# Moving to Barcelona, Spain



## atreidex (Oct 27, 2015)

Hello,

This fall I visited Catalunya and fell in love with it: the sea, the people, the cities, everything! Spain is such a wonderful country!

Me and my fiancee are planning to move to Barcelona or a town close to it in the next few months and would like some advice on what would be the best approach for a smooth transition.

We're thinking about renting an Airbnb appartment for a month or so, in order to get our NIE, bank accounts, etc. Do you think that would be enough time for everything? I heard that getting a NIE number could take longer, in some cases.

Is it possible to get a NIE number through some service like nienumberonline[dot]com? That would be a lot easier for us, but I'm not sure if that site is a scam or not 
Anyone knows another service / person that could do that for a fee?

What about the bank, is it easy to open an account? What bank do you recommend (Santander / BBVA / etc).

Thanks a lot guys!


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## Helenameva (Aug 15, 2014)

Getting your NIE should, in theory, be easy but from experience it isn't easy in Barcelona. In the city centre you need to book an appointment weeks in advance and even doing that is a major headache. Once there, you will be quizzed endlessly why you need the NIE, you will need to show a work contract (even though it isn't needed to get your NIE, it's needed to sign on the EU citizens register), sometimes they want to see you're signed on the padron (again not necessary) etc etc etc. All in all, it's a nightmare. Other people on this forum report it is much easier in other parts of Spain. I eventually got mine sorted in Vilanova de la Geltrú, about 30 minutes south of Barcelona, which was quite straightforward in the end. Maybe you should set up your base there to start with until your paperwork is in order. Or, if you're adamant you want to be in the city, perhaps you will need to use one of the companies like you have highlighted, but I have no experience of any of them, sorry. They shouldn't be needed but unfortunately, and I hate to say it, I think you would need to. There are lots of them if you shop around.

Regarding banks, if you start with a non-residents account you should get one sorted easier and quicker, until your paperwork is all sorted and then you can switch to a residents account. Personally, I've had a bad experience with Bank Sabadell and good with Catalunya Caixa (now part of BBVA).


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## atreidex (Oct 27, 2015)

Thank you for the very useful advice, *Helenameva*!

Barcelona is a wonderful city, but I'm thinking to rent an apartment in a smaller town nearby. 
Mataro seemed like a nice city, full of life, so I'll probably focus on it. Girona and Vic were also nice, but I prefer living by the seaside. Catalunya is such a beautiful region and has so much to offer... it's hard to chose the perfect place.

If anyone knows a good, reliable relocation agency, please let me know! 
My Spanish skills are poor and I have very little free time, so I'd rather pay someone to get my NIE and help me rent an apartment rather than doing it myself...

Thanks a lot, I appreciate all the help & advice I can get.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Once you have sufficient posts (>5) you can use the Private Message service. Contact me then, and I will see if SWMBO's cousin can help you - she lives in Barcelona and her in-laws live in Mataro.


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## jlangridge (Oct 28, 2015)

atreidex said:


> Thank you for the very useful advice, *Helenameva*!
> 
> Barcelona is a wonderful city, but I'm thinking to rent an apartment in a smaller town nearby.
> Mataro seemed like a nice city, full of life, so I'll probably focus on it. Girona and Vic were also nice, but I prefer living by the seaside. Catalunya is such a beautiful region and has so much to offer... it's hard to chose the perfect place.
> ...


I've used BRS Relocation Services to find an apartment, and they also include related services such as sorting out internet/utilities, etc. I've found them to be very helpful.

To get my NIE/residence I used an agent called Marie who trades as NIE Barcelona. She's also provided a decent service.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

jlangridge said:


> I've used BRS Relocation Services to find an apartment, and they also include related services such as sorting out internet/utilities, etc. I've found them to be very helpful.
> 
> To get my NIE/residence I used an agent called Marie who trades as NIE Barcelona. She's also provided a decent service.



Make sure you dont pay any agent or relocation company too much because usually most letting agents sort out bills, internet etc and you get the luxury of dealing with them and knowing them, rather than an agent. Its soooooo easy to move to Spain as an EU citizen, that they cant really justify charging very much at all. Also, it might be worth checking if indeed you can get someone else to get you an NIE/residencia, IME they need you there personally

Jo xxx


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## jlangridge (Oct 28, 2015)

jojo said:


> Make sure you dont pay any agent or relocation company too much because usually most letting agents sort out bills, internet etc and you get the luxury of dealing with them and knowing them, rather than an agent. Its soooooo easy to move to Spain as an EU citizen, that they cant really justify charging very much at all. Also, it might be worth checking if indeed you can get someone else to get you an NIE/residencia, IME they need you there personally
> 
> Jo xxx


I wanted an independent agent to search apartments listed by any letting agents, who could negotiate the contract for me too. I didn't know letting agents offered that service - good to know. I expect my agent did include those things to justify the fees (which weren't unreasonable), but they do speak English and letting agents often don't.

About the NIE - you're right, I went with Marie to the appointment. She just walked me through the whole thing and spoke to the immigration staff on my behalf. She is also magically able to get appointments, which is worth the fee itself!


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## jlangridge (Oct 28, 2015)

Helenameva said:


> Regarding banks, if you start with a non-residents account you should get one sorted easier and quicker, until your paperwork is all sorted and then you can switch to a residents account. Personally, I've had a bad experience with Bank Sabadell and good with Catalunya Caixa (now part of BBVA).


I've had a good experience with Banco Sabadell in Barcelona. It probably varies a lot from branch to branch depending on which person is assigned to you.


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## atreidex (Oct 27, 2015)

Thanks everyone for the advice and resources!
The NIE Barcelona website (Marie) seems like a good place to start, in order to get all the documents ready.

Ok, here's another question: I currently work as self-employed / freelancer for a US company. 
I've been working for them for the last 5+ years as a web developer, and the pay is pretty good, so I'd like to keep doing the same thing after relocating in Spain.

Does anyone know what's the procedure to register as self-employed in Spain and what kind of documents do I need for this?


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