# I am landing somewhere in Spain soon, can you help me with some information?



## Lonely (Aug 11, 2012)

Hello!

I finally decided to leave this beautiful but very expensive Australia and return to Europe.

I have never been to Spain, don't understand Spanish and have no friends/contacts there so you could help me if you like in order to avoid some issues when I land there.

First of all I have no euros with me so I am trying to organize and avoid money exchange rip-offs. I do have euros somewhere in Italy, although I have no debit/credit cards linked to that account and it seems the bank is not willing to send me a new card unless I go to their branch so I was thinking...maybe I could load some euros on to a prepaid card in Spain, although I need an address which I don't have yet.

I found the local post has a prepaid one but ships only within Europe, therefore I wonder if I could use a post office's address, possibly near the airport, so when I land I go to the post office, show my passport and collect the new card, then load money by bank transfer from Italy...but that will take at least 1 day.

Then I need to figure out if the car rentals will rent me a car with either my Australian debit card or the prepaid card because I have no credit cards. I sent an email to Hertz Spain but no one replied.

Also, can I rent / drive a car in Spain with my Australian driving licence?

Once I get a car, I will have to worry about finding a place to rent. Now the issue is that I am not employed, I am self employed and can pay 6 months rents in advance if that helps. Do you think I will have an issue? I really don't want to stay too long in a hotel. Again, I contacted several banks by email regarding their pisos for alquiler but no one replied. 

Related to renting, since I work online, I need internet in order to keep my income coming. In Australia there are websites where you can check any street address in order to see if broadband internet or fiber is available. Is there anything similar in Spain? I don't want to risk renting or buying a place where all I can get is wireless internet.

Thank you for any information. :kiss:


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## Lonely (Aug 11, 2012)

well I found about the licence:

Driving in Spain

*Driving in Spain as a tourist*

Under Spanish law, Australians on a 90 day ‘Schengen Visa’ may drive a vehicle in Spain if they hold a valid Australian State or Territory Driving Licence and a valid International Driver's Licence. To obtain an International Driver’s license contact your relevant State or Territory Automobile Club, such as the NRMA, RACV, RACQ etc.

Note: In Spain, as of 01 May 2008, driving without a licence is a criminal offence, and punishable with imprisonment. Furthermore, driving without a licence could render your vehicle insurance, including compulsory third party insurance, null and void.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Do you have an EU passport?


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

You need to be looking at residency requirements there's loads of threads. Just search, if your self employed look at autonomo payments .

You'll need a NIE number to do just about anything official so really you should be looking at residency


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## 95995 (May 16, 2010)

You should ensure you have some Euros on you when you land in Europe - it's best to check the exchange rates or your bank, Travelex, American Express etc before you decide to do the exchange. You should be able to use your Aussie credit card for a wide variety of purchases - but not everywhere. Also, check whether your bank a travel money card (which you load up with Euros before you leave) - IIRC Australia Post does something similar. Make sure your bank know that you will be overseas. Of course, can always get travel cheques, which might actually be more secure for larger amounts. In essence, I would recommend that all/any of the above be short-term measures whilst you are establishing yourself, as you can certainly get better exchange rates once you have an account in Spain.

Why not land in Italy first and sort out your bank issues there? Do you by any chance have an Italian driver's licence - if you are resident in Spain you can only drive on your Aussie licence for 6 months, if not resident it's just 3 months.

Whatever you do, don't move before you know what you are going to do re the issues you mention. You may well be an EU citizen, but you really should plan a bit more before taking the leap. (If the cost of living and/or housing in Australia is too high, and I agree it is very high) I wonder also whether you have considered moving somewhere less expensive in Oz - but lol I don't know where you currently live).

Oh, and do you have the right to return to Australia if things don't work out in Europe. Note, too, that if you are a permanent resident planning to leave the country for whatever reason and then return, you will need to get a re-entry visa *before *you leave. If you an Australian citizen, then you can return should you decide to do so.


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## Lonely (Aug 11, 2012)

bob_bob said:


> Do you have an EU passport?


of course, I am Italian.


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## Lonely (Aug 11, 2012)

EverHopeful said:


> You should ensure you have some Euros on you when you land in Europe - it's best to check the exchange rates or your bank, Travelex, American Express etc before you decide to do the exchange. You should be able to use your Aussie credit card for a wide variety of purchases - but not everywhere. Also, check whether your bank a travel money card (which you load up with Euros before you leave) - IIRC Australia Post does something similar. Make sure your bank know that you will be overseas. Of course, can always get travel cheques, which might actually be more secure for larger amounts. In essence, I would recommend that all/any of the above be short-term measures whilst you are establishing yourself, as you can certainly get better exchange rates once you have an account in Spain.
> 
> Why not land in Italy first and sort out your bank issues there? Do you by any chance have an Italian driver's licence - if you are resident in Spain you can only drive on your Aussie licence for 6 months, if not resident it's just 3 months.
> 
> ...



Thank you, yes I also have AU citizenship.

My Italian driving licence expired 10 years ago so it would be more complicated to renew that than get an international drivers permit which costs about $40.

I plan to visit Italy later though but cannot do it before landing in Spain.

I saw brand new pisos for rent @ 200 or 300 euros per month in the middle of nowhere in Spain, if they get broadband, it's perfect for me.

Here I pay that much per week.


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## 95995 (May 16, 2010)

Lonely said:


> Thank you, yes I also have AU citizenship.
> 
> My Italian driving licence expired 10 years ago so it would be more complicated to renew that than get an international drivers permit which costs about $40.
> 
> ...


An international driver's licence is nothing more than a translation of your Aussie licence - it is not actually a licence and you can only drive on it when you have your valid Aussie licence with you and for the aforementioned timeframes.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

Lonely said:


> My Italian driving licence expired 10 years ago so it would be more complicated to renew that than get an international drivers permit which costs about $40.
> 
> I plan to visit Italy later though but cannot do it before landing in Spain.


This is something you need to look into, I don't know what it will take for you to renew your Italian license but after 3 or 6 months(can't remember exactly) you can't use your Aussie license anymore and will have to sit the Spanish exams, which IS completely a pain in the bum, expensive, needlessly complicated and takes a lot longer than it should for a fully qualified driver.

So if you do get a chance to renew your Italian one then do it, that way you can just exchange it.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

You say you have no Spanish but I assume you can still speak Italian? I have several Italian friends here who have no problem understanding and speaking Spanish as, they say, the two languages are very similar. Since learning Spanish I now understand Italian a fair bit so it just might be true...


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## Lonely (Aug 11, 2012)

thrax said:


> You say you have no Spanish but I assume you can still speak Italian? I have several Italian friends here who have no problem understanding and speaking Spanish as, they say, the two languages are very similar. Since learning Spanish I now understand Italian a fair bit so it just might be true...


well yes some words are similar and I may certainly learn it faster than Chinese, but I am just being realistic...I don't expect to understand everything they say.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Lonely said:


> well yes some words are similar and I may certainly learn it faster than Chinese, but I am just being realistic...I don't expect to understand everything they say.


My daughter is a native Spanish speaker & went to Italy for 3 months with just a few words of Italian (Duolingo!)

At the end of 3 months she tested at A2 level Italian - as a guide, A2 Spanish is the level you need if you want to take Spanish nationality.


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## movedtospain2010 (Jul 28, 2017)

check sites like idealista for pisos there are lots of options and cheap too. depending on where you want to live. as for internet there lots of companies check out 
orange
movistar
telecable
vodafone

You can use the international drivers license for 6 months.

Good luck!


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## 95995 (May 16, 2010)

movedtospain2010 said:


> check sites like idealista for pisos there are lots of options and cheap too. depending on where you want to live. as for internet there lots of companies check out
> orange
> movistar
> telecable
> ...


Just to clarify - *that means the international driver's licence in conjunction with the OP's Aussie licence - NOT the international licence on its own*.


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## movedtospain2010 (Jul 28, 2017)

Correct, sometimes they could even ask for your passport to make sure you haven't exceeded the 6 months.


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## Lonely (Aug 11, 2012)

it's actually just a permit, not such thing as international driving license


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## 95995 (May 16, 2010)

Lonely said:


> it's actually just a permit, not such thing as international driving license


It's not a permit either - it's an official translation of your drivers licence (note that some countries call the drivers licence a permit). The term "international driving licence" is a misnomer


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