[Krystal59]

Hi

We are going back to near Alhaurin el grande in March to find a villa to rent and then moving out for good in May. I have been reading anout NIE and registration, getting totally confused by it all. Can anyone tell me, what exactly I need to do about these, would be most grateful

 

[xabiaxica]

Hi

We are going back to near Alhaurin el grande in March to find a villa to rent and then moving out for good in May. I have been reading anout NIE and registration, getting totally confused by it all. Can anyone tell me, what exactly I need to do about these, would be most grateful

:welcome:

if you're going to be living in Spain then you'll need to register as resident - they should issue your NIE number (a fiscal number sort of like your NI number in the UK) at the same time

in order to register as resident you need to prove that you can support yourself financially & that you have healthcare provision

take a look at the first post on this thread - there is an explanation & links to some discussions about what is required

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...-living-spain/2725-faqs-lots-useful-info.html

 

[Krystal59]

what do i need

do I register at the town hall of the place I am living, also can I use my uk bank account for while in spain, as I do all my banking online. I realise I will probably need to open a spanish one, at some point, thank you for your help on this

 

[el pescador]

:welcome:

if you're going to be living in Spain then you'll need to register as resident - they should issue your NIE number (a fiscal number sort of like your NI number in the UK) at the same time

in order to register as resident you need to prove that you can support yourself financially & that you have healthcare provision

take a look at the first post on this thread - there is an explanation & links to some discussions about what is required

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...-living-spain/2725-faqs-lots-useful-info.html

So you don't need the residencia to rent a property initially?

 

[jojo]

do I register at the town hall of the place I am living, also can I use my uk bank account for while in spain, as I do all my banking online. I realise I will probably need to open a spanish one, at some point, thank you for your help on this

You need to register at the nearest national police office/foreigners office. There used to be an advice office for British in El Grande, within the big library, I dont know if its still there. You can register on the padron there, but not for the main NIE/residencia.

I dont know for sure with renting, but I've got a feeling that agents and landlords like you to have a Spanish bank account?? You can easily open a non residents bank account, but you do need to change it to a residents account within a certain period of time I believe

Jo xxx

 

[jojo]

So you don't need the residencia to rent a property initially?

Most agents do like to see an NIE, a residencia and a spanish bank account - altho I dont know if this is for legal reasons, or simply for their own edification

Jo xxx

 

[el pescador]

Most agents do like to see an NIE, a residencia and a spanish bank account - altho I dont know if this is for legal reasons, or simply for their own edification

Jo xxx

Thanks....still a head scratcher though.....maybe me being a bit thick ...
Ive lived abroad before and opened an account but that was because I knew someone and stayed with them.

Presume a UK address or the hotel where I will be staying would be ok?

 

[xabiaxica]

Thanks....still a head scratcher though.....maybe me being a bit thick ...
Ive lived abroad before and opened an account but that was because I knew someone and stayed with them.

Presume a UK address or the hotel where I will be staying would be ok?

you can open an account here as a non-resident using an address in the UK or wherever you are from. Most banks will do this with your passport - some will want a NIE

not a resident cert - if/when you move here & register, you then take that cert into the bank & they will convert the account to a resident one

 

[xabiaxica]

Most agents do like to see an NIE, a residencia and a spanish bank account - altho I dont know if this is for legal reasons, or simply for their own edification

Jo xxx

Its not for legal reasons - though they will want some form of ID with a number for the contract

my landlord preferred the passport, because it is photo ID - although I do have a resident cert & NIE of course - but there's no proof that it's actually mine - especially since it even says on it that it can't be used as proof of ID

 

[jojo]

Its not for legal reasons - though they will want some form of ID with a number for the contract

my landlord preferred the passport, because it is photo ID - although I do have a resident cert & NIE of course - but there's no proof that it's actually mine - especially since it even says on it that it can't be used as proof of ID

My agent friend said she wouldn't like ro say it was a legal requirement, but she insists on as much information as she can get, including personal and/or bank references!?

But I suspect it's all negotiable, including the amount, deposit, finders fee.....

Jo xxx

 

[xabiaxica]

My agent friend said she wouldn't like ro say it was a legal requirement, but she insists on as much information as she can get, including personal and/or bank references!?

But I suspect it's all negotiable, including the amount, deposit, finders fee.....

Jo xxx

well she can't say that it is - because it isn't....

I've never had to give any kind of references - which I have to admit has always amazed me!

 

[jojo]

well she can't say that it is - because it isn't....

I've never had to give any kind of references - which I have to admit has always amazed me!

The first time we rented, they asked for and we provided bank references. But after that, with a years rental under our belts, they didn't. I guess it depends on trust in the end, which, if you're new to Spain isn't going to be there in the beginning.

I suppose in the current economic climate, agents have to balance caution against need!?

Jo xxx

 

[snikpoh]

do I register at the town hall of the place I am living, also can I use my uk bank account for while in spain, as I do all my banking online. I realise I will probably need to open a spanish one, at some point, thank you for your help on this

When getting your residencia, you are usually required to show that you have regular income or sufficient funds in a Spanish account.

You will also need a Spanish account to pay regular bills like water and electricity.

It can be done using cash but then the account and bills will be in someone else's (landlords) name and not yours - this may cause problems later on down the line. For example, you may never get to see the bills to see exactly what you are consuming!

 

[mrypg9]

When getting your residencia, you are usually required to show that you have regular income or sufficient funds in a Spanish account.

You will also need a Spanish account to pay regular bills like water and electricity.

It can be done using cash but then the account and bills will be in someone else's (landlords) name and not yours - this may cause problems later on down the line. For example, you may never get to see the bills to see exactly what you are consuming!

I use my Spanish account for most transactions but have also an offshore euro account.
Would Endesa etc. acceptayments from that account?

Our utility bills are in the landlord's name, I pay via dd but the bills come to my address. I thought the accounts had to be in the name of the owner of
The property??

 

[Lonely]

You need to register at the nearest national police office/foreigners office.

where else can I get the NIE?

Spanish Consulates only?

Cheers

 

[xabiaxica]

where else can I get the NIE?

Spanish Consulates only?

Cheers

yes

 

[Krystal59]

what do I need

so before I rent a place I have to have an NIE, this is getting complicated, as we are coming out last 2 weeks of March, to find a rental property and move in May, I'm aware I will have to will have to pay rent for April too, but now I'm not sure if I can do that, if I understand correctly, I can't get an NIE till we have actually moved there.
Thank you to everone for your advice, keep them coming,as it is giving me more of an understanding etc

 

[jojo]

so before I rent a place I have to have an NIE, this is getting complicated, as we are coming out last 2 weeks of March, to find a rental property and move in May, I'm aware I will have to will have to pay rent for April too, but now I'm not sure if I can do that, if I understand correctly, I can't get an NIE till we have actually moved there.
Thank you to everone for your advice, keep them coming,as it is giving me more of an understanding etc

You can get a temporary NIE and a non residents bank account when you go out in March, you can sign up for a property then too - but you must be sure that you have an income and healthcare proof for when you want to become residents. You can then apply for a permanent NIE and residencia. If you're using an agent - and its probably best to, until you're comfortable with the way things work, then they will advise you

Jo xxx

 

[jojo]

... http://www.propertydirectors.com/. are good agents in the El Grande area

Jo xxx

 

[snikpoh]

so before I rent a place I have to have an NIE, this is getting complicated, as we are coming out last 2 weeks of March, to find a rental property and move in May, I'm aware I will have to will have to pay rent for April too, but now I'm not sure if I can do that, if I understand correctly, I can't get an NIE till we have actually moved there.
Thank you to everone for your advice, keep them coming,as it is giving me more of an understanding etc

You can rent with just a passport but many landlords will/may want to see that you are legally here in Spain in case things go wrong.

I use my Spanish account for most transactions but have also an offshore euro account.
Would Endesa etc. acceptayments from that account?

Our utility bills are in the landlord's name, I pay via dd but the bills come to my address. I thought the accounts had to be in the name of the owner of
The property??

I'm not sure about foreign euro accounts - I can't see why not but then this is Spain

Utility accounts do NOT have to be in the name of the owner of the property. Your situation is the norm (from my experience). Landlord keeps the contract in their name but it's your bank account that gets debited. The reason for this is that to get a new contract, the property would require a boletin (water or electric) this is both costly and time consuming. If the tenant only stays a short time, then it all has to be done again back to the landlord and then back to a new tenant (ouch!) which is never worth it. For longer staying tenants it might be doable but who can predict what might happen.