A port near marbella: white high-rises near the water

Property Investment in Spain

Manzanares International 27th July 2018

Many people made a lot of money out of investing in property in Spain. Unfortunately, those who invested just before the 2007 crash lost a lot of money. Is now the time to look again at investing in property (real estate) in Spain? What and where should you buy? How should you do it?

Rescuing Failed Property Developments in Spain

Manzanares International 26th July 2018

In the era from 2007 to 2010-ish, there were lots of failed developments in Spain. Whether you were a buyer in one of those developments or you are a fresh investor looking to profit from property development in Spain, it’s worth seeing if any of the disasters can be rescued.

Selling a Property (Real Estate) in Spain

Manzanares International 26th July 2018

Selling a property (real estate) in Spain is quite a simple process. Yet there are still things that can catch the unwary. This guide explains what they are and how to avoid them – as well as taking you through the process, step by step.

Property Development in Spain

Manzanares International 26th July 2018

A large part of the economy of Spain is based on construction and property development. In the past, it has proved very profitable. Is it still a great opportunity or is the market over-cooked? Should you get involved? If so, how – and how can you do so safely?

Fractional Ownership & Timeshare in Spain

Manzanares International 26th July 2018

Timeshare and fractional ownership are both concepts that strike fear in many people. In some cases, they should! In other cases, they can be a great way of sharing the use (and the cost) of a holiday home. What are they? How do they work? What are the dangers to look out for?

Buying Newly Built Property (Real Estate) in Spain

Manzanares International 26th July 2018

New property is very popular, especially with investors. What are the special things to look out for when buying a new – previously unoccupied – property in Spain? How do you guard against the risks?

Buying Off-Plan (unfinished) Property (Real Estate) in Spain

Manzanares International 26th July 2018

Many people like the idea of buying property before it has been completed. There are good reasons for doing so. But what about the risks? What are they and how can you control them? This guide looks at those issues.

Coming to Spain to Set Up a Business (Immigration/Visas)

Manzanares International 26th July 2018

If you want to set up a business in Spain there are plenty of opportunities to do so, especially if you are going to create employment in Spain. However, the processes can be quite complex. This guide will hep you make the right choices.

Buying Commercial Property in Spain

Manzanares International 26th July 2018

There are two group of people who buy commercial property. Those who need it for their own use and those who like it as an investment vehicle. Both groups need to make sure they buy the right property.

Three young people around a table - they are board members at a company.

Setting Up a Company in Spain

Manzanares International 25th July 2018

Do you need a company in Spain? If so, which type? What are your options and what are their respective advantages and disadvantages? This guide sets out, briefly and simply, some of the issues concerned.

A lego businessman at his desk, grimacing at the camera

Starting a Business in Spain

Manzanares International 25th July 2018

Starting a business in a new country is exciting and it can be very profitable. It will certainly change your life! However, if you get it wrong it can prove to be a financial disaster and could change your life in all the wrong ways. Getting it right needs a bit of luck but, much more, hard work and thorough preparation. This guide will help you make the most out of this opportunity.

Escritura Publica (Formal contract of sale)

Buying a Property (Real Estate) in Spain

Manzanares International 25th July 2018

Buying a home or other property (real estate) costs a lot of money and so is worrying. It is also something that that has been done, literally, millions of times and can be completely safe. How do you do it? How do you make it safe?

Wills for use in Spain

Manzanares International 24th July 2018

Let’s be clear. If you have any assets in Spain – a house, a business, a car, a bank account or pretty much anything else – you should make a Will valid for use in Spain. If you live in Spain this is even more important. This guide tells you how to go about making a Will in Spain.

Employment Law in Spain

Manzanares International 23rd July 2018

Some people work for the same employer, without incident or trouble, for years or decades. Others are not so lucky and encounter difficulties from unsafe working practices to racial or sexual harassment.

This guide gives you initial guidance as to what to do if things go wrong.

Importing Your Car into Spain

Manzanares International 23rd July 2018

Should you import you car into Spain or should you buy one there? If you want to import your car into Spain, how should you do it? How long will it take? What will it cost?

Family Law in Spain

Manzanares International 21st July 2018

Family law is immensely complex because families are immensely complex. It also – together with criminal law – reflects the nature of the historic and cultural basis of a society much more clearly than any other aspect of law. How a society deals with the family is absolutely central to that society’s core values.

Two figurines - a bride and a groom - face away from each other, with angry faces

Getting a Divorce in Spain

Manzanares International 20th July 2018

Divorce is one of the most common risks associated with living in another country. The reason why is subject to some debate but meeting new people, drink, sunshine and the fact that you are not under the immediate eye of your family or neighbours probably all contribute. So, in some cases, do lurking problems that existed before the move. Whatever the reason, lots of people end up seeing a Spanish lawyer about divorce. Fortunately, the system works well.

Inheritance Planning in Spain

Manzanares International 19th July 2018

Nobody wants to face up to the inevitability of death and so most people never do any inheritance planning. That’s a great pity. It could not only save them and their heirs a fortune but it should also greatly reduce the stress when you die. Inheritance planning is one of the most cost-effective things you can do. Whatever your age, do it now!

Inheritance in Spain

Manzanares International 19th July 2018

Nowhere can a bit of forward planning produce such simple and dramatic results as in the area of inheritance. It can save you untold grief and inconvenience – and tens or hundreds of thousands of whatever currency you use to define your wealth. To think about this planning, you need to understand the inheritance rules in your part of Spain.

Dealing with a Death in Spain

Manzanares International 19th July 2018

Every country and culture has its own way of dealing with a death. From the bureaucracy to the ritual and the conventions surrounding bereavement, the process in Spain is likely to be different from what you are used to. Depending upon where you come from, it could be very different indeed.

Hands in handcuffs - hands balled into fists and raised in the air

Criminal Law in Spain

Manzanares International 19th July 2018

Crime and criminal cases in Spain should be of interest to everybody who lives there, however honest you may be. What happens if you are arrested? Will you be locked up before your trial? Will you be entitled to legal representation – and how can you get it? What punishments do you face? This guide seeks to cover these issues.

Powers of Attorney for Use in Spain

Manzanares International 18th July 2018

Powers of Attorney are really useful documents allowing somebody else to do things on your behalf. When should you make one? Who should you appoint? How do you make a Power? What does it cost? How long does it take?

Notaries (Notarios) in Spain

Manzanares International 18th July 2018

Notaries are a crucial part of the legal system in Spain. They validate, witness and store all sorts of important documents. They can even marry or divorce you! What else can they do? How do you find one?

The Legal System in Spain

Manzanares International 18th July 2018

If you are going to live, work or do business in a foreign country one of the most important factors in ensuring a trouble and stress free time is having a good legal system. How does the system in Spain work? Where does it rank when compared to other countries?

Disputes & Court Cases in Spain

Manzanares International 18th July 2018

Disputes occur in any country.

Often they are the result of genuine misunderstandings. Even more often they are the result of badly prepared contracts. Occasionally they are the result of bad faith. Very infrequently they are the result of fraud or other criminal activity.

Defective Products Law in Spain

Manzanares International 18th July 2018

When you buy any product, things can go wrong with it. In Spain, the law deals quite comprehensively with your rights in these circumstances. this guide sets out what you can do in these circumstances.

Contract Law in Spain

Manzanares International 18th July 2018

Contracts – written or verbal, large or small – are pretty much central to large parts of our personal and business lives. How do they work in Spain? How do I know if a contract is legally valid? What happens if things go wrong?

Consumer Protection in Spain

Manzanares International 18th July 2018

What happens when you buy something and it doesn’t work? Or which is dangerous? Or which works for a short time and then breaks? Or which is just a million miles from what was described when you bought it? Or when someone supplies you with a shoddy service?

Spain has a number of ways of helping you.

A black and white picture of a child holding an older adults hand

Child Abduction to Spain

Manzanares International 18th July 2018

There is nothing more frightening or distressing than for your child to be abducted: taken away from you. This guides covers what to do if this happens and if it is the child’s other parent who takes the child.

Marriage in Spain

Manzanares International 18th July 2018

Marriage is still a major part of our culture – and where better to do it than a vibrant country with, generally, good weather. This guides explains who can marry in Spain and the formalities involved.

Healthcare in Spain

Manzanares International 18th July 2018

Click where you see for more information Emergency numbers Call 112 – the general emergency number or 061 for an ambulance Languages spoken: Spanish, English, French and German. The quality of healthcare in Spain Spain has an excellent quality of healthcare. It’s routinely ranked amongst the world’s best. The WHO Healthcare Index put Spain 7th of 191 countries ranked. Of course, if you live in …

Driving Licences in Spain

Manzanares International 17th July 2018

Almost every adult who wants to live or work in Spain will also want to drive in Spain. They need to understand what type of licence they need in order to do so. This guides explains that – and how to obtain a licence in Spain if you need one.

Doing Business in Spain

Manzanares International 17th July 2018

Doing business in Spain is an enticing prospect. It is a large market (46 million people) and a trillion dollar economy. It has a very large expat population and over 75 million tourists per year, which opens a number of unique opportunities. So how do you do business in Spain?

Drinking & Driving in Spain

Manzanares International 17th July 2018

A couple of decades ago, drinking and driving in Spain was commonplace. Today it is not.

As in many countries, this reflects a change in the public perception of what is acceptable conduct but in Spain it also reflects much more police activity and substantial penalties – including disqualification from driving – for those arrested and convicted.

Coming to Spain for Short-Term Work (Immigration/Visas)

Manzanares International 17th July 2018

Many people come to work in Spain on a short-term basis. Sometimes this will be a young person wanting a vacation job. On other occasions it might be a more senior person coming to Spain to carry out a short project.

Coming to Spain for Other Reasons (Immigration/Visas)

Manzanares International 17th July 2018

Our other guides to immigration cover the vast majority of cases where people wish to come and live in Spain. However, the world is always complicated and there are many other circumstances in which people have the right to enter and stay in the country. This guide covers some of them.

Coming to Spain as an Asylum Seeker/Refugee (Immigration/Visas)

Manzanares International 17th July 2018

Spain is home to a reasonably small number of the world’s 68million-plus refugees (2018). But Europe as a whole is in the midst of a refugee crisis, and Spain is not unaffected by it.

Coming to Spain to Join Your Family (Immigration/Visas)

Manzanares International 17th July 2018

This guide looks briefly at what’s involved in joining a close family member in Spain. The rules governing this are quite complex.

Residence by Investment in Spain (Immigration/Golden Visa)

Manzanares International 17th July 2018

One way to get the right to live in Spain is via its “residence by investment” (‘golden visa’) programme. This is, obviously, fairly expensive but if you have the money it can be a simple and cost-effective solution to the visa problem.

Coming to Spain to Work (Immigration/Visas)

Manzanares International 17th July 2018

Well over 10% of Spain’s workforce is made up of foreign nationals – and the number is growing quickly.

Coming to Spain to Retire (Immigration/Visas)

Manzanares International 17th July 2018

Hundreds of foreigners retire to Spain each year. The weather is warm, the food is good and there are already many thriving communities of expats! Even better, it’s really easy to do.

Coming to Spain as a Student (Immigration/Visas)

Manzanares International 17th July 2018

Spanish further (tertiary) education is high-quality and its courses are relatively cheap. Spain has embraced the idea of the international student, so it is fairly easy to study there.

woman looking at the Arc de Triomf in Barcelona

Visas: Coming to Spain as a Tourist

Manzanares International 17th July 2018

Thousands of people visit Spain every year. This isn’t surprising – it is a beautiful region with beautiful climate and a great range of tourist accommodation.

So you’ll be pleased to hear that Spain is very easy to visit!

Immigration, Visas & Residence in Spain

Manzanares International 17th July 2018

This guide gives details of the immigration rules in Spain. It covers immigration for settlement when joining relatives, immigration to work or do business, immigration based on investment in Spain and immigration for retirement. It also covers short-term visits to Spain, whether as tourists or to do business.

Healthcare in Spain

Manzanares International 29th June 2018

This guide is about healthcare in Spain – the quality of the healthcare available and how to find and access medical treatment.

Health Insurance in Spain

Manzanares International 29th June 2018

Accidents in Spain in Public Places or Due to Defective Premises

Manzanares International 27th June 2018

Accidents in public places or caused by dangerous premises are dealt with in a special way in Spain. Is it worth claiming if you have been hurt?

The aftermath of a car crash - a silver car has rear-ended a blue car.

Road Accidents in Spain

Manzanares International 27th June 2018

Accidents on the road are an all-too-frequent occurrence and, even though the rate of accidents has been significantly reduced by increasing safety regulations and by creating stricter rules, there is still a high number of such accidents in Spain. In 2016 there were over 100,000: 9,755 involving hospitalisation and 1,810 fatal.

Dealing with an Accident in Spain

Manzanares International 27th June 2018

Nobody thinks they will suffer an accident but, if you do, you need to act quickly to make sure you are fully compensated and protected.

A workman with an injured knee being treated by a colleague

Accidents at Work in Spain

Manzanares International 27th June 2018

All accidents are bad. Accidents at work are usually surrounded by lots of regulatory and reporting requirements. Spain is no exception. Failure to comply with the rules – or to take action swiftly – can have serious consequences.

Opening a Bar in Spain (Andalucia/Costa del Sol) – Video Guide

Manzanares International 21st August 2016

Lots of bars opened by expats fail – but some succeed, and succeed impressively. What makes the difference between a flop and a profitable business?

A rural Spanish restaurant frontage with many flowerpots.

Opening a Restaurant in Spain (Andalucia/Costa del Sol) – Video Guide

Manzanares International 21st August 2016

Many people want to open a restaurant in Spain, and that means there’s a lot of competition for expats who want to take this route.

Why is the law different in different parts of Spain? – Video Guide

Manzanares International 21st August 2016

This is a question that we get asked a lot – for people not used to Spain, the differences in law across the different autonomous regions can be quite confusing!

Posts by Manzanares International