What do you have to pay and when? We’ve been asked this question recently by a reader of our newsletter. This tax calendar explains what needs to be paid by residents, non-residents and landlords:

If you are a resident you can read these summaries of the tax obligations for those living permanently in Spain:

Tax in Spain for residents: Read our quick guide

Here you’ll find information about non-resident requirements:

There isn’t much you can do as a regular visitor to Spain without an NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero). If you have a home here then you automatically are required to have the “foreigners’ identification number” and any significant financial transaction will require you to recall it. Your NIE never needs renewing and applies whether you are a resident or a non-resident:

With air fares pretty steep at the moment many people are looking for alternatives. One of the most obvious is taking your car instead of the plane. However, there are many considerations when embarking on this option too. In this article we provide our suggestions for making the journey a manageable and maybe even an enjoyable one:

Lots of people have in the past and are considering it for the future. It’s a big step and one that’s proved to be the perfect choice for many people. How do you know if it’s the right move for you and what to do if it is? In our article we consider what’s involved, including the tax implications and the next steps to take:

Villena is a town in the north-western part of Alicante. If you’ve never heard of it you might want to read David Ruiz’ article. It’s a historic site dating back 2000 years and is known for its grape growing. It’s definitely worth a visit with its 16th century church and medieval castle and could even be the perfect match for starting your new life in Spain:

Spanish trains are usually very punctual – particularly the high-speed ones. However, if your Spanish train does happen to be delayed then you can ask for a refund. Follow this link to find out how to get your money back if you’ve been left waiting on the platform for too long:

We’re coming across more and more sites for solar panels these days. After a hesitant start it really looks as though Spain has got behind the drive for solar energy. In this article in El País we’re told that the generation of green energy actually exceeded that of demand:

The nine hours in which Spain made the 100% renewable dream a reality

It isn’t just solar panels generating the power. Wind turbines have been busy too, reminding us what potential Spain has to generate energy from these sources.

We are also starting to see solar plants popping up locally. One is currently being planned in the countryside of Los Montesinos:

And there has also been speculation about other potential sites in the region.

If you are a landlord then you might be interested in reading about the new rental laws that are being introduced in Spain. These include a rental ceiling, new definitions of a ‘large landlord’ and of a ‘stressed market area’. New regulations are also being applied surrounding evictions and if you do rent out your property then it’s worth checking out whether any of these new rules apply to you:

Jet2 was recently shown to be one of the airlines who least loads on the extra charges when you book a flight. Now, they are also announcing a new flight path from Liverpool to Alicante. This will come as good news to those wanting to take advantage of the relative comfort of a Jet2 flight. Other airports currently used by Jet2 include Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, East Midlands, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and London-Stansted:

Now a new app is set to reveal the true statistics behind the division of labour in Spanish households. It’s a free app that is intended to log the amount of time that different members of a household spend on different chores.

It’s an interesting idea but whether this will actually make any difference, except to the already converted, is hard to see:

It’s been a very dry spring and now – it’s changed its mind again and is making up for it! At least in the Valencian region. The rain can be an inconvenience but, of course, it is an absolute necessity too and any difficulties caused by it need to be balanced with the importance of the reservoirs being full. It is of particular concern for the many farmers here and rain has become a political issue too.

You can read about some of the key concerns in this article:

The traditional Spanish bar is under threat as the chains are taking over. That’s the grim message behind this article in the Local which explains how a combination of factors, COVID response included, have conspired to make life even harder for the Spanish family-run bar. So, if you want it to stay local and loved then give the chains and franchises a miss:

Are Spain's traditional bars in danger?

Every so often something new turns up that gives us just a little more information about those that went before us. Now in Penáguila in Alicante archaeologists have discovered cave paintings that they believe to be around 7,000 years old. These Neolithic paintings were discovered with the help of a drone:

If you know your tajisnaste from your piorn then you might be interested in following up some of these suggestions for bathing in the beauty and fragrance of your favourite flowers. Poppies in Burgos and orange blossom in Seville are just two of the suggestions from Spanish News Today:

From 20th to 24th June the festival of San Juan will be celebrated in Spain. This is a lively, noisy opportunity to celebrate the summer and as you would expect, there will be fireworks, music, dancing and for this fiesta – fire. It’s a particularly popular celebration in Alicante and from this link you can read about its origins as well as how it is celebrated today:

Well, we don’t actually know yet which one people will choose but here you can read about ten contenders for the title. Perhaps you have visited one already or perhaps you’re going to have a tour yourself this summer and choose first hand?

We would welcome any suggestions for future themes you would like us to cover either in the newsletter or in an article on Spain Explained.

Please let us know by email at newsletter@abacoadvisers.com.

Thank you!