# emigrating to Spain some pointers



## Anna and Theo (Sep 21, 2014)

Hi, we left Holland 11 yrs ago to emigrate to South Africa, due to the economic climate here we thinking of moving back to Europe but then to Spain. 

Is there anybody out there that can give us some advice as in what to do, and what not to do ? What to look out for ?

E.g. what is it like to live in Spain ? Lingo wise ??? We speak a little Spanish, but it is rusty to say the least .... What is general cost of living ? etc etc. 

Also we bring 9 cats and 2 dogs with us, how does that go about I am thinking chips, vaccinations etc ?

We are looking for a long term rental home, as in 2+ yrs has anybody done that before ??? Is there an agency (a trusted one !!) that can help us with this perhaps ??? So a rental home but away from the crowded beaches, perhaps 25-50 K away ....

Too many question, not enough answers so far


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Anna and Theo said:


> Hi, we left Holland 11 yrs ago to emigrate to South Africa, due to the economic climate here we thinking of moving back to Europe but then to Spain.
> 
> Is there anybody out there that can give us some advice as in what to do, and what not to do ? What to look out for ?
> 
> ...


Hello,
If you're looking to go to a more stable economic environment, Spain's not your place. We still haven't recovered from the 2008 recession, and there's not likely to be a full recovery.
There's a load of info here on the forum about unemployment, recession, crisis, economy which you could look at if interested in researching.

And there are also plenty of posts about Spanish and learning difficulties, renting, bringing over animals... There's a search facility and look at the FAQ's to start you off


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## Anna and Theo (Sep 21, 2014)

Hi, but surely it cannot be as bad as "our" Julius Malema and his newly erected party EFF. Let alone the clown we have as a president .. Anyway if this Malema person comes to power, and he will sooner or later, SA will turn into another Zimbabwe, and we whites can /SNIP/

also we not looking for work, the idea is to retire on our investments.....

Am totally new to this do not know yet where to look for info or make contact with who is who in the zoo.

But thanks for advice so far, cheers


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Anna and Theo said:


> Hi, but surely it cannot be as bad as "our" Julius Malema and his newly erected party EFF. Let alone the clown we have as a president .. Anyway if this Malema person comes to power, and he will sooner or later, SA will turn into another Zimbabwe, and we whites can /SNIP/
> 
> also we not looking for work, the idea is to retire on our investments.....
> 
> ...


I know very little about S A, but I do know about Spain! And Spain has a frail economy and a huge unemployment problem - the worst in Europe ATM. All of this obviously affects public spending and public services. However, if you're not looking for work and you have money to live off, Spain could be a good place for you.
As I said the FAQ's are the best place to start and all you have to do is go to the main Spain page and click on FAQ's.
If you have specific questions after looking there it's best to start a new thread for each one.
Enjoy reading!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Anna and Theo said:


> Hi, but surely it cannot be as bad as "our" Julius Malema and his newly erected party EFF. Let alone the clown we have as a president .. Anyway if this Malema person comes to power, and he will sooner or later, SA will turn into another Zimbabwe, and we whites can/SNIP/
> 
> also we not looking for work, the idea is to retire on our investments.....
> 
> ...


:welcome:

if you need work, then it's grim here, if not then it can be great  If you have EU passports moving here is straightforward - if not it's rather more complicated & you'd need to apply for visa through the nearest Spanish Consulate


take a look at other discussion threads here, especially this one http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...-living-spain/2725-faqs-lots-useful-info.html


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

If you do not need work, please come and live in the Canary Island, we have high unemployment and we need people with spending power to boost our economy. We have the best climate of any of the Spanish territories and there are plenty of places that are not tourist areas.

See the link below for photos of the island we live on, there are also six more islands all different.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Anna and Theo said:


> Hi, but surely it cannot be as bad as "our" Julius Malema and his newly erected party EFF. Let alone the clown we have as a president .. Anyway if this Malema person comes to power, and he will sooner or later, SA will turn into another Zimbabwe, and we whites can /SNIP/


With that attitude, I respectfully ask that you keep well away from Andalucia.


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## Anna and Theo (Sep 21, 2014)

Hi, thanks for advice. But I am bringing 9 cats and 2 dogs with me....... How about quarantine on the canary Islands ? I assume ... also quarantine ??
cheers


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## Anna and Theo (Sep 21, 2014)

Sorry what attitude ???? I am talking POLITICAL NOT RACIAL !!!! iI am Dutch by origin, so very liberal


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Cannot help you with questions about pets, the nearest I get to pets is next doors dog and the garden Lizards. However try a search there have been many threads on the importation of pets.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Anna and Theo said:


> Sorry what attitude ???? I am talking POLITICAL NOT RACIAL !!!! iI am Dutch by origin, so very liberal


Yes, Dutch people are, generally speaking, very liberal. We intended at one time to retire to Amsterdam -we are a 'mature' gay female couple - as the liberal ambience and excellent cultural facilities were very attractive.

Sadly, the only part of the city we could see ourselves living in , Oud Zuid, near the Vondelpark, was way beyond our reach, price wise.

I can understand your feelings of disquiet about the current situation in South Africa....the ANC has in fact fulfilled few of its promises. But then it is battling a century of deliberate underdevelopment and oppression of the native peoples of South Africa. 
As the majority of those have black skins it's always unfortunate, imo, to introduce grievances which are, to put it politely, 'vaniila flavoured'.

Spain too is a liberal, tolerant society where the view of life seems to be 'viva y deja vivir' - live and let live. For me and my partner, it is a great place to live, as liberal and accepting of divergence as the Netherlands but with more sun, much more.
If you have an adequate retirement income as you seem to have there is no reason why you should not settle well here.
But if you don't like extremes of heat, stay away from the South. The north and west has a more temperate climate and there, I'm told, the grass actually stays green all year round...


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