Janet Anscombe

At times, Tenerife can seem a bureaucratic nightmare, with a paperwork trail created just for the fun of it! Everyone will have come across “experts” who all seem to tell a different story about how something is done, and whether something is even necessary. It all just adds to the confusion. The problem is that all these so-called “experts” are often just people who have been through the system once, usually when they bought their own property. What they don’t know, and cannot know, is not only that the systems here change frequently, but that they are also different from one area to another.

You will need a NIE (Numero de Identidad de Extranjeros) to do almost anything here because Spain operates an Identity Card system, and NIEs are the equivalent for foreigners conducting official procedures in the country. Although the number itself is permanent, the certificate is now of 3 month validity only. This is because anyone who is coming to live in Tenerife on a permanent basis must register as a resident foreigner after 3 months, and obtain a Registration Certificate, known as Certificado de Registro. This is simply a matter of registering resident foreigners, and does not have tax or financial implications. Those who do not already have a NIE when they apply for a Certificado de Registro will be allocated one at the same time.

For those who do not intend to reside in Spain, the NIE will be sufficient, but non-residents will also need a certificate for their banks confirming their non-resident status. This document is known as the Certificado No-Residente, and is essentially the non-resident equivalent of the Certificado de Registro. Some banks will take care of this for their clients, and it is essential to check whether this is something that is being handled within your particular bank or that needs to be arranged independently because embargoes can be placed on accounts where a certificate is not in place. This document will need to be replaced every 2-3 years.

If you own property here, you should seriously consider making a Spanish Will. Spain views inheritance in a different light to British Law, and without a valid Will in place,  in the worst case scenario, your assets could end up being disposed of according to Spanish Law and might even mean that your spouse cannot inherit all your property. To make a Spanish Will, you will also need a valid UK Will in place, and the terms of the two Wills must match, though your Spanish Will will only be concerned with your Spanish assets.  A foreigner’s Spanish Will essentially acts as a pre-legalized mechanism to ensure that your UK Will’s clauses concerning your Spanish assets are executed according to UK Law, and within weeks rather than months or even years, because there will be no requirement to wait for probate to be granted in Spain. There will also be a significant saving in legal fees because the speedier mechanism will already be in place.