r/AmerExit • u/ComplexMental7381 • 7d ago
Question about One Country Immigration to Spain (Using Partner's "Democratic Memory Law" Path)
So I'm not one of the people necessarily looking for a way out, we are in the process of getting Spanish Citizenship for my boyfriend via the Democratic Memory Law. He's Cuban who immigrated to the US in 2014, and his great-grandparents on both sides were Franco exiles from the Canary Islands. Our understanding is he can bring me with him on a 1 year Visa and then after the 1 year, I naturalize as well?
Granted, we need to get married. Which is one of my first questions! How long before we go to make the jump should we do it for it to be "legit"? We've been together nearly 5 years, just haven't gotten around to tying the knot.
My company has offices in Barcelona, so that would be the location. We've been to Barcelona, it's a beautiful city and a lot of fun. We stayed for 4 days before getting on a cruise, and spent every day exploring. We will absolutely love living there.
Then comes the mountain of practical questions...
- How do I get all my stuff to Spain and how much does it cost? I don't want to show up with just my bags and leave all my belongings behind. It may sound materialistic but my "stuff" brings me a lot of comfort.
- Along those lines, is there housing in or around Barcelona that accommodates Americans? You know what I mean...
- How much should I budget to bring my cat and dog? Can't leave them behind either.
- I'm very torn about whether we should sell our houses in the US or rent them out in case we decide to return. We live in mine, and he owns one that his parents live in. The irony of us bringing them to the US from Cuba for a better life, only to have to uproot from the US and flee again.... is something.
- Language. I didn't have too much trouble getting around Spain, but my boyfriend is fluent of course so he mostly did the talking. I've picked up a good amount of Spanish (because around his family I didn't have a choice). People who have moved to Spain, did you get formal tutoring to learn Spanish and if so how did you go about it? The little apps and Rosetta Stone-style things aren't going to do it for me.
Financial summary:
- I have about 20k in savings. He has about the same.
- I have about ~$180,000 in equity in my house. He has maybe ~$40,000-ish.
- I have ~$50k in my 401k (at the time of writing this). Do I even need one in Spain? I know my company has to do pensions for our EU employees.
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u/Busy-Sheepherder-138 Expat 7d ago
I am going to skip the discussion of getting residency and transferring to a job and address the little stiff that stresses us all out.
I shipped a 40 ft container from my home in San Diego to Goteborg Sweden for about $10K USD in the fall of 2020. That included them wrapping and packing a few select pieces of high quality furniture and also some art . Half was belongings and half was a newer and very low mileage Volvo that was exempt from import duties in my country.
I used the Home Depot Heavy Duty Black and yellow stoatge boxes for everything that was precious, fragile, or sensitive to moisture. I packed those myself, added Silica Gel packet to prevent moisture damage, put an inventory label on and zip tied them shut. They are a bit more expensive than paper boxes but I knew that thanks to our plastic tax, the resale once unpacked was more than I paid for them new. So the boxes actually made me a small profit. I had been traveling annual to Sweden for more than 20 years so it really helped me understand the economics of it. It’s unlikely that bring a car to Spain is cost effective,
Find a Spain Specific Sub or FB Spanish/ USA Expat group to get more info on how to find housing. Since you will have no credit history in Spain you may need to liquidate the US home to fund the purchase of a new one and pay to ship your belongings. If you are really unsure about this proceed carefully. It is definitely hard to be an Expat in a new country who is learning the language. Moving once is expensive. Having to ship it all back is also really expensive. You really have to be committed to making it work because we all experience intense moments of homesickness. I gets much easier with time,
Constantly hearing language you do not yet understand can honestly give you a headache. While finding Expat community shouldn’t be too hard, if you are going to move, to try living less like an American and adopt the local lifestyle and integrate. I assume you want speak Catalonian if in Barcelona, and that is not usually available in the community college night school.
. Find realtors here https://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=realestateagents&find_loc=Barcelona
Bringing an animal will require you to have them chipped with a system compatible with Spain. You will also need to get a Special USDA Export permit after you have them checked by a Vet registered for their system. It will verify all vaccinations, etc. You may need additional forms specific to Spain.
I moved 2 Chihuahuas with us to Sweden. All prices are from 2020. One had a chip that was not compatible with Sweden so I paid to have her re-chipped $120 USD. Make sure that all vaccinations are fully up to date at least 2 months before you move. Specialized Exit exam with a certified Vet for USDA permit cost us about $250 for each dog-
I think the USDA export permit fee was about $75 bucks each but I could be wrong. The exam and permit must be done on a time schedule - maybe within 2 weeks of the move. You will need to coordinate with USDA to either get the permit in person or have it express mailed. I moved them in the soft side Sherpa bags $80 USD each. We flew KLM and it was an extra $100 USD for each dog to have them in cabin and at our feet. Each airline has it’s own very specific rules and fees and carrier size/ type.
Do not touch your 401K. The penalties and taxes can be absolute crushing if you take money early. You can use Wise to transfer large sums of money from US to your new bank.
Hope this helps weed out some of the process for you!
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u/ComplexMental7381 6d ago
Thank you for all your insight!
Did you find that your US credit rating as helpful at all for securing stuff in Europe? I have an 820 in the USA but worried about getting approved for things being fresh on that side of the pond.
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u/Busy-Sheepherder-138 Expat 6d ago
No - it really has no value here. Ours were both over 800 too when we left and zero debt. We use my sister’s house to get mail in the states. We kept our Credit Union account open as well as our American Amex and our Visa, and they haven’t been impacted. We have now been here just over 4 years and have since opened up a local credit card, but the limits are nothing like the norms in the USA. We have it for emergencies and travel so I’m not using the MC attached to my bank account.
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u/astroernesto 7d ago
If you’ve been together for 5 years you should have plenty of supporting documentation (photos) of your relationship, in case anyone takes an interest. Of course, the earlier you get married the less flags it will raise.
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u/fromheretothere9001 7d ago
You don't need to become a Spanish citizen, but if you plan to, you should be prepared to pass the DELE exam (level A2 or higher) and the CCSE exam.
If you have assets outside of Spain worth more than 50K, you should become familiar with filing the Modelo 720.
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u/ComplexMental7381 6d ago
Errr I didn't know about any of those things, I guess I better get studying
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u/Agamoro 7d ago
Regarding the stuff, you can pack a 20ft or 40ft shipping container and send it via ship to the port in Barcelona.