Solving Spain - It doesnt have to be Spainful

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España
Lanjarón
Solving Spain - It doesnt have to be Spainful

Moving to or living in Spain can be a dream come true—until the paperwork starts. Our team works for you

From visas and NIE applications to property purchases, tax matters, and residency issues, Spain’s bureaucracy can quickly become a maze of confusion .

01/09/2026

Before you order the kitchen…

There’s a point in most renovations when the ideas suddenly start becoming real.

The kitchen gets ordered. The builder gives you a date. Tiles arrive. Perhaps you've arranged somewhere else to stay while the messiest work is being done.

By then, you’ve usually spent some money too.

And that’s why we’d rather somebody asked the awkward questions a little earlier.

Not because we expect there to be a problem. Quite often there isn't. But if something about the property, the proposed work or the paperwork does need checking, before you've committed yourself is a much nicer time to discover it.

We’ve seen renovations bring old questions to the surface that had been sitting quietly for years. An alteration made by a previous owner. Something that doesn't appear quite as expected in the paperwork. A part of a rural property that has always been there, but now somebody wants to use differently.

The renovation didn't necessarily create the question.

It simply gave somebody a reason to look closely enough to find it.

And there’s a considerable difference between discovering that while you’re still sitting around the table discussing ideas and discovering it when the builder is due on Monday.

So before ordering everything, it can be worth checking the property you actually have against the renovation you're planning.

If everything is straightforward, wonderful. Carry on.

If something needs sorting out first, at least you've found it at a point when you still have choices.

That’s often where we help at Solving Spain — looking at what’s already there, working out what needs checking and, if necessary, getting the right architect, technical professional or legal adviser involved.

If you're planning a renovation and you're at the sketches, quotes and “could we knock this through?” stage, that’s actually a very good time to send us a WhatsApp.

📱 WhatsApp: +34 695 398 679
📧 Email: [email protected]
🌐 Website: www.solvingspain.com

30/08/2026

“The builder says it’s fine.”

We hear this quite a lot when somebody is planning work on their property.

They’ve found a builder they like, walked around the house together and explained what they want to do. Knock this wall through. Make that opening bigger. Turn this room into something more useful.

The builder has looked at it and said:

“Yes, no problem.”

And they may be absolutely right.

The thing worth remembering is that “Can you build this?” and “What needs to happen before we build this?” aren't quite the same question.

Your builder may know exactly how to do the work. But depending on what you're changing and the property itself, there may also be questions for an architect, another technical professional or the Town Hall.

That doesn't mean every renovation is about to disappear into months of paperwork. Quite often the answer is much simpler than people expect.

We just prefer to find out before the work starts.

Because once the kitchen has been ordered, materials have arrived and somebody has taken a hammer to the first wall, it’s a rather inconvenient moment to discover there was something else you should have checked.

So by all means talk to the builder about what you’d like to create.

Just make sure somebody has also asked whether there’s anything that needs sorting out before they create it.

If you're planning work on a property in Spain and you're not sure who should be checking what, send us a WhatsApp and tell us what you're hoping to do. Sometimes we can answer the question; sometimes we'll tell you which professional you need and help coordinate things from there.

WhatsApp: +34 695 398 679
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.solvingspain.com

28/08/2026

“But we’re only changing the inside…”

It’s something we hear when people are planning work on a house in Spain.

The new kitchen has been chosen. A builder has been round. Perhaps a wall is coming out to make the living room bigger, or that unused room downstairs is finally going to become something useful.

Then somebody mentions permissions.

“Why? We’re not building an extension. It’s all inside.”

And you can see why people assume that.

The difficulty is that “internal renovation” can mean anything from replacing a kitchen to removing walls, changing openings or turning a previously unused part of a property into living space.

Those aren't necessarily treated in the same way.

There’s another conversation we hear quite often too:

“The builder says it’s fine.”

They may be absolutely right about being able to build it. But knowing how to do the work and establishing what needs to happen before the work starts are two different questions.

And occasionally, looking at a renovation also brings something else to light — an old alteration, a discrepancy in the paperwork or part of the property that isn't quite recorded as everyone assumed.

None of that automatically means you can't do what you're planning.

It just means there are a few questions worth asking while the wall is still standing.

We’ve looked at this properly in our latest article, including why the existing property paperwork matters, when other professionals may need to become involved and why rural properties deserve particular care.

Read the full article here:
https://solvingspain.com/were-only-changing-the-inside-why-would-we-need-permission/

If you're planning work on a property in Spain and you're at the “surely we don't need permission for this?” stage, you're welcome to send us a WhatsApp and tell us what you're thinking of doing. We can help you work out what needs checking before you start.

WhatsApp: +34 695 398 679
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.solvingspain.com

26/08/2026

We've had conversations where somebody tells us something about their finances, their family, a property problem or a difficult situation and then adds:

“I'd rather this didn't get around.”

That sentence always makes me think.

Because when you choose somebody to advise you professionally, privacy shouldn't feel like an optional extra you need to request.

A legal adviser may learn an extraordinary amount about your life. Property values. Debts. Family circumstances. Inheritances. Relationships. Disputes. What you're buying, what you're selling and sometimes why you're doing it.

Would you want those details becoming tomorrow's anecdote in a conversation with another client?

Probably not.

For lawyers in Spain, professional secrecy isn't simply good manners. The professional rules expressly cover facts, communications, data, information and documents learned through their work, and the duty continues after the client relationship has ended.

So when choosing a legal adviser, we'd look beyond whether somebody seems friendly or comes recommended.

Ask yourself something much simpler:

Do I trust this person with things I wouldn't want repeated?

Because competence matters enormously.

So does discretion. Something that is often in short supply! If you want to keep your private business private, then choose carefully

Solving Spain works alongside legal and other professionals regularly, and choosing the right professional for the person and the situation is an important part of what we do.

📱 WhatsApp: +34 695 398 679
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.solvingspain.com

24/08/2026

There’s a moment that has become surprisingly ordinary in Spain.

Someone is helping you with a piece of administration and says:

“Just send me your digital certificate and I’ll do it for you.”

It sounds convenient.

And sometimes people hand it over without really thinking about what they're handing over.

Your digital certificate isn't simply another PDF to add to the folder. It can be used to identify you electronically when dealing with Spanish public administrations and to carry out procedures in your name.

So we think it deserves rather more care than forwarding a copy of your electricity bill.

Before giving somebody access to your certificate or the means to use it, understand who you're giving it to, why they need it, what they're going to use it for and whether there is a more appropriate way for them to act on your behalf.

Convenience is useful.

Control over your own identity is rather more important. We have had clients who, when asking for their digital certificate from some one was told "I don't have time" and it was needed for a vital transaction!!

This is one of those areas where, if somebody asks us “Is it normal for them to need this?”, we'd much rather they asked the question before sending anything.

If you're unsure what somebody needs from you to deal with a Spanish administrative process, ask us. We can help you work out the sensible next step.

📱 WhatsApp: +34 695 398 679
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.solvingspain.com

23/08/2026

“I know I’ve got it somewhere…”

There’s usually a folder.

Sometimes it’s beautifully organised. Sometimes it’s a collection of plastic wallets, folded pieces of paper and documents that were obviously very important on the day somebody handed them over.

An NIE. Something from the Town Hall. Something relating to residency. A certificate you remember waiting weeks for. Another document you were told never to lose.

A few years later, somebody asks for one of them.

And that’s when the folder comes out.

The funny thing is, most people aren’t missing everything. Quite often they have a surprising amount of what they need.

They’re just not entirely sure what each document actually does.

We see this a lot with people living in Spain. They’ve done the appointments, collected the paperwork and followed the instructions they were given at the time. But nobody ever really explained how the different pieces fit together.

So when somebody suddenly asks for a Padrón, proof of residency or another particular document, the natural reaction is:

“Haven’t I already done this?”

Possibly.

But before starting another application, it’s worth establishing what you already have and what you’re actually being asked to prove.

Sometimes that makes the next step much simpler.

And if your Spanish paperwork folder has reached the stage where you know everything is probably in there but you’re no longer completely sure what any of it is, you’re certainly not unusual.

Send us a WhatsApp and tell us what you're trying to do. We can help you work out what you have and what needs to happen next.

📱 WhatsApp: +34 695 398 679
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.solvingspain.com

18/08/2026

“But I’ve already got my NIE…”

We hear this more often than you might imagine.

Someone has gone through the process of getting their NIE, kept the document safely and assumed that particular bit of Spanish bureaucracy was dealt with.

Then they try to do something else and are asked for another document.

“Why? I thought that was what my NIE was for.”

And that’s where the confusion starts.

An NIE is important, but it has a particular job. It doesn’t automatically prove everything else about your situation in Spain, and it isn't interchangeable with things such as residence documentation or the Padrón.

The difficult part is that nobody necessarily explains how all these different pieces fit together.

So people end up with a folder full of official-looking documents, several Spanish acronyms they vaguely recognise and still no clear answer to the question they actually need answering:

“What do I need for the thing I’m trying to do next?”

That’s what we’ve looked at in our latest article.

Not another enormous list of Spanish paperwork to remember, but a straightforward explanation of why having your NIE doesn't always mean you've got the document you're now being asked for — and how to make sense of what comes next.

Read the full article here:
I’ve Got My NIE. So Why Are They Asking Me for Something Else?

And if you’ve reached the “I know I’ve got some of these documents, but I’m not entirely sure which ones” stage, you can always send us a WhatsApp and tell us what you're trying to do. We can help you work out where to start.

📱 WhatsApp: +34 695 398 679
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.solvingspain.com

16/08/2026

We were told everything was fine.”

When these owners bought their rural property, they did what most people would consider the right thing.

They used a legal adviser to deal with the purchase and were assured that everything was in order.

That included a natural spring supplying water to the land. They had no reason to question it and, for years, there was no reason to think anything had been missed.

Then they decided to sell.

During the sale, questions were raised about the ownership and rights connected with the spring. To complicate matters, the local Town Hall was also using water from it.

When Solving Spain became involved and started looking into the history, we discovered that the original paperwork relating to the arrangement had been lost many years ago.

Suddenly we had a seller who had bought believing this had already been checked, a buyer who understandably wanted clarity, a Town Hall with an interest in the water supply, and no original document providing a simple answer.

We spent a considerable amount of time tracing the history, speaking with those involved and working through the issue so that a solution could be found for both buyer and seller.

What makes this case worth sharing is the assumption at the beginning.

The owners had been assured by the legal adviser handling their purchase that everything was fine, so naturally they believed this particular question had already been dealt with. It hadn't.

That only became apparent years later, when they wanted to sell.

It’s one of the reasons we’re careful with rural properties about things such as water rights, access, boundaries and long-standing arrangements. “It’s always been like that” and “we were told it was fine when we bought” are reassuring things to hear, but sometimes the paperwork still needs checking.

If there’s something about your own property that you've always assumed was dealt with when you bought it, but have never actually seen the paperwork, you're welcome to ask us.

📱 WhatsApp: +34 695 398 679
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.solvingspain.com

14/08/2026

You don’t need to know what’s wrong before you ask us.

People sometimes send us a WhatsApp that starts something like:

“I’m not even sure if this is something you deal with…”

Then they send a photograph of a document.

Or three documents.

Perhaps they’re thinking about selling in a year or two. They want to renovate eventually. They’ve always wondered about an extension, a pool or an old building on the land. Sometimes they’ve simply noticed that two pieces of paperwork don't seem to say quite the same thing.

What they usually want to know is: “Do we actually need to do anything about this?”

That’s a much better place to start than trying to diagnose the problem yourself.

A lot of what we do with existing property owners is simply working out what they already have, what it relates to and whether anything needs checking further. If it needs an architect, lawyer or another professional, then we can establish that too.

Sometimes there is something to sort out.

Sometimes the answer is reassuringly straightforward.

But you don't need to arrive knowing which one it is.

If there’s a piece of paperwork you’ve been quietly wondering about, send us a WhatsApp and tell us what you're trying to understand. A photo of the document and “Can you tell me where we start with this?” is absolutely fine.

📱 WhatsApp: +34 695 398 679
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.solvingspain.com

Dirección

Calle Senor De La Expiracion 48
Lanjarón
18420

Teléfono

+34695398679

Página web

http://www.solvingspain.com/

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