How To Move To Spain With Less Stress

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Planning to move to Spain? It’s not as stressful as you might think. Here’s how to move to Spain with less stress.

If you know my story, you know that my move to Spain from the States was anything BUT stress free. In fact, I was so highly stressed that my dog was the only thing keeping me from having panic attacks in the busy streets of Madrid. But your move doesn’t have to be as stressful as mine.

I will start off my saying that I can only talk about the Digital Nomad visa for Americans, because that’s how I came to Spain, and I’m an American. But this is a broader topic than that. This is really more about tips and tricks that can help you lessen the stress, from somebody who wishes she had this advice when she first moved here. (They are in no particular order)

How To Move To Spain With Less Stress

1. I highly recommend using an immigration lawyer. I know a lot of people prefer to apply on their own, but I’m telling you, an attorney will save you a LOT of stress, providing you get a good one. The average cost will be between $1500 and $2000. Yes, that’s a lot of money, but if you can swing it, you will make this transition so much easier on yourself! An attorney will guide you through the process and help you navigate all the paperwork you will need to successfully get your visa, no matter which one you get.
2. Come with some cash. I know this is probably common sense, but I didn’t think to do that, and I wish I had. It doesn’t have to be a lot. You don’t need hundreds of dollars in your wallet. But having a 20 euro bill in your wallet can really help in a pinch. Your local bank should be able to order you some euros before you leave.
3. Port your American phone number to Google Voice before you come. It’s a pain and a half because you’ll lose access to your phone for 2 days. But it will really save you once you arrive. You can also buy a phone with dual SIM cards. But I haven’t done that, so I can’t speak to that process. I used Google Voice and I’ve been happy with it. The only thing you can’t do is send videos via text message. Otherwise, it functions just like having your regular number back home. Note: You MUST do this BEFORE you leave the states. You cannot install the Google Voice app once you arrive. It won’t work.
   P.S. – Even if you choose a different option for your phone number, download google voice. Because once you are outside of the States, you can no longer download it.
4. Connect with expat groups before you leave, and reach out the moment you arrive. Even if you don’t walk away with your next best friend, the information you can get from these groups is invaluable for your new life. Where to buy things, how to get around the best, what areas to avoid, and even where to get a massage are all things that expat groups can help you with. Other kind expats will even get on the tram with you to show you how to buy your ticket on the tram.
5. Install a taxi app and add your bank details BEFORE you leave the States. That way if your bank has an issue, you can deal with it there. I have to wait until I go back to the states to get the issue fixed because they won’t do it over the phone. That could just be my personal situation, but it’s worth noting.
6. Whether you plan to drive or not, if you have an American driver’s license, go to your nearest AAA office and get an international driver’s license. When you are first moving around and getting settled, it can be super helpful to be able to rent a car in a pinch. Better safe than sorry!
7. Yes, you can still vote from abroad as long as you remain an American citizen. But the process is different. Reach out to local offices back home and they will get you in touch with the proper people. Definitely best to do this before you leave.
8. Get an apostille stamp on EVERYTHING. I learned this lesson the hard way. My attorney never requested a birth certificate for the visa process, so I never had it apostilled. But those kinds of documents will be needed at some point, and they will be useless if you don’t have that stamp on them. (Basically, an internationally accepted notary stamp verifying the validity of your documents). Do this with marriage certificates, birth certificates, background checks… ALL. THE. THINGS. Trust me. There is nothing worse than having to fly home for paperwork you could have gotten while you were still there. An apostille service will let you know exactly what document they will or won’t stamp.
9. If you are bringing a critter, make sure you find a vet well in advance that is USDA certified. You will usually find them in bigger cities. They are the only ones that can get you the proper paperwork for your pet. Normal vets cannot do this.
10. The hardest part about making the move is the anticipation. You think you’ll never be able to set foot on the plane. You’ll wonder if it’s okay to leave loved ones behind. You’ll freak out about not knowing the language (unless you do). You’ll have every manor of panicky thought go through your head, especially the night before you leave. I found the best thing to do is just focus on one step at a time, and remember your reasons for making the move. They are valid and they are important.
11. Get a luggage scale (affiliate link). They are cheap on amazon. It’s tempting to want to take as much as you can with you. But the less you have to take, the less stress you will have. So downsize as much as you can, and then pack your suitcases. Weigh them. Make darn sure they are under the limit or you will have a whole other headache on your hands.
12. It’s tempting to buy a one-way ticket. After all, if you don’t plan to ever move back, why would you want a return ticket? After all, they cost a lot! But here’s the thing. The airport staff don’t care where you go, as long as you can show them a ticket to exit the country. In a last minute panic, I ended up buying a $40 ticket from Spain to Albania, and that was fine. I never used it, of course, but it’s the cost of leaving. So factor that in. Until you have that visa in your hands and all the paperwork in place, Spain wants to know you have an exit ticket. Simple as that.
13. While it can be really tempting for Americans to refer to themselves as expats, the truth is, once you arrive, you’re an immigrant. And it can really annoy some people if you continue to refer to yourself as an expat. So just keep that in mind. If you move to another country with the intention to stay there, you have, indeed, immigrated. You are an immigrant. There is nothing wrong with this. Americans have somehow turned the word from something the country was built on into a bad word. I will never understand it. My family were German immigrants and I’m proud to be an immigrant. Own it. That’s what you will be.
14. Scan. All. The. Things. Seriously. Scan every important document you have and store it on a cloud or someplace like google drive or dropbox. Have a digital copy of EVERYTHING!!! And I do mean everything. Yes, it’s extra work. But let me tell you… when you need that one document and you can’t find the hard copy, a backup is a lifesaver.
15. Brace yourself for the change. Seriously, there is no way around it. Even turning on a light or opening a door can be different in another country. Give yourself some grace, and just know that you will feel like a toddler in the beginning. Learning how to use a foreign washing machine or how to work a shower faucet can throw you completely off balance in the beginning. But I promise, with a little patience, it will all become normal in a month or two. You can’t move to another country and expect things to be the same. They aren’t, and that’s okay. I promise. When you change your life, you life changes. In every way possible. But that’s often half the fun!
16. Don’t expect to find American food in another country. Even if you don’t move to Spain, countries like Italy will laugh you out of the restaurant if you order a chicken Alfredo for dinner. My point is, enter your new country knowing that you will be eating different too. In countries like Spain, they don’t serve drinks with ice unless you specifically ask for it. It doesn’t come automatically like it does in the States, and many restaurants will even charge you extra for the ice. It’s also super hard to locate American-style bacon in other countries. Bacon is very different in Spain and other parts of the world.
17. Download Google Translate before you get on the plane. But don’t stop there. Also download the languages you think you’ll need. That way, even if your phone doesn’t work when you land, you can still communicate with people.

Real talk: Stress will be part of the process. But being aware of what you are getting into before you go will alleviate a big part of that stress. If you can do a scouting trip, I highly recommend it. But for those who can’t, just be open to the change that is coming your way.

There is no reason to fear it, you just have to be open to it. The good part about it is that you will change in good ways. That’s never a bad thing.