I am an American and have a job offer from a Spanish Co., what do I have to do to obtain a work permit in Spain? Is there any advantage by having studied the last 2 years in Spain? (2005-05-30)

You should contact one of the following entities (depending on the city you are in Spain):

  • Direccion provincial de Trabajo.
  • Seguridad Social y de Asuntos Sociales.
  • Oficina de Extranjeros.

They will inform you about what you need (documents) for your particular situation. Finally, you should know that the Legal System in Spain considers that having a paid job and at the same time being a student is an exceptional situation. This means that one has to prove that the job is not necessary for one’s living and that it does not take time away from attending the classes and studying.

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My brother married to a polish citizen is living in Spain for more than one and half year. When can he apply for nationality?

In order that any non Spanish national becomes a Spanish national they must reside in Spain for a period of ten years minimum (there are a few exceptions like oficial refugees or nationals of Spanish South America, Andorra, Philippines, Republic of Equatorial Guiena, Portugal, Sephardies…all of them needing a term of five year’s residence).
There are other exceptions (needing one year’s term) for other persons such as the ones who have born in Spain, people married to a Spanish national, etc, etc.
Therefore, in your case, and with the details you mentioned, you cannot at this time apply for the Spanish nationality.

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What is an Escritura? (2005-06-23 )

In Spain “Escritura” or “Escritura Pública” means Deed or legal written document signed, sealed, witnessed and recorded by a notary public. A Deed related to any form of real estate transaction is normally submitted to the Land Registry for its registration.

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What taxes must I pay in Spain as a non resident individual property owner? (2010-01-01)

Non-resident individuals owning real estate properties in Spain have the obligation to declare and pay the following taxes every year:

  1. Land Rate tax (or I.B.I. ) , yearly payable to the municipality. It is based on the valor catastral (officially rated value) of each property and can vary broadly from town to town.
  2. Property owners’ attributed income tax. Also a yearly tax. Non residents pay two percent of the “valor catastral”, a officially rated value, of their property attributed to them as a sort of made-up income. In case the property rated value has been recently raised property owners pay 1.1 percent.

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What does I.B.I. stand for in Spanish real estate assets? (2007-04-17)

IBI, or Impuesto de Bienes Inmuebles, means the municipal real estate tax. This tax is charged annually by the municipality. Every IBI receipt shows the real estate property’s cadastral reference number (important for several other tax declarations) as well as the official assessed value of such property.

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As a buyer of a real-estate property in Spain, do I have to hold and deposit any percentage of the price with Tax Authorities?

In case you purchase from a non-resident, you are legally obliged to deposit a three per cent of the total declared price with tax authorities in the name of the vendor as a guarantee of his taxes. If this obligation is not accomplished, then the tax aAuthorities could eventually make you (i.e. the acquired real-estate property) responsible in case the seller does not pay his dues. (2007-07-06)

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What taxes and expenses must I pay when I purchase a real estate property in Spain?

There are two taxes and two expenses that must be paid:

TAXES
- Transfer tax: In Spanish it is known as Impuesto de Transmisiones Patrimoniales (ITP), and is a 7% in Andalucía for properties having a value below € 400,000 (8% in case they are over that value) of the declared purchase’s price. Only in case you buy a new property from the developer you do not pay ITP but you pay IVA (Value Added Tax) which is a 7% of the declared purchase’s price and in addition to IVA you pay a Stamp duty Tax of 1% (applicable in Andalucía as well).
- Plusvalía Tax: it is a municipal tax also known in Spanish as Arbitrio Municipal sobre el Incremento del Valor de los Terrenos, but people prefer to call it Plusvalía for short. Its amount can vary and it is based on the increase in the value of the land where the property is located calculated from the date the last sale took place. Therefore it is a seller’s tax, and you must be aware of this since there is a widely spread customary formula by means of which the sellers make that the buyers agree to pay this tax, and once agreed, the buyers cannot claim any reimbursement. In order to know the exact amount that corresponds to any purchase’s plusvalía tax, you can simply ask it at the municipal tax office in your town.

EXPENSES
- Notary fees. These are fixed fees based on an official scale.
- Property Registry fees: also fixed fees based on an official scale.

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Do I have to sign the estate agent’s prepared contract when I choose to buy one property in Spain?

Even though the written agreement they propose may go fine with you, it is rather probable that it will include a number of clauses more favourable to the vendor than to you and you should want to consult with any lawyer before you sign. Besides this, there is nothing obligatory about the method of private contract and deposit followed by completion and final payment. In case you want the property and have the price prepared, you can carry on straight to the notary public and obtain your title deed directly paying over the full price that very moment.

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What is a “nota simple” according to the Spanish real estate system?

It is a digest of the property’s record into the Property Registry books, which will incorporate a mention to any mortgages or several other charges pending on the property as well as the true owner’s identity.

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Does the owner of a plot need to declare the existence of a new building on it and register it at the Spanish Property Registry?

Declaring and registering a new building at the Property Registry in Spain is not a legally demandable action since for constructions as well as in general for several other real-estate transactions the rule is of voluntary registration. However, as for the case of registration of several other actions at the Property Registry, it is normally advisable, or even necessary, to do it when owners face a transmission, external financing or other transactions such as subdivision of the built area (2009-07-01)

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