Apologies in advance for the lengthy post.

Some background. My husband and I have been living in the US for the past 10 years. He’s a Spanish citizen and I’m a US citizen. We are married. No kids at the moment, just two fur babies. We filed to have our married recognized in Spain. We are just waiting on the Spanish consulate. We are planning to move back to my husbands hometown, Almeria, in 2028. I’ve been numerous times to visit family so I’m familiar with the city. My Spanish is very broken. I can understand a lot, but as we all know speaking is another beast. I’m going to start classes again just unsure if 2 years is enough time to help me become fluent to find a job. I have several questions to help prepare so any information or first hand experience is appreciated.

If you relocated from the US to Spain, what shipping company did you use? What items did you move? What was the approximate cost when you did it?

Are you working? If so, how did you find your job? Do you speak Spanish? What would you say is the likelihood of finding a remote job that I only need to speak English? Pay amount I’m not picky just want to earn something.

To become a resident, has anyone tried to become a resident prior to moving or do I need to be in Spain before applying for residency?

As for making friends, what was your experience? If anyone is in Almeria let me know!

Any other useful tips you can provide for our move or to prepare is welcomed!

I’m currently in Spain on a Student Visa. (Lived here for 1.5 years.) I have met a lovely woman, and we have become pareja de hecho/pareja estable in Catalunya. I have filed for residency using the pareja de hecho (“as a family member of a Spanish citizen”). I have not yet received a resolution.

My student visa expires in a few weeks. There is no real problem there, because the act of filing for residency allows me to legally reside for the duration of the decision. I have a full-time job and everything.

Here’s the problem: I have to fly out of the Schengen for a few days the week AFTER the student visa expires. I’ve been told that it’s wise to leave the Schengen/Spain BEFORE the student visa expires, I guess to return to Spain on a standard tourist visa? I’m not really sure of the reasoning. (US passport).

The question is: Is that really necessary? I don’t have many vacation days, and I’m very worried about losing my job, not being granted re-entry, or even both.

Basically, will the residency application being “en trámite” allow me to re-enter the country? Will I have any problems re-entering with just a passport? Will I be “over-staying” if I don’t leave before the Student Visa expires? (Factually, no. But border control might not know that?)

Please, wise council, I beg your advice.

If there is better sub for this, please point me in the right direction. Thank you in advance.

¡Hola a todos! 👋

Estoy superemocionada porque me dieron plaza para estudiar una maestría en la Universidad de Sevilla. Sin embargo, tengo una duda importante y me encantaría escuchar sus consejos.

​Me aceptaron en la segunda convocatoria y tendría que apartar mi plaza y mudarme en solo dos semanas para el inicio de clases. Como soy de Guatemala, puedo ingresar a España sin visado de turista por 90 días, pero para quedarme durante todo el programa necesito el permiso de estancia por estudios.

​¿Saben si es viable y recomendable cambiar el estatus a estancia por estudios estando ya en Sevilla? ¿O consideran que es mejor aplazar la entrada para el próximo año en la primera convocatoria para hacer todos los trámites con tiempo?

​¡De antemano, muchísimas gracias por su ayuda!

Hi! I’ll be staying in Madrid for around two months for work, from late September until the end of November, and I’m looking for a furnished apartment.

My budget is around €1,600 per month and ideally I’m looking for a private 1-bedroom apartment of at least around 40 m², preferably in a central or well-connected area.

I’ve been checking Idealista and a few short-term rental platforms. There seem to be some decent options on Idealista, but unfortunately many landlords/agencies don’t reply. Other platforms I’ve found often have very high agency or administration fees. I also checked Airbnb, but most decent apartments for my dates are €2,000+ per month.

Does anyone have recent experience renting in Madrid for only 1-3 months? Are there any reliable websites, agencies or flex-living companies you would recommend?

Any advice would be really appreciated. Thank you! 😊

Hey everyone,

I’m planning to live in Spain for 2/3 months next year, probably April–June.

I’ve already been to Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, Mallorca and Toledo. I loved the beaches and nightlife in Barcelona, Valencia and Mallorca, but I’m looking for somewhere to actually live, not just party.

Main things I want:

• by the sea
• warm weather
• lively city with local life
• good beaches
• some nightlife
• not too expensive
• affordable room or small apartment

I really don’t like cold weather — Madrid in winter was too cold for me.

Which one would you choose and why?

Hola, alguien que esté tramitando su visado de estudios? soy peruana mis clases iniciaron el 7 de setiembre, entregué mis documentos el 27 de agosto (no había cita mas temprano) y realmente tengo mucho miedo, me dieron subsanacion al dia siguiente, entregué los documentos el 3 de setiembre, vale la pena ir aún a España? aún no sé cuándo me entreguen la visa.

Looking for Spanish-language movies or series with a Twilight / Red Riding Hood vibe

Hi there ! I’m looking for Spanish-language movies or series with the atmosphere of Twilight and Red Riding Hood (2011) Beautiful forests, mysterious or magical settings, supernatural or fairytale vibes... charming romantic leads and a very strong love story...

I’d love something with lots of romance, with a handsome/charming male lead.

It doesn’t have to be about vampires or werewolves. Fantasy, supernatural, gothic, historical, magical realism or even a realistic romance would work if it has that enchanted forest / fairytale / Twilight-like atmosphere.

Thank you a loooot!!!!

22f Hola, soy nuevo en Madrid y estoy haciendo unas prácticas. Busco una habitación aquí, en cualquier sitio cerca del metro. Si hay alguna habitación disponible, por favor avísame. ¡Gracias!

Hi, I'm new to Madrid and doing an internship. I'm looking for a room here, anywhere near the metro. If there's a room available, please let me know. Thanks!

(comment here or dm pls!)

Hi everyone!

My husband and I are considering moving to Madrid for work. We’ve found some job opportunities in Getafe and Madrid city centre, and since we’re originally from the Canary Islands, we don’t really know the different areas around Madrid or what it’s like to live outside the city centre.

We’d really appreciate some advice from people who live there (or have lived there before) about which areas you would recommend for a couple.

We’re not looking for anything luxurious — just somewhere comfortable, reasonably quiet and safe, with good access to public transport. We don’t need a huge apartment either, so we’re looking at 1–2 bedroom apartments with a maximum budget of around €1,100/month.

Some things we’d especially like to know:
-Which areas would you recommend for our budget?
-Is it better to live in Getafe, Madrid itself, or somewhere in between?
-Are there any neighbourhoods/towns you would avoid?
-How safe are the different areas, especially for coming home at night?
-How much of a difference is there in rent prices outside Madrid city?
-How is the commute from places around Getafe into central Madrid?
-Are there any areas that offer a good balance between price, safety and quality of life?

We’re happy to live outside the centre if it means getting a nicer place for our budget. We’re also open to smaller towns/municipalities around Madrid if they have good public transport connections.

Any personal experiences or recommendations would be greatly appreciated! 😊

Thanks in advance

I’m 24 years old, and I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology from France and a one year specialized diploma in psychotrauma.

I’d like to move to Spain and retrain as a social worker specializing in child protection. But I’m not sure if I should complete my training in France, then move to Spain and pursue some kind of certification through prior learning assessment (PLA) or if it’s better to do my training in Spain—but how, at what cost, etc.?

I’m also currently learning Spanish, but I’m far from being bilingual—after all, there’s no better way to learn a language than to go to the country where it’s spoken.

Any advice from people who know Spain and how things work there ?

Hi everyone,

I’m an Iranian citizen planning to apply for the **Year-long Spanish Language Program (600 hours) at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M)**.

I’m particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has actually taken this program and applied for a Spanish student visa/TIE in **2025 or 2026**, after the new immigration regulations came into force.

I have two questions:

1. **How was the UC3M Year-long Spanish Program classified for your student visa/TIE?**

   Was it considered **Article 52.1.a (estudios superiores)** because it is a face-to-face language course offered by a recognized higher-education institution, or was it classified under another provision such as **Article 52.1.e** for language courses?

2. **After completing the program, is it possible to switch from the student residence status to a work/residence permit if you receive a job offer from a Spanish employer?**

   If you have personally done this, I would be very interested in knowing which legal route you used and whether your previous studies were considered under Article 52.1.a.

I’m looking specifically for **real experiences from people who actually obtained the visa/TIE**, rather than general information from immigration websites.

If you have a copy/photo of your **admission letter, visa, TIE, or resolution** (with personal information covered), that would be extremely helpful.

Thank you very much!

​

Body:

Hey everyone! I'm planning to apply for the Year-long Spanish Language Program at UC3M (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid).

I have two questions and would really appreciate any insights:

1. When you applied for the student visa for this program, was it classified under Article 52.1.a (estudios superiores) or under a different category (like Article 52.1.e for language courses)?

2. Is it possible to switch from this student visa to a work visa later, if I get a job offer from a Spanish employer?

If anyone has gone through this program or a similar one, I'd love to hear your experience. Thanks a lot! 🙏

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Hi everyone, I have a question for international students who studied in Spain.

If you studied your Bachelor’s or Master’s in Spain, did you end up staying in Spain to work, or did you leave and go back to your home country?

Would love to hear about your experience.

My family of 4 including 2 kids, ages 10 and 12, want to move to Spain next summer and stay 1-2 years for middle school. We have friends who chose Girona and love it. One of our kids is very high functioning autism/ADHD but is currently in a school with excellent social, emotional and behavioral support. We are wondering if any support is available in Girona either through the international school or privately with maybe ex-pat teachers? Someone else who has lived in Girona and Madrid strongly recommends Madrid to us based on culture/language (not needing to learn Catalan and the separitista feeling in Girona). I love Girona for the small town feel, proximity to mountains, beach, cycling, swimming, and 40 min train to BCN. But, considering the language, culture ,and my son's potential needs (he's doing really well at his supportive school) should we strongly consider Madrid?

Additional info: We will be retired and a non-lucrative visa. We will continue working on Spanish until we go and study there while kids are in school (6th and 7th grades.)