia for around €900/month and a room for around €400/month, much less than Madrid, Barcelona or Lisbon. Food and drink, taxis, metro are all very affordable.
⭐ Incredible weather
You can eat and drink outside basically all year round and even in the middle of winter it's sunny and you can exercise. People are very active here throughout the year.
⭐ Bike friendly
The city has fantastic cycle lanes, and being relatively flat you can cycle anywhere - great for bike lovers! Also it only costs €26 to rent a city bike for the whole year so why not give it a try?
How to live here
🇪🇺 EU citizens
You have the right to live and work anywhere in the EU.
🌎 Non-EU citizens
If you stay longer than 90 days you will need a visa. This can get pretty complicated but I have tried to summarize the most popular options here. Bear in mind this is a super simplified list and I am not a lawyer. This isn't advice, only an immigration advisor can advise you. Scroll down to the section 'Speak to an advisor' if you would like to speak to one.
💻 Nomad Visa (coming January 2023)
The Spanish Congress just announced details for the new Digital Nomad Visa. This enables foreign nationals to reside in Spain and work remotely for businesses that are based elsewhere. The minimum salary requirement will be between €2,000 and €3,000 monthly.
👔 Entrepreneur Visa
Want to start an innovative business in Spain? There is a visa which allows you to stay for 2 years if you create a startup here. The application involves creating a business plan. I know a few people that have done this route.
👩💻 Work Visa
Get offered a well-paid job in an in-demand industry and the company might be able to sponsor you as a Highly Qualified Professional (HQP). The best techie jobs boards I know in Spain are the #hiring-job-board of Barcelona Engineering Slack (95% job offers are remote) and the Remote Jobs Spain repo. Wages have gone up a lot in recent years with many offers now in the €60-€100k range.
🏠 Golden Visa
Got money to invest in things like real estate? Invest over €500,000 and you can stay on a rolling 1-year visa.
🧓 Non-lucrative Visa
Got means to support yourself? The non-lucrative visa let's you stay but you're technically not allowed to work. They used to be pretty chill about this but I understand the Government is cracking down on those who skirt the rules.
Once you get here
To get 'on the system' there are a few admin tasks that I recommend tackling in this order. I tried to do most of these on my own and got pretty burned by the bureaucracy but in the end I managed it, so it's all doable. In Spain it's typical to employ someone, known as a 'Gestor', who speaks the language and knows their way around the system to help you with these admin tasks. Scroll down to the section 'Speak to an advisor' if you would like to speak to a Gestor.
📄 NIE (identity number)
This is how you will be identified inside of Spain - you need it for pretty much everything. In theory you can get it from the police station by booking here but there never seem to be appointments.
📞 Phone
You'll need a Spanish phone number to fill out most forms. To get a permanent contract you will need a bank account. I recommend Pepephone. You can also get a prepaid sim from Orange.
🏦 Bank account
You'll need a bank account to get health insurance and pay taxes. I use Openbank. You will need a phone number in order for this to work.
🏥 Health insurance
You'll need health insurance once your travel insurance runs out and you haven't paid into social security
Speak to an advisor
Do you want help applying for a visa or getting things set up? Navigating Spanish bureaucracy can be a time-consuming headache. We have partnered with some great local operators who provide professional services to guide you through the process.
Do you need legal or tax advice or help applying for a visa? Get started with an 1 hr consultation call with an Immigration & Tax advisor for as little as €50.
Do you want help getting a NIE, getting a bank account or setting up a company? Our advisors are experts navigating the local bureaucracy and know all the tips and tricks.
Are you interested in the Nomad Visa which comes out in January 2023? Join our waiting list and we will keep you up to date with the requirements so you can have all your documents ready to go as soon as that option becomes available.