# Gestor costs



## haynesbob (Oct 9, 2012)

Hi all,

We will finally be in a position later this year to retire full time.

We are thinking of employing the services of a Gestor to help us with arranging residencia and changing our driving licenses registering on the padron etc

Does anyone know what the approximate costs for these services would be. 

Thanks in advance for any help


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## larryzx (Jul 2, 2014)

haynesbob said:


> Hi all,
> We will finally be in a position later this year to retire full time.
> 
> We are thinking of employing the services of a Gestor to help us with arranging residencia and changing our driving licenses registering on the padrón etc
> ...


I do not believe there is a 'standard charge' so ask before you choose one..

However, you will not need anyone to get registered on the EU Citizens Register (note not residencia for an EU citizen) and i even if you have a lawyer do the paperwork only you can make the application. 

Again, you go the town hall and sign on the padron, and even changing your DL, which at present you do not need to do until you have been here two years, is pretty straightforward


So why pay a gestor/lawyer to mess it up !!


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

larryzx said:


> I do not believe there is a 'standard charge' so ask before you choose one..
> 
> However, you will not need anyone to get registered on the EU Citizens Register (note not residencia for an EU citizen) and i even if you have a lawyer do the paperwork only you can make the application.
> 
> ...


You don't even need to do it then if you have one of the plastic EU licences!


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## kimuyen (Aug 8, 2013)

haynesbob said:


> Hi all,
> 
> We will finally be in a position later this year to retire full time.
> 
> ...


The cost varies from firm to firm. Our Spanish was non-existent then so we needed to hire one. We were quoted 500-1000 euros (for registration for an EU member, residencia for 2 non-EU members and the padron). At the end, we went with a firm that was recommended by our sworn translator and at the low end of the cost, This firm turned out useless. Did we get what we paid for? Probably. But there are people who pay thousands for a lawyer and still did not get things done right.


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

That was very, very expensive!
Cost us 60 euros each, and that included taking us to the police station an hours journey away.
You didn't need one for the Padron, either


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## haynesbob (Oct 9, 2012)

Thanks everyone for your replies


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

Unless your situation is complexed there really is no need to hire a gestor for these things. For residencia you may need to take someone who speaks spanish with you as in some places they are not too forward in speaking english but the forms are so simple and there are many guides on this forum.

For Padron I am certain you can go alone. Many town halls have translators or a foreigners section but even if they dont they usualy welcome you with open arms as they get cash for every person on the padron from central govt.

Driving licence is fairly easy too although being from the USA I am not sure how the process varies but a bit of research and away you go!


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## haynesbob (Oct 9, 2012)

Thanks again for your replies and encouragement think I will give it a go myself as you have to jump in sometime


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Gestor costs vary enormously. Ours is very cheap (€20 for the annual tax returns) but we aren't in an expat area and he doesn't speak English.

It might be an idea for you to find a student of English to act as interpreter for you. We had someone when we first came here and paid him €15 an hour to make phone calls etc and help us set everything up at the town hall. Worth his weight in gold!


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Alcalaina said:


> Gestor costs vary enormously. Ours is very cheap (€20 for the annual tax returns) but we aren't in an expat area and he doesn't speak English.
> 
> It might be an idea for you to find a student of English to act as interpreter for you. We had someone when we first came here and paid him €15 an hour to make phone calls etc and help us set everything up at the town hall. Worth his weight in gold!


As we live in Ontinyent, this has already been suggested.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

haynesbob said:


> Thanks again for your replies and encouragement think I will give it a go myself as you have to jump in sometime


We got our NIE/Residencia within a week of arriving. Neither of us spoke much Spanish then.
Ditto our registering on the Padron.
I changed my driving licence from UK to Spanish two years ago. 
No gestor needed for any of these things.
The important thing and it's VERY important is to make sure that you have all documents needed in original and with photocopies. If in doubt whether a specific document is required, take it.
We found people were only too willing to help.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

xicoalc said:


> Unless your situation is complexed there really is no need to hire a gestor for these things. For residencia you may need to take someone who speaks spanish with you as in some places they are not too forward in speaking english but the forms are so simple and there are many guides on this forum.
> 
> For Padron I am certain you can go alone. Many town halls have translators or a foreigners section but even if they dont they usualy welcome you with open arms as they get cash for every person on the padron from central govt.
> 
> Driving licence is fairly easy too although being from the USA I am not sure how the process varies but a bit of research and away you go!


totally agree with all of that 

the only bad news I have is that a US driving licence cannot be exchanged 

you can drive on it for a maximum of 6 months - & then unless you have taken driving lessons & passed a driving test here in Spain, you have to stop driving


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

I think the NIE application form is on the Stickies.
We certainly downloaded it from there six years ago!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> You don't even need to do it then if you have one of the plastic EU licences!


you might have to - it depends upon the categories you have listed & what expiration they have on them


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## larryzx (Jul 2, 2014)

xabiachica said:


> you might have to - it depends upon the categories you have listed & what expiration they have on them


So to make it clear for Haynesbob, was I correct when I said worst case scenario a person newly arriving has two years before they must change to a Spanish DL ?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> I think the NIE application form is on the Stickies.
> We certainly downloaded it from there six years ago!


still there 

the current version, anyway


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

larryzx said:


> So to make it clear for Haynesbob, was I correct when I said worst case scenario a person newly arriving has two years before they must change to a Spanish DL ?


if the licence expires anyway before those two years are up, it has to be *renewed *then - so potentially immediately I guess


otherwise, once you have been resident for two years, you need to check the expiration dates of the categories on the licence - if under (current) Spanish rules the licence needs to be *renewed*, then you have to* renew* it - you'll of course be issued a Spanish licence, since a resident of Spain can only *renew* the licence in Spain

*
you NEVER have to exchange the licence before it has to be renewed* - although you can should you choose to


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## larryzx (Jul 2, 2014)

Bob, I hope you understood that ! Fortunately I have a Spanish DL

Ps “_you NEVER have to exchange the licence before it has to be renewed_”. I believe that only relates to a plastic one. A long term resident I know, with a in-date paper UK DL was fined 200 € a couple of weeks ago. But maybe the officer was wrong !


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