What to Arrange When Moving to Javea, Spain?
Yes! You have made the decision to move to Javea. Well done, the next chapter of your life is right in front of you.
Moving is always a stressful occasion, but even more when it is to another country, or in some cases even another continent. In this blog, we will provide you with several things you need to know and take care of when you are moving to Spain:
Apply for your NIE/residency
In Spain you need the famous NIE number for everything you want to do. The NIE number is also known as the little green card, the white paper or TIE card. Spain has different ways of obtaining your NIE number/residency depending on the situation you are in.
If you are a European citizen
As an European citizen this process is pretty easy. You must make an online appointment at the local police station (or Spanish ambassy if you are still living in your home country), bring your passport, bring a proof of income and voila, your NIE number is a fact. In most cases the local ‘extranjeria’ will give you a white paper for the first year. With this paper you are able to start working for a Spanish company, rent or buy a house, and in most cases open a Spanish bank account. After a year you have to come back to renew your residency and for this it is important to have an ‘indefinido’ work contract or income out of being an ‘autonomo’. If you have all this working for you, you will be given a little green card which will proof your (fiscal) residency.
If you are a non-EU citizen
Now it becomes a little more tough. If you are a non-EU citizen, you will need to meet some requirements to be able to obtain your residency and stay in Spain for longer than 90 days. There are several ways to get this: Being a family member of a Spanish resident, having an employer that gives you the possibility to apply for your residency through the company, or get a student visa. Another possibility is to go for the golden visa. The golden visa is made for people that are able to invest an amount of at least 500.000 euros (in for example property) and this way obtain residency in Spain.
Housing in Javea
Once you’ve got your residency worked out, the next important question will come: Where am I going to live? You are able to either rent or buy a property and there are a lot of agencies around to help you find one.
First of all you have portals like Kyero or Idealista. These portals are full of houses and apartments for sale and rent in areas like Javea, as a lot of local real estate agencies and rental agencies publish their properties here.
You can also get in direct contact with a rental or real estate agency. This way you can tell them about your criteria for your new home under the sun and they can have a look around to see what is available. The big advantage of this is, that it’s less time consuming as you won’t have to do all the research yourself.
If you are looking for a real estate and/or rental agency to help you out with finding a property in Javea, don’t hesitate to contact us. We are happy to help you!
Schools in Javea
If you are moving with kids, the question of how the school system works might have already passed in your head.
In Spain there are 2 different school systems: Public and private.
Public School System
The public school system in Spain is accessible for every Spanish resident. Kids usually start going to school by the age of 6 and will be in primary school until the age of 12. At that moment they will go into high school. At public schools in Javea, kids are being educated in Spanish and they will learn Valenciano (the regional language) next to it.
Private School System
Javea has 2 private primary and high schools; Xabia International College and the Lady Elizabeth School. At both schools the main language spoken is English, and kids will be thought Spanish, German and/or French on the side. The private school system is not covered by the state and so can be costly (around 1000 euros a month per child). This is an important thing to consider when deciding where to put your kids to school.
Finding a job in Javea
Finding a job in Javea as an expat is possible, the only thing is there are a few sectors where you can really look at. Javea is known as a tourist town in summer, and because of this you will find a lot of seasonal job opportunities in hospitality. You will also find a lot of real estate agencies based in Javea and companies operating in tourism. If you are looking for a job in Javea, you can visit https://www.bayradio.fm/jobs/. Bay Radio is the largest English-speaking radio station on the Spanish coast and has a lot of available jobs published on their Jobspot.
Healthcare in Javea
Just like the school system, there are 2 different ways of receiving health care in Spain: Public and private.
Public Health Care System
The public health care system is arranged by the government and is available for all Spanish residents who are contributing to the system by working for a Spanish company, as a freelancer (autonomo) or are a family member of someone that does. The important thing you have to arrange is to obtain your Social Security Number which you can get at your local ‘Tesoria de Seguridad Social’. With this number, your inscription at the town hall (empadronamiento), your NIE number and passport you can head over to your local Centro de Salud to get your SIP-card. With this card you can enter any public health center and hospital in Spain and get the medical care needed.
Private Health Care System
If it is important to you to get a more personal treatment and to be able to pick which hospital and/or doctor you would like to go to, getting a private health insurance would be the way to go for you. There are several insurance companies, like Adeslas and Sanitas, where you can get your private health care by paying an amount of about 50 euros per month (depending on your age, etc.). For expacts it is an option to concider, especially because private hospitals often have doctors working there that can attend you in your native language (English, German, French, Dutch, etc.). It will also make sure that you will have the same specialist in the hospital each time you go, as in the public hospitals you will be assigned a different doctor based on availability.
All in all, there is quite some stuff to arrange and think about when you are moving to Spain. But no worries, you will get a lot back for it! If you are thinking about buying your house with Villalux, we will help you getting on track fast. From all the legal arrangements, to organizing everything that comes with building up your life in Spain. We have the right contacts in place and know where to go. Contact us now to get started!
Author: Romy Lagarde | Date of publication: 11-11-2021.