“I’m sorry, we’ve just changed all the policies around that, you’ll have to call back in a few weeks” said the person at the Spanish embassy, promptly hanging up.
Great. I should be used to this by now, as it seems every time I get to grips with some aspect of the big move to Spain, someone changes the rules back in Spain!
Over time, I’ll be sharing some of the hurdles I encounter while planning the big move from New Zealand to Spain. For Europeans moving to Spain, and those who are already there, I’m sure some of the experiences will be eye openers that will probably make you ask the question that I often ask myself “Is it all worth the effort?”.
For instance, until late 2009 New Zealand did not even have a Spanish Embassy, and the Consulate here did not have the authority to provide visas. We would have had to fly to Australia to undertake the interviews, see an Australian doctor and then head back to NZ to wait for approval. Then fly back to Australia to pick them up!
If we were just visiting Spain, no problem, as New Zealander’s don’t need a visa as long as they don’t stay more than 90 days. Anything more permanent, and the effort grows exponentially the further along the process you get.
The effort and planning going into the move to Spain is considerable, more so when you are not from Europe. There will be delays, misunderstanding and moments of absolute frustration. The perspective my wife and I have taken on this is that it is good practice for when we have finally reach Spain and get to deal with the bureaucratic engine that is well know to all who live in Spain.
We will get there. I have no doubt about it. And the journey will at very least be entertaining. In my next post I’ll be covering how much money we need to make the big move, it’s scarier than you think!
Karl Rohde is a freelance writer and marketing consultant currently living in New Zealand. Feel free to check out his blog or follow him on Twitter at @karlrohde
Looking forward to reading more..
We moved from UK to Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands and a part of Spain, in 2003 and we know what you mean about the way things work here!
We still think it is very worthwhile though and love the lifestyle that we have here (albeit very frustrating at times!).
Very true. Frustration has to be viewed from a detached viewpoint to make it more humourous
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I moved to the Canaries over 20 years ago from the UK and things have drastically improved since then. The red tape can still be annoying at times, but once all is completed and the move finalized, It is worth it. Good luck