Here are 10 things to know if you are planning on moving to Spain, or just visiting it.
We learned all these things from our experience, spending 1 year in Spain.
First of all, if you want to study in Spain, to get a spanish driver's licence, to buy a property or to open a bank account, you have to get your NIE number. This is a tax identification number, "numero de identidad de extranjero". Many of people say that if you want to find a job here in Spain, you need a NIE, but not all the employers ask for this. In most cases, the employer won't give you a contract without NIE, and you can't get an NIE without a contract. But, be careful and apply ever for short-term NIE, that you will get without a employment contract. And, another important thing about NIE, it will help the authorities to have you in their evidence.
You have to learn Spanish! It's not a joke. Many of the spanish citizens don't speak English. You will be lucky to meet tourists to speak English with, because isn't widely spoken. At least be prepared by knowing some basic words or phrases, like "cuanto cuesta" or "Yo no hablo muy bien espanol" and people will understand you. But Spanish is a beautiful and an easy language, so if you will stay around the Spaniards, you will learn quickly their lingo.
Check the time schedule, the working hours of the markets or other services. I'm sure that you herald about "siesta", which means a short nap, usually 2 hours. It is that dead period in the late afternoon when everything shuts down in Spain, it is from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. for businesses and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. for bars and restaurants. So, take note of this period, you don't want to walk away that much and to find the market closed!
If you use the card from your country during your stay in Spain, be careful when you want to withdraw money from an ATM. Anybody knows, the Spain's currency is EUR. So, you have to withdraw in local currency. If you are withdrawing with a romanian card, remember to select the withdrawal in euro. This will save you from higher fees. If the spanish ATM Asus If you want to be charged in RON, say no. Don't let the machine do your currency conversion. When you have to choose between "withdrawal without conversion" and "withdrawal with conversion", choose the first, which means that your home bank or credit card company does the conversion. If you would choose "with conversion", the ATM does the conversion and it tend to take big cuts, because the ATM operators offer bad exchange rates.
If you are looking for an accommodation and your budget is limited, probably you will be tempted to choose spending your time in a shared apartment. Oh, believe us, you may regret it in most cases. Not all the time, but usually, you have to put up with the other people, with noise and other inconveniences. Better pay more for an entire house or a hostel room and you'll be able to relax and enjoy your stay in Spain.
If you don't have a car and you're planning to visit the surroundings by the bus, don't make the mistake to pay everytime for a ticket. Transportation is not cheap in Spain. You'll come out cheaper if you'll choose a monthly pass or a tourist card.
Be aware of the conditions for renting apartments throught a real estate agency. In most of cases, you'll need a contract from your job, so if you don't work yet, don't think about it. You'll pay the tax to the agency and it will be for nothing. (We payed 300 euros). Another thing, think about your budget, many of the owners ask you to pay the monthly rent and the guarantee for 2 or 3 months.
Take care about thefts! Be carefully when you want to rent a house or even to book a room, because, especially in Ibiza, people try to trick you. Never pay outside of a legal site, never send money in a bank account, you may be fooled! Better meet the person and pay directly, in exchange of the house's keys.
If you want to rent a car, most companies ask to be the holder of the card you use for the payment. And it is necessary to have the signature of the holder's card.
The cost of living: In comparison with our country, Romania, the cost of living in Spain is not big. Depends of your habits, if you prefer eating out or you prefer cooking at home. We recommend you to taste the local cuisine, like Paella, but don't make a practice from it. You'll spend all your money on restaurants. Enjoy the goodies from Spanish markets, these are so tasty and these are really cheap if you plan to buy from local markets like Consum or Mercadona. For 2 people, we spent approximately 1000 EUR living in Torrevieja for 20 days, with all the expenses, included accommodation, renting a car, transportation, shopping, entertainment and even eating out.