Spain: country guide

Advice on Spain travel, earning, tax, healthcare and more…

Visting Spain

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• Make sure your passport is valid. Your passport must be valid for the duration of your intended stay.
• If you plan to stay for more than three months you need to register at the Foreigner's Office (Oficina de Extranjeros) in the province you live in, or at a designated police station.
• European Union citizens need to get a European Health Insurance Card. This entitles you to emergency medical treatment on the same basis as Spanish nationals. You may still need health insurance to cover medical repatriation and ongoing or non-urgent treatment.

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Spain offers the full range of transport options, by air, sea and land:

• Airports: Spain has over 30 main airports and just under 50 airports in total
• Rail: state-run train company RENFE offers a competitive, reliable service between all major cities; other train operators also run networks on a regional basis
• Underground: Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia have underground metros
• Buses: most towns have a bus terminal, and the cheap, reliable bus network covers the whole country

Driving
Visitors with an EU driver's licence can drive throughout Spain. Many other foreign driving licences are also recognised under reciprocal agreements. Non-EU citizens can also use an International Driving Licence.

The Dirección General de Tr·fico states that valid foreign licences, including EU licences, become invalid six months after the holder becomes resident in Spain.

To apply for a Spanish driving licence you will need to pay the licence fee and produce:

• a completed Solicitud de Carnet del Permiso de Conducir, which can be downloaded from www.dgt.es
• your Spanish residency permit
• your current foreign driving licence
• three passport-size photographs

Holders of non-EU licences are also required to produce a certificado de equivalencia from the Spanish RAC and an official translation of the licence, which can be obtained from a Spanish consulate.

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ATMs can be found almost everywhere in Spain and accept all major cards.

Internationally recognised credit cards are accepted everywhere. It is a legal requirement to present photo ID when paying by card.

Lloyds TSB International could save you money on transfers. To find out more, call 0800 876 6555.

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Working in Spain

To work in Spain, and to apply for residency, you will need:

• a social security number
• an NIE number (if you are an EU citizen registering as a foreign resident, you'll automatically be given an NIE)

Social security numbers are issued at a local social security office, where you will need to fill in a form (in Spanish) and produce your passport.

NIE numbers can be applied for at an Oficina de Extranjeros, which is usually to be found in the local Comisaria (station of the national police force).

EU citizens who wish to apply for official residency and obtain a Tarjeta de Residencia can register at the local Oficina de Extranjeros — see a full list.

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To access your Spanish salary you will need a local or an international bank account.

Opening a bank account in Spain requires significant documentation and can be complicated by the language barrier. Local charges can also be high.

You can simplify the process by opening a Lloyds TSB International Account before you go.

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Tax is not deducted at source in Spain. You pay tax on a calendar year's income between 1 May and 30 June the following year.

Depending on when you start work, you may not get a tax bill for 18 months. In preparation for this, you might want to set aside some money in a separate account. To talk to a Lloyds TSB International adviser about the best interest rates and options, call 0800 876 6555.

Residents in Spain pay taxes on their worldwide income, while non-residents are only taxed on their Spanish income. If you spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year you are considered a resident for tax purposes, even if you don't have a residence permit.

To find out how much tax you owe, you need to complete a declaration (Declaración de la Renta). The tax department will then send you a form to check that you agree with the calculations.

The standard tax rate on income varies according to your region. You can get tax allowances if:

• you are married
• you have dependent children
• you are over 65 years old

Inheritance tax can also be extremely expensive in Spain, particularly if you have purchased property.

To ensure you're paying the right tax, or to invest in the most tax efficient way, it's important to talk through your circumstances with an expert.

As a Lloyds TSB International Account customer, you can get tax advice through our partners. For more information, call 0800 876 6555.

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Businesses in Spain tend to open at 10am, close between 2pm and 4pm, and then usually stay open into the evening to 8 or 9pm.

Many businesses will be multilingual, but Spanish is the main language of business. While Castilian Spanish is the official language, you may also encounter some of the other languages of Spain, such as Catalan and Basque. These are languages in their own right, not dialects of Castilian Spanish.

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Living in Spain

The Spanish healthcare system is of a high standard. Foreign employees usually contribute to Spanish social security — entitling you to access medical care in the same way as Spanish nationals.

A European Health Insurance card will cover emergency healthcare treatment.

Limited state treatment is available to foreign residents, so it's important to have health insurance to cover anything else.

As a Lloyds TSB International Account customer, you can get discounted health insurance through our partners. For more information, call 0800 876 6555.

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Some schools only accept children resident in defined catchment areas, so it's best to check before committing to buy or rent a property.

There are private international schools in many resort towns and cities. A good starting-point is the National Association of British Schools in Spain.

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It's very important to know your tax position before you move to Spain.

You will have to pay taxes on your savings and pension, and possibly also capital gains tax. These amounts may be higher than the equivalent charges in the UK.

As a Lloyds TSB International Account customer, you can get individual tax advice through our partners. For more information, call 0800 876 6555.

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This information is based on our understanding of current law and tax authority practice and may be liable to change, which could be with retrospective effect. This information is for general information purposes only. No liability can be accepted for the effect of any subsequent legislation of change of official practice. If you require tax advice you should consult your own professional advisers, and not rely on the information contained within this booklet. The greatest care has been taken to ensure accuracy but the Bank cannot take responsibility for omissions or errors. Tax levels or relief are those currently applicable and may change. The value of any tax relief depends on the individual circumstances of the investor/customer.