# relocating from the US to Spain



## dimdem (Feb 27, 2008)

Hi there! I'm being transferred to Spain for a few years by my company, but my human resources department however seems like they have been dodging my questions regarding how much time they think it might take for my immigration. Some of my managers and our Spanish colleagues have been asking when I think I'll be making the move, but unforunately I can't even provide them with an estimate.

Just from a quick glance, I get the impression that most of you here are from the UK, so your immigration ordeal may have been easier than mine will be. But can any of you offer any insight into how long this sort of thing should take?

Thanks very much!


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

dimdem said:


> Just from a quick glance, I get the impression that most of you here are from the UK, so your immigration ordeal may have been easier than mine will be. But can any of you offer any insight into how long this sort of thing should take?
> Thanks very much!


Welcome to the forum

You're right there ..... we just jump in the car and drive here and thats it!!! Bit like driving from one State to another in the US 

Have you not spoken to the Spanish Embassy to ask what the processing time is at the moment for visas?


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

I'm next door in France, but I think you'll find that over here in general, things take as long as they take. That's not so bad when you look at the mess over in the US Immigration Service at the moment - thanks to a huge increase in fees last year, they were swamped with applications just before the deadline, and they're still working their way through the backlog.

Three to six months is not an unreasonable length of time for a visa application to take anywhere in Western Europe. It depends a bit on the job category you'll be in and your company's experience in working in Spain. But your coordinator isn't being coy with you. It's tough to predict just how long these things will take.
Cheers,
Bev


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## dimdem (Feb 27, 2008)

Thanks for the advice. I understand the process can be tricky, and I certainly can be patient about it - I was just hoping I'd be able to provide a better response than 'I don't know' when people ask me about it. I'll try the embassy, that seems like a good idea, and if that doesn't pan out then I'll just leave it at 'it takes as long as it takes'


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## dimdem (Feb 27, 2008)

Also, my job will take me to the Costa de la Luz, in the area of Cadiz. I've been there a couple times so far and I think it's wonderful, but I haven't had too much time to look around. I'm a fairly young single guy, so I was thinking I'd get a small flat in Cadiz, but perhaps some of you might have some suggestions regarding living in Cadiz or the surrounding areas (El Puerto, Puerto Real, San Fernando, Chiclana). Do you know of any good online apartment databases that might help me get an idea of what's out there?

Thanks again!


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## pablosho (Jul 11, 2007)

dimdem said:


> Also, my job will take me to the Costa de la Luz, in the area of Cadiz. I've been there a couple times so far and I think it's wonderful, but I haven't had too much time to look around. I'm a fairly young single guy, so I was thinking I'd get a small flat in Cadiz, but perhaps some of you might have some suggestions regarding living in Cadiz or the surrounding areas (El Puerto, Puerto Real, San Fernando, Chiclana). Do you know of any good online apartment databases that might help me get an idea of what's out there?
> 
> Hi Dimdem,
> 
> ...


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## Jesuslivz (Mar 26, 2008)

*Cadiz*

Hi Dimdem,

We may be moving w/ our family to Cadiz. Have you found anymore information?

Do you have any idea how much it cost to live there? We are a family of 5.

Thanks so much,

Sandy


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## kronos (Apr 11, 2008)

Hi Dimdem, 

How are things going with your visa? I'm an American in Spain, and I went through the process of getting a working visa, but through a private (single) employer. I think if your company is sending you over, and they have offices in Spain, they probably use a different method. But my process took: 

3 months from the time the employer called for an appointment with the government (to request approval to hire a foreigner) until they finally got the meeting

3 months for the government to give approval (though we were told it could take up to 9 months)

1 month for the employer to send me the approval and for me to submit all the necessary documents to the Spanish consulate in the U.S.

So 7 months before the papers were even submitted to the consulate in the U.S. Once you submit the documents in the States, you have to wait for them to give you the actual visa. So of course you can't leave the country because they have your passport. The time for visa approval varies from consulate to consulate. It could take as little as three weeks or as long as three months...

Hope that helps!

Kronos


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## Mick-1 (Jun 9, 2008)

Hi Dimdem. I'm an American moving from Dubai to Sevilla, Spain. I was wondering since you posted your question 4 months back, would you know if a US citizen wanted to start a small business in Spain rather than work for a company, would it be easier to get residency, or work visa?
Any insight would be helpful.
Thanks.Mick


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## kronos (Apr 11, 2008)

Hey Mick, 

I think the upshot is that it's easier to start a small business in Spain than it is to get a work permit (and takes a lot less time), but it doesn't really give you the right to live and work in Spain. You have to apply for a residency visa apart from the business. I was going to try setting up a business in Spain for that purpose, but the lawyers I spoke to told me that it's not a surefire way to get residency.

You can find out some info about setting up a business in Spain here:
Setting up a Business in Spain





Mick-1 said:


> Hi Dimdem. I'm an American moving from Dubai to Sevilla, Spain. I was wondering since you posted your question 4 months back, would you know if a US citizen wanted to start a small business in Spain rather than work for a company, would it be easier to get residency, or work visa?
> Any insight would be helpful.
> Thanks.Mick


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## Guest (Jun 10, 2008)

Stravinsky said:


> Welcome to the forum
> 
> You're right there ..... we just jump in the car and drive here and thats it!!! Bit like driving from one State to another in the US


You must have a magic car to cross the channel without boarding a ferry or train Stravinski. Some of us jump aboard our faithful steed, tie her into a comfortable berth on the ferry, ease her up the ramps on arrival and ................... burn rubber heading in a southerly direction past all the little tin boxes stuck in the traffic jams. Forget the 4x4, the 2x1 is much faster and more fun.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

El Capitan said:


> You must have a magic car to cross the channel without boarding a ferry or train Stravinski. Some of us jump aboard our faithful steed, tie her into a comfortable berth on the ferry, ease her up the ramps on arrival and ................... burn rubber heading in a southerly direction past all the little tin boxes stuck in the traffic jams. Forget the 4x4, the 2x1 is much faster and more fun.



Errr... well I dont know about you but I live in Spain (as the OP is wanting to) and I quite happily cross borders here without jumping on a ferry!


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## dimdem (Feb 27, 2008)

Thanks for the responses all, and for helping with advice. I'm afraid I don't have much advice as my company's lawyers handled most it. All I can say is that the timeline for my process was very similar to that of kronos - about 7 months overall. 

I finally made it here last month and got an apartment last week, so slowly things are taking shape


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## chris(madrid) (Mar 23, 2008)

El Capitan said:


> Forget the 4x4, the 2x1 is much faster and more fun.


 In some respects I agree (being a 3 bike owner) - BUT serious distance work in the rain is not something I enjoy any more - nor do I like stopping so often to refill.


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