I’m Moving To Spain!
I’ve been a bit quiet lately, and if you’ve noticed a shift in my posting schedule, there’s a very big reason why: I’m moving to Spain! After 19 years in Ireland, I’ve decided to trade the endless rain for the sun, a slower pace of life, and a better environment for my passion for horses. It hasn’t been a simple “pack and go” process—between selling my home, figuring out how to move a “pony-sized” dog and a grumpy cat, and battling Spanish paperwork, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind. Here is a look behind the scenes at my “moving flowchart” and why I’m making this leap.
Picture Credit: Elodie Astier
Table of contents
TL;DR
- The Big News: I’m officially moving from Ireland to sunny Spain!
- The Logistics: Navigating a house sale, cross-country pet transport, and the “moving runway” of international relocation.
- The Hurdles: Dealing with the “Place That Sends You Mad” (Spanish bureaucracy) and the great name/maiden name debate.
- What’s Next: A new life on a Spanish Finca, a dream Andalusian horse, and fresh culinary inspiration.
What is Happening in My Life Currently
You Seem Quiet, What’s Happening?
You might have noticed a few small changes in my activity in the last few months in the way I post, missing the occasional week, so I figured I’d give you a bit of an update about what is going on in my life right now.
As the title suggests, I am planning to move to Spain. And if all goes (reasonably) well to Arcos De La Frontera to be exact.
And when I say I’m planning I mean my house was put on the market for sale, I have a sale agreed on it and we are in the phase of surveys, contracts being exchanged and all that stuff, including all the worries and headaches this phase usually comes with, keeping me essentially in survival mode, just trying my best to update the moving flowchart my brain seems to be revolving around currently.
I’m doing a cross country move for the third time now (first was from Germany to France, second from France to Ireland 19 years ago), with multiple house moves in between due to houses in Ireland being sold while living in them and some changes in my life. So you’d think I’m well used to it by now.
This Move Is Different
But selling a house, moving three pets, one of which is a Shetland pony sized Caucasian Shepherd who really dislikes those tiny metal boxes we call cars (despite being all too happy in his crate) and one of which is a very drive averse cat, planning to move to a country whose language I don’t speak (except for my now about eight weeks of Duolingo) and where I have no connections is at a rather different level.
And since I’m certainly not the only person in the world doing this, I figured I use the chance to tell you a little about my motivation, my experiences so far, the struggles I’m facing and my solutions at this point in time. That being said, I’m still in the middle of it. So I guess we’ll see how it all turns out, won’t we?
My Motivation
I’ve been thinking about moving towards warmer realms for a while now, but the last Irish winter with two months straight of rain (and lots of it!) every single darn day really made a point of cementing that thought into reality.
And not just the weather, it’s also the cost of living having gone up rather crazily during the last few years, so while my Dell redundancy pay kept me going for a while, the gap between the end of that and the time it will take this blog to earn me a living are too far apart to make it work while staying here. And if I learned one thing during the last year it’s, that this is indeed what I want to be doing for a living. Hence I need to change how I live to bridge the gap.
Now, you could certainly do it in other ways than moving to another country, but frankly, if I can get out of the darn rain, into the sun, towards amazing fresh food into a country that is as obsessed with horses as I am instead of giving up pretty much everything I love for several years, well, that just seems like a better deal to me.
While I will sell my house in Ireland and won’t be able to buy a new one in Spain for the next 3 years, it does take away the anxiety and pressure for a while and leaves me with a deposit for a future home including enough funding to rent a nice Finca including horse facilities for a few years. But more about that in a moment.
Let’s talk logistics.
How I am Planning My Move To Spain
My Internal “Flowchart”
If you ever moved in your life, you know there is generally a lot of “If this then that” involved, when it comes to timings, prices, what to take with you and what to sort out, and unless you are a much more organised person than me, this sort of flowchart usually lives in your mind. (Hello mental load!)
Let me take you through the long list of things to think about, many of which I have ticked off my list by now thankfully.
Is A House Sale A Good Idea?
Can I sell the house without losing money? This was the very first thought to which the answer was thankfully a resounding yes. In fact, thanks to the property market and my house being just over 4 years old with a solar roof, it was right in the range of “wanted” that was needed for a reasonably quick sale.
Only downside: It’s in a tiny village.
To me this was a bonus, but most people seem to prefer bigger towns. But it certainly wasn’t a deal breaker. Just a slight price adjustment.
Getting It Sale Ready
So I asked myself how much repair/upgrade would my house need to get it ready for selling?
Thankfully the answer was (from all I know): Not very much.
I hired a multi-talented handyman who did everything from fixing a few settling cracks on in- and outside over a fresh coat of paint for a few rooms (mostly because of dog slobber and similar, which is surprisingly clean-resistant), proper lawn mowing (which I absolutely despise!), and some pressure cleaning around the house. I did that myself the years before, but it took me 2 days and then took my body out of commission for another 2-3 thanks to the joys of arthritis, so I decided outsourcing is the smarter way to go.
My aim was and is to move around June, so I had to get the fixes done in January, which wasn’t great for outside paint drying. He had to do a windowsill 3 times, because first my cat hopped onto it while wet (of course he did!), then it rained. And rained. And rained.
Said cat, looking not remotely guilty:
Leading to the paint simply running off straight away, until we finally caught one day where it was just dry enough for it to set. We had hoped for that by looking at the weather forecast the days before, but…well…we are in Ireland, where you can get rain even with bright blue sky. Go figure.
The Question Of Moving Funds
The next major question, which was mostly parallel with the two above: Will I have enough funds to cover the rather substantial moving costs for me and all my pets?
That one was a little more complicated, as I had a horse and said 3 other pets.
So while I love my horse, trained her myself and had a really hard time deciding to find her a new home, some of her health conditions (history of ulcers and a ligament injury last year. Yup, they don’t leave anything out when it comes to chances to hurt themselves…) weren’t really ideal for the high protein diet and hard ground in Spain.
Plus, yes the costs of moving her would have gone beyond my budget, as it would have to be paid in advance.
And with that I made the tough decision to find her a new home. Which I did, with an absolutely lovely family also focused on natural horsemanship and treating horses kindly.
Me last year at a clinic which Kachina. We did have a lot of fun together, despite health issues.
Can you spot the dolphin on her forehead?
Phew. One big worry sorted.
Now the moving funds question was a yes too.
House Sale In Progress
I found a great agency for selling my house and a good solicitor. They handle the whole flurry of paperwork that comes with selling. So while there was a structural survey hiccup causing me nightmares for a week or so, this went smoother than expected. The original Engineer who surveyed the house checked it and confirmed it’s normal settling cracks and all is fine. Phew.
A buyer was found within weeks. But of course the whole back and forth of contracts, questions and all the things going into a sale is still taking time.
Have you ever felt waiting is the worst thing?
I’m fine when I can actively do things to progress, but to just….wait is terrifying!
What To Do With My Car?
Now, without knowing I’d be made redundant just weeks later, I traded in my SsangYong in favor of a Dacia Duster in October 2024, to fit Wookie, my Shetland pony sized fluffball. Unfortunately that did absolutely nothing to convince him the car might be worth even thinking about stepping into. Despite freeze dried liver treats, which he literally drools over and a really sturdy ramp I bought for him. We are working on it.
Lilly on the other hand is all too excited to get into the car and on adventures, which to Wookie sounds like “Excitement means unsafe”. Not helpful.
Very cute though. 🙂
Picture Credit: Thanks to Hollie. 🙂
But, back to the car:
Ireland, right hand drive. Spain, left hand drive.
So taking it to Spain would not only make overtaking a rather dangerous manoeuvre but also void all of its resale value instantly. Not an option. Selling it is.
Unfortunately, due to living in a tiny village without public transport or shops, I’ll need it until the very last day here. So it’ll be a bit of a mad dash between car sale and airport or…campervan.
Moving To Spain From Ireland With Pets
Which of course left me in a bit of a kerfuffle around the pets. Without a car I can’t take them myself. A flight with Wookie, being ginormous, would cost around 7000€ (for all 3 pets together), as a special transport box would have to be built for him. Plus having them in the cargo as they are now allowed in the cabin due to their size didn’t sound like a great travel experience to be honest. Hmm yeah, maybe not flying then.
The Shetland pony sized Wookie in question:
Picture Credit: Thanks to Hollie. 🙂
Animal couriers is my second option and one still on the list. It’s around 4200€ for all three pets. Still rather crazy, but clearly better than flying.
Now there is a third option: Buy a campervan (left hand drive) in Ireland and take the pets in that, then sell it after a year in Spain. This saves me the crazy high import tax, since I’m taking it with me as part of a residency change. It also sounds super tempting, as it involves a nice long road trip through France and Spain, which would be marvellous. But maybe not alone!
My partner, who lives in the UK, might join the road trip, which would definitely make the campervan option more feasible!
Hence mental flowchart saying:
If he comes, camper van, which will be bought right the day the house sale goes through.
If he doesn’t: Animal couriers and me on a flight, which I’d have to book weeks in advance. Hmm.
Did I mention this whole thing feels a bit like landing an airplane on a moving runway?
You thought that’s it? Nah, far from it!
What To Do When I Arrive In Spain?
Renting A Finca In Spain
This one was settled (unless things drag out until after August, which I really, really hope they won’t!) a few weeks ago by finding a gorgeous Finca to rent that has facilities for up to 5 horses. At a very affordable price. Less than my current mortgage per month. And that would be just for my house in Ireland. Without livery for a horse to keep me sane.
Because horses and working with them is what keeps me sane. Being with them quiets my mind, which is something I desperately need in my life.
In a huge stroke of luck I got along fabulously with the current tenant, who also keeps horses and helped me find my dream horse in Spain before I even got there. She knew a black PRE (Pura Raza Espanola) or Andalusian, as they are called elsewhere, stallion.
So after a vet check for him, he is now already waiting for me to pick him up.
Meet Illusion:
Yeah, I’m not sure that lowers my stress levels, but it most certainly ups my motivation!
I’ll be getting him a buddy once I’m there. But that has to wait until I actually arrive and have a few days to look around.
Spanish NIE For Expats Or:
Beware if you ever changed your name by Marrying
Think of the iconic Asterix and Obelix movie from 1976 “The Twelve Tasks of Asterix”. Task no. 8 sends them to “The Place That Sends You Mad” in the hunt for Permit A38 through an endless number of rooms with indifferent clerks, telling them they got the wrong form, wrong input and so on to get it.
This is how the system feels to me right now.
Mind you, I thankfully had the AI collecting a whole bunch of information from government sites that are all in Spanish. So I knew I need to start by getting a NIE, the Spanish equivalent to the Irish PPS number, which is used for all things tax and social security.
So far so good. Can’t be that complicated I thought, taking the extra safety net of hiring a gestor service to obtain said NIE for me by simply providing them with my passport and be done with it. At least that was their promise.
And a NIE they got. Just unfortunately for a completely different legal person to me.
Isn’t The Legal Name The Same, No Matter Where?
First the local police decided that the two dots over the “o” of my last name, making it into an “ö”, legally translated into OE. This is visible on the passports Machine readable bottom, which is what correctly states my legal name internationally, simply into an “O”. Because “We don’t do special characters”. Say the Spanish. With every sentence full of them.
A few mails later, linking international legislation, that part was fixed.
Maiden Name Vs. Married Name
You’d think it ends there, but women who were at some point in their life married face a second hurdle: Their maiden name.
The Spanish police has the unfortunate habit of insisting that the maiden name is part of my legal name. Which, according to said MRZ (machine readable zone) on my passport is not the case.
To prove this, I also sent them my drivers license (EU), my current Irish Government ID, my Marriage and birth certificate. These are showing exactly when my name changed. To no avail.
“It is written on the passport, so it is part of the name” they say.
Only legally, according to banks, insurances and all other governments, including German law which my name is legislated by, it really is not. Leading to all sorts of potential problems with said institutions in the future.
I’ve been through a similar issue in Ireland with just said “Ö”. And frankly, have no desire of repeating this dance at every single bigger bank transaction.
The Reality For Many Expats
Checking in a Spanish expat FB group, apparently this refusal to accept the correct legal name of an individual goes so far, that some, in their desperation, changed their legal name in all other countries they had records in, to get it to match the one in Spain.
Now of course also my rental contract, which would be my main proof of residency, has said incorrect name on it, as I need a place to arrive and live when my house is sold.
And since, despite an endless mail back and forth with said Gestor company, who should know better, I simply could not get it corrected, that’s one issue I still have to try and get sorted, if needed by obtaining a letter with forced name correction from the German consulate once I’m in Spain.
Big Sigh.
Buying A Car In Spain As An Expat
And if you thought things end with the above…there is more.
With my car sale in Ireland I will of course need a new car in Spain. And with the money from the house sale that should be easy, right?
Wrong.
First of all, car dealers and their banks really dislike international transfers. So I need a Spanish bank account, which is currently on hold because of said naming issue.
Because if said naming issue isn’t solved, the bank will, according to EU law, say “Well, the account holder in Ireland (which has my correct legal name) and that person on the NIE (suddenly a double name) are two different people which smells like money laundering, so we’ll block this transfer.”
Which can take time to sort.
Then the insurance company comes in with similar issues. Thinking my no claims bonus belongs to someone else.
So let’s assume I got that sorted…oh wait! I have to register as self employed first, so I get a tax reduction from buying said car, as I use it for my business. Back with the naming problems.
Bit of a rats tail, isn’t it?
For the sake of the argument, we’ll skip all that hassle above and hope it’s sorted quickly (didn’t we learn better from Asterix and Obelix?) and I can, in fact, buy a new car. This will take about 2 weeks, even in a best case scenario where all that naming back and forth isn’t a concern. In which I’ll have to hire a rental car to get from Police station to tax office to car dealer (let alone supermarkets and similar to actually survive).
And My Sourdough Starter?
While I’m not worrying too much about the starter frankly, as I can create a new one any time by simply mixing flour and water and feeding for a week. But just in case, I did dry some of mine, spread very thinly on baking parchment, then leaving it to air dry for about 2 days, and crumbled it up and packed it into a small Tupperware box, ready to move.
When I arrive, I’ll simply add it to a portion of water and flour and it’ll bounce right back.
Well, that’s the theory at least. We’ll see how it goes in reality. 😊
And This Is Why I Have Moving Brain
And with all that, I hope you forgive me if my posting, let alone videos, becomes just a little less frequent with the odd pause in between.
I’ll be back once my brain is less of a scramble with tons and tons of new recipe and content ideas. Among them the transition of my recipes from cool Ireland to hot Spain, a whole bunch of fabulous fresh fruit and veg to play with and new local recipes to discover.
Ah yes, the part I’m actually looking forward to.
I knew there was something in there I’m doing this for! Just got to remind myself occasionally.
Have You Been Through An International Move?
Did I mention my landlord only speaks Spanish?
Can you see the flowchart in my mind?
Have you ever moved country without a relocation agent?
What were your experiences?
I’d love to hear from you and swap stories!
If you plan to Spain and would like to hear more about the move and how all of us (Fluffy and non-fluffy) are settling, let me know!
Meanwhile Enjoy These Posts
A reader asked what exactly I ate to lose weight.
So I created this Post: 25 recipes that I ate (and still eat) to feel satisfied while in a calorie deficit.
To show you other ways to use the basic protein sourdough recipe, I started a new series.
The first post is featuring Caraway Sticks.
Though if you are more of an enriched dough kind of person, the Blueberry Cheesecake Danishes are for you!
