Do I get my own civil servant ?

Hi, my wife and I are currently trying to sell and retire to southern Spain in the Almaria area. As you do yo look into the differences and what we need to do to fit in. I am stunned with the amount of licences required to live in Spain, I don't for a minute disagree with them all but some are odd and others require exams where UK equivalents are not transferable so much for a level field in the EU.
Let me explain , I hope some one will say this is just web junk and not reality.

I have a car so will have to replace this with a Spanish car as the re plating and testing is €1500 and has to be done within 180 days of getting of the ferry , I also have to buy in Spain even when the cost is higher or I incur the €1500 again.

As I am soon over 50 yrs I will have to start taking driving tests every 5 yrs , in compulsory Spanish ?

I have a boat that I currently keep at home it's 6m long so I will need to have a road licence for the trailer and a MOT for the trailer , the out board is 60hp.

This will require me to take the PER assessment to obtain a licence to use and limit me to distance travelled off shore , the theory part of this is 3 hrs long all in Spanish and requires the learning of 600 technical terms the practical is 16 hrs over 2 days again all in compulsory Spanish .

I also enjoy clay pigeon shooting and hunting with a rifle, for this I appreciate the need for control and have for 20 yrs been involved with the training and assessment of UK hunters inc some police forces to NVQ level 3 . In Spain I expected to have to comply to licensing control but thought it would be the same as the Uk or softer. However you need to pass a user exam again in Spanish and previous qualification is not creditable.

This is the same for my wife and her target archery that is license free in the Uk and now requires compulsory Spanish based exams. Throw in various fishing licences and underwater fishing licences and it is very complicated and weighted against non native speakers.

This along with " will my new house be a wrong un" is worrying .

Is it any wonder there is the view that British expats are alcoholic rosé growers !

Please let me know if any of this is wrong

Regards steve

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On a lighter note, you actually need a license to move a donkey in Spain, only costs a Euro or so, but you need a licence. Dare I suggest that you are approaching this from the wrong angle?

Cars. Yes you need to pay to import but actually new cars are now cheaper than in the UK. Last year we bought two Kia's one in each country. Same model, but much better spec in Spain for the money.

As for licences. I think the 5 year re-test is wrong, but will leave that to others. A medical yes.

As for your other licences, just think of it as a method to integrate. I have been hoping to have a boat for ages. I would relish the chance of a few days instruction on local  nuances and practices. All part of life's rich tapestry. Wait tilll you have to sign up for electric, water etc.

A friend who teaches English to SPanish advised us at the outset. Just take one day at a time. Never attempt to do more than one thing.....and enjoy. The sun and locals will reward you.

Juan 

 

This message was last edited by juansheetisplenty on 21/02/2013.

This message was last edited by juansheetisplenty on 21/02/2013.

This message was last edited by juansheetisplenty on 21/02/2013.

This message was last edited by juansheetisplenty on 21/02/2013.

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Excellent advice, Juan. Very well put!

Steve

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Thanks Juan,

Maybe Spain's not for us, doing all these assessments would be a great way to ease in if like we have to in the Uk make allowances for language skills. We have been having Spanish lessons for a few months know but are a long way off the standard req'd to pass these. The months or years spent unable to enjoy any of our hobbies plus the deteriation of equipment seems frustrating .

May be the highway men on the motorway could help by removing our toys as we arrive ?

Just need a garden centre , LOL

Steve

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Can I ask if you are living in Spain yet Stevee? Spain is not black and white. Start with an "Ola!. Quiero una licensia pero no habla mucho Inglés". I grant you there are some technical areas where it is impossible, e,g, medical translation. I am not sure about boat licences but I think some of these are transferable. I do know English folk with boats larger than 3 metres with permits.  Shooting probably not. I suspect a detailed test is required. Boat trailers not a problem to register.

Juan

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and remember the spanish are pretty primitive in their ways.

it dosent take too many hints to bring out their pikey nature of taking a bribe.

if you go down the legal and correct ways it can cost a fortune and take ages

yet if you can befreind someone you will be able to do business the spanish way.

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Sorry cannot edit my post. Please change Ingles for Espanol. PS I wasn't proposing corruption. Spanish are genuinely  helpful. Even innocently!

Juan

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Hola,

Habla espania un poco , pero, the PER is all Spanish according to the govt. web site that even carries a warning re the level of language skill req'd , this was my source of the 600 word fact. The RYA day skipper ticket is not transferable not that i have it as its not req'd for my type of craft in the Uk. I could manage with out my shooting and half expected this from the off. But no fishing other than off the beach, no diving, no quiet coves the dream starts to melt , throw in the possibility of no car having failed some simulated driving test and I can see how being a drunk whining Brit could happen hopefully not fighting to put my house on the inner side of the costa line!

What happened to a border free EU with the free transfer of skills ?

Madrid do realise they are in the EU, don't they ?

Steve

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 Some fair points maybe, but seriously forget the perspective of seemless moving to in the EU. Down to the practical. I have in my life taken driving tests in UK, Panama, US, Hong Kong. In Panama the headphones did not work but I still passed. In the US a noisy cop shouted at me, I still passed. In Spain a Uk license is transferable. Problema?

Costa lines. ? Sorry don't buy within 200 metres of the coast.

I would dearly love to move full time to Spain but personal circumstances prevent this for a while. Just keep thinking of the challenges, otherwise forget the whole idea, as it is not for you.

Juan

 

This message was last edited by juansheetisplenty on 21/02/2013.

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I must apologise for starting some confusion, Juan you caused me to look deeper and on a different site I have found that the law changed on the 19.1.2013 and a EU driving license is fully transferable and on a 10 yr renewal up to 65 then 5 yr with just a basic medical, it's non EU who get the full treatment.

Thanks for talking me off the ledge LOL.

Steve

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It's not all as difficult as you've been led to believe Steve :-)

I'd suggest leaving your boat where it is for the time being, getting to know some Brits in boat clubs once you're here, and they'll sort you out on that one. So many Brits have boats without a word of Spanish, so there must be an easier way to achieve what you want.

The car. What you've written is SORT of right but you've made it sound really complicated. If you bring your English car AND want to keep it here, then yes you will have to pay quite a lot to matriculate it and adjust the bits that need adjusting. But in the long term do you really want to drive a car with the wheel on the wrong side? It is SO much easier to buy a car here, new or second-hand. If you wanted to bring yours just once to bring the dog / cat / favourite shrub, fine, but then ask around and sell it to a Brit going back the other way. Tis avoids ALL the problems you outlined. In the last 6 months I bought a cheap second-hand car, then upgraded through the government's scrappage scheme to an almost-new car, and both were cheaper than comparables in the UK.

No you don't retake the full test every five years. Yes you need to take a minimal medical test which is a simple co-ordination and eye test, which can be done in many centres, and the ones near the coast have people who speak English.

As for the archery, clay pigeon shooting etc, again I would suggest waiting till you are here, find the expat groups for those sports, and I'm sure it will all become easier. I promise you - there are hundreds of thousands of Brits without more than 5 words of Spanish between them who are all doing these things, so I think you've found some scare-stories out there. Don't let them put you off!

It's the dealings with the electric and phone companies that should REALLY be frightening you!!!

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tamara is right

it does look daunting when you are reading websites but the reality is different.

its not all these you are researching that catch you out.
these will all be fine.

its the tiny annoying problem at the electric company that wont listen when you are trying to change payment details, which leads to headaches.

all these things you speak about will be ok and wil work themsleves out

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just on the charges for importing a car

someone correct me if i am wrong but if you change your domecile with the english consul i am sure the taxes are written off or reduced dramatically.

that reminds me that after having my english car here for 10 years on brit plates i should be looking at changing to spanish plates in the next few years.

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Hola Tammara,

I think our overall problem is that selling our Uk home is taking far too long and by nature I like to be prepared , so with lots of time on our hands we "research " , so being honest and used to doing things by the book get quite distressed when reading how it should be off govt web sites. I am aware that joining clubs is the way as mentioned below . I'm not comfortable with ignoring laws and doing it the Spanish way as suggested below.

It has been our intention to bring our car and trade in prior to the registration dead line . Your idea of selling to a returner is good , depending on trade in value ( expect low ) we had thought of a trip home and " we buy any car " . I have read that any debt on a used car can legally be passed on with the car and that ownership transfer is so complicated that you need a broker to do for you , and that the heritage of the cars is difficult to prove due to the number plating system and the lack of a DVLA type support office.

Interesting you mention utilities like Juan , I have read of a very big phone company lying to get you to subscribe then your BB offers etc vanish , water supplies meters not being very accurate when next to another , electric companies that seem to vary the tariff depending on what street you live on !

Regards

Steve

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To ensure the car you buy is free of taxes it may well be worth having a proper contract. Some people use solicitors or gestors, my insurance man did it for something like €20, which was worth it. If you buy from a dealer (by which I mean a proper one, not a shyster!) it will be fine.

Blatant plug - have a read of my blog (see link below) which includes "episodes" on buying cars. But as mine is a bit "happy" you should also read Eggcup's blog to see the other side. Oh wait a minute - perhaps you shouldn't!!!

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