Home / About / Case Studies & Reviews

Real Relocations, Real Outcomes

A selection of cases handled by our team, illustrating how the process actually works for US and UK clients moving to Spain.

US Software Engineer Relocates via Digital Nomad Visa

Situation: A remote software engineer employed by a US company in Colorado wanted to relocate to Valencia while keeping his US job.

Solution: We assessed his eligibility for the Digital Nomad Visa, prepared the employer documentation and income verification, and coordinated the consular application from the US.

Result: Visa approved within 11 weeks; NIE and TIE processed after arrival in Valencia. He continues working for his US employer while resident in Spain.

Related: Digital Nomad Visa

UK Retiree Obtains Non-Lucrative Visa and NIE

Situation: A retired couple from Kent wanted to relocate to Alicante on private pension income, with no intention of working in Spain.

Solution: We prepared the Non-Lucrative Visa application, including proof-of-funds documentation from UK pension statements, and arranged private health insurance meeting Spanish requirements.

Result: Visa granted, NIE issued, and empadronamiento completed within their first month in Alicante.

Related: Non-Lucrative Visa

US Entrepreneur Registers a Spanish SL

Situation: A US-based founder wanted to open a Spanish subsidiary to hire local staff and access the EU market, while relocating under the Entrepreneur Visa.

Solution: We coordinated the SL company registration, notary appointments, business bank account setup, and the Entrepreneur Visa business plan submission.

Result: Company registered and business account opened within eight weeks; visa approved shortly after.

UK Freelancer Registers as Autónomo and Applies for Beckham Law

Situation: A UK freelance designer relocating to Barcelona needed to register as self-employed in Spain and understand her new tax obligations.

Solution: We handled her autónomo registration with the Spanish tax authority and social security, and reviewed her eligibility for the Beckham Law special tax regime.

Result: Registered as autónomo within three weeks; Beckham Law application submitted and approved, reducing her effective tax rate.

US Founder Pivots From a Planned Golden Visa to the Startup Visa

Situation: A US couple had been planning a Golden Visa property purchase in Barcelona; the program's closure in April 2025 left them without a residency route just months before their intended move.

Solution: We reviewed the husband's software consultancy against ENISA's evaluation criteria, prepared the certification file, and filed the Startup Visa application — while the property purchase went ahead separately as a personal investment, no longer tied to their residency.

Result: ENISA certification granted, Startup Visa approved, and the couple completed their relocation on the timeline they'd originally planned.

UK Family Relocates With School-Age Children and a Dog

Situation: A UK family with two school-age children and a Labrador needed to coordinate school enrollment, their dog's EU entry paperwork, and a Non-Lucrative Visa application, all against a single move date.

Solution: We sequenced the family's visa filing alongside the children's international school admissions window and the dog's microchip, rabies vaccination, and Animal Health Certificate timeline, so none of the three tracks held up the others.

Result: Visa granted, both children enrolled for the September term, and their dog cleared entry with no delays at the border.

US Retiree Moves From Non-Lucrative Visa to Permanent Residency

Situation: A US retiree approaching her five-year mark on a Non-Lucrative Visa was unsure whether two extended trips back to the US during that period would jeopardize her Permanent Residency application.

Solution: We reviewed her full travel history against the continuous-residence absence limits, confirmed she was within the allowed threshold, and filed her Permanent Residency application ahead of her current permit's expiry.

Result: Permanent Residency granted, moving her from annual renewals onto a ten-year card.

US Executor Navigates a Cross-Border Estate Under Brussels IV

Situation: A US client resident in Málaga needed to settle her late father's estate, which included both US brokerage accounts and a Spanish property, without a clear sense of which country's succession law would apply.

Solution: We confirmed her father's will had validly elected US succession law under Brussels IV, coordinated with a Spanish notary on the separate inheritance tax filing, and clarified which documentation each jurisdiction required.

Result: Estate settled without a succession-law dispute between jurisdictions; Spanish inheritance tax filed within the required deadline.

UK Family Ships a Full Household Under the Menaje de Casa Exemption

Situation: A UK family relocating to Alicante wanted to bring furniture and personal belongings accumulated over 15 years, but were unsure whether they'd qualify for duty-free import given the timing of their move.

Solution: We reviewed their prior residence abroad and ownership history against the menaje de casa timing rules, helped assemble the required inventory and supporting documentation, and filed the exemption request within the applicable window.

Result: Full shipment cleared customs duty-free, with empadronamiento completed in time to support the filing.

US Couple Registers a Pareja de Hecho to Secure Residency

Situation: A US citizen in a long-term relationship with a Spanish national wanted a residency route in Barcelona without going through the standard family reunification visa timeline.

Solution: We assessed both partners against the regional pareja de hecho requirements, prepared the registration documentation, and filed for the EU family member residence card that follows registration.

Result: Partnership registered and 5-year EU family member card granted, giving the US partner residency without a separate visa application.

UK Buyer Secures Non-Resident Financing Post-Brexit

Situation: A UK buyer purchasing a property in Málaga assumed he'd get the same financing terms he'd seen quoted for EU nationals, and hadn't budgeted for the larger deposit non-EEA buyers are typically asked for.

Solution: We connected him with lenders experienced in non-resident mortgages, helped him get pre-approval before making an offer, and coordinated the additional documentation his bank requested alongside his NIE application.

Result: Mortgage approved at a loan-to-value in line with non-EEA terms; purchase completed without losing the property to a faster cash offer.

US Retiree Budgets Realistically Against the NLV Income Threshold

Situation: A US retiree planning a move to Valencia had budgeted around the Non-Lucrative Visa's minimum income threshold, without accounting for how far that figure actually stretched against real rent and utility costs in the city she'd chosen.

Solution: We walked her through a realistic monthly budget for her target neighborhood, compared it against two other cities on her shortlist, and helped her adjust her visa application to reflect a more comfortable income margin.

Result: Visa approved with a documented income margin above the minimum threshold, and she relocated with a budget that matched her actual cost of living rather than the bare visa minimum.

What clients say

"They explained every document request in plain English, which made a huge difference when we were doing this from another country."

— US Client, Digital Nomad Visa

"Straightforward, responsive, and honest about timelines. Our NIE and empadronamiento were done faster than we expected."

— UK Client, Non-Lucrative Visa

"Setting up a company abroad felt daunting, but having one team handle the registration, notary, and bank account made it manageable."

— US Client, Company Registration

Start your own relocation story

Book a free consultation and we'll outline the steps specific to your case.

Book a Free Consultation