Spain, which is officially also known as the Kingdom of Spain, is the biggest of the three countries that constitute the Iberian Peninsula, the others being Portugal and Andorra. This country is located in South Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains in the north east. Spain shares its borders with Portugal, Morocco, France, Gibraltar and Andorra. Spain is bound to the east by Mediterranean Sea which contains the Balearic Islands and to its west by the Atlantic Ocean, where the Canary Islands off the African coast are found.



Spain joined the European Union in the year 1986.The form of government in this country is that of a parliamentary monarchy. For ease of administration, Spain is divided into 50 provinces which are grouped into 17 autonomous communities and 2 autonomous cities which are Ceuta and Melilla. Spain's mixed economy supports a Gross Domestic Product that on a per capita basis is 87% of that of the four leading countries in its league among West European economies.

The official language is Spanish and the total area is 504,782 square kilometers. The population here is over 44 million and the currency is Euro. It belongs to the GMT +1 time zone which moves one hour ahead to GMT+ 2 in summers. Important cities are the capital Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Malaga and Bilbao.


Madrid, the capital city is also the largest in Spain; it has been Spain's capital from the year 1562. It is located on the center of the Iberian Peninsula geographically; because of this and high altitude, the climate of Madrid is typically warm dry summers and cool winters. Madrid is a city of great monuments; some of the important ones in this regard are the medieval center dating back to the Habsburg Empire and the Prado Museum. However, Madrid is not just a cultural destination but it is also a lively metropolis with many pubs, cafes, discotheques and nightclubs that remain open late into the night.

Important Public Holidays in Spain apart from New years day (Ano Nuevo), Good Friday (Viernes Santo), Easter ( Dia de Pascua) and Christmas (Navidad ) are Spain's National Day (Dia de la Hispanidad) o October 12th, Epiphany (Dia de los Reyes ) in January, Father's Day (San Jose ) in March, Labour Day (Dia del Trabajador) in May, St. John's day (San Juan ), Corpus Christi, St Peter's Day and St Paul's Day (San Pedro y San Pablo) in June,St James Day (Santiago) in July, Assumption (Asuncion) in August, All Saints (Todos los Santos) in November and Constitution Day (Dia de la Constitucion ) and Immaculate Conception (Inmaculada Concepcion) in December.

The terrain in Spain is essentially a dominated by high plateaus and mountain ranges such as the Pyrenees and the Sierra Nevada. Running from atop these mountains are many major rivers such as the Tajo, the Ebro, the Duero, the Guadiana and the Guadalquivir. There are alluvial plains that are found along the coast and the largest of these is that of the Guadalquivir in Andalusia.

The climate here is temperate with clear, hot summers in interior and more moderate and cloudy summers along coast; so also, while there are cloudy and cold winters in interior, it is partly cloudy and cool along coast. Spain's climate is very diverse and can be categorized in the following manner:

• The Northern and Eastern Mediterranean coast including the cities of Catalonia and Northern Valencia have mild summers with pleasant temperatures and relatively mild winters and moist climate
• The South East Mediterranean coast including the cities of Alicante and Almeria have warm summers and mild winters with a very dry semi-desert type of climate
• Southern Mediterranean coast of Malaga for instance has warm summers and very mild winters
• The Guadalquivir valley including the cities of Seville and Cordoba have very hot and dry summers but mild winters
• South West Atlantic coast including the cities of Cadiz and Huelva have pleasant summers, very mild winters and a relatively humid climate
• The interior tableland has cold winters which can become bitter in higher altitudes and hot, dry summers along with a relatively dry weather
• Ebro Valley containing Zaragoza has very hot summers, cold winters and a very dry semi-desert climate.
• Northern Atlantic coast including the areas around Galicia, Asturias and Coastal Basque country have a very wet climate, with mild summers and winters
• The Canary Islands has subtropical weather, with mild temperatures throughout the year. It is relatively dry in the eastern islands and moist in the western most ones

It is not only the varied climate and topography that make Spain the third most favored tourist destination in the world. In fact, this country has quite a few activities lined up so as to promote themselves as the ultimate tourist location. While there are many cities, locations and monuments worth visiting, there also is a rich heritage that paves the way for numerous cultural events that also appeals to tourists. Some of these are the various fiestas that are conducted in various cities in Spain. So also, the famous Flamenco dance and music, and the even more famous gallantry Bullfighting are just a few of the attractions here. Various sites like those in Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cordoba, Granada, Lanzarote, Seville, Tenerife, etc. are famous for various sightseeing, sporting and other leisure activities.

In spite of being a country that is quite open to allowing foreign nationals in, owing to a large number of illegal immigrants Spain has had to announce a general amnesty under which those registering with the authorities will be able to legitimize their presence in the country. In case you are a European Union national and considering relocating to Spain, you are not required to possess a work permit to be able to work here. Such persons have the option of entering the country as a tourist and registering with the Spanish national employment office known as Instituto Nacional de Empleo or INEM to locate for a suitable job. You then have 90 days to find employment or else obtain an extension after that date or leave Spain and re-enter for another 90 days. Once you find a job, you will need your employment contract in order to apply for your residence permit.

For residents of countries outside the European Union, it however is necessary to obtain a work permit. If you are not already in Spain, a work permit must be applied for at the Consular office in your home country. They must also obtain a visa before moving to Spain. Or else if you have already gained entry into Spain, work permits need to be applied for at the Foreigners' Office also known as the Oficinas de Extranjeros, or at the provincial office of the Ministry of Labour called the Delegacion Provincial del Ministerio de Trabajo. The provincial labour offices, either the Direcciones Provinciales de Trabajo or Seguridad Social Asuntos Sociales are the government bodies involved in deciding whether the work permit is to be issued or not.

If you are contemplating moving to Spain, to begin with, the supporting documentation usually include a police clearance certificate and an original birth certificate that are required in order to process a work permit and is extensive and can take some time to collect. Moreover, it must be submitted in Spanish, so translations should be taken considered while calculating both time and financial budgets. Once the application has been submitted, processing can take between 3 and 6 months due to the relatively bureaucratic systems that have been designed in a bid to protect the resident labour markets. After the work permit is approved the candidate must apply for a residence visa in their usual country of residence, to travel to Spain and start work.

Those who are thinking of relocating to Spain should have the corresponding visa, apart from a valid passport and other travel documents. Based on the purpose of visiting Spain, visas are classified into three types:

• Transit visas allow to transit through the country more than once
• Stay visas are required to stay in Spain up to a maximum period of ninety days half yearly.
• Residence visa is required to settle down in Spain.

Listed hereunder are the different types of visas that are available to those looking to gain entry into Spain:

• Transit visas, also called an Endorsement is a visa for transit through Spanish territory, and is applied by persons wanting to transit through international areas of the country's airports and ports during a stop-over without the right to access national territory. Under this category, there is also a Territorial Transit visa which is required for crossing the Spanish territory on a journey that is a less than five days while crossing from one country to another.
• A Stay visa is one that is required if your stay in Spain is for less than three months; these visas entitle you to a stay in Spain for up to three months half yearly.
• A Journey visa is issued for a maximum period of up to three months, and it is possible to apply for an extension to this period.
• Multiple Circulation visas are required if you need to travel extensively in Spain in connection with work for instance. The total time allowed by this visa is three months per semester.
• A Special Stay visa is required if you are engaged in labour activities or else are pursuing studies or research and training, and is valid for six months only and grants permission to stay with no resident rights. This is what tourists need to obtain as well. Student visas are provided to cover the entire duration of the course that they intend to take up on furnishing proper documentation.
• Courtesy visas are sometimes granted to those who bear diplomatic, official or service passports
• Residence visa to work are applied for those seeking employment in Spain, or even to start up a business or work as a freelancer.
• A Residence visa for Family Regrouping is granted to relatives of foreign but legal residents in Spain.
  Relatives who can avail of this visa are:
  • Spouse of the resident
  • Children, if they are under age or handicapped
  • Parents and / or grandparents if they are dependants
• There also are residence visas that cater to various other requirements that cover reasons like for non-lucrative activities, activities that do not require a work permit or else to be used by refugees. These have a separate set of documents and formalities that need to be fulfilled though, before these can be granted.

Those traveling to Spain are allowed to transport personal items like personal jewelry, small gadgets, musical instruments, cameras and other video and sound equipment, athletic gear, camping articles, etc. without having to pay customs charges. For certain articles like tobacco, perfume and alcohol there exists maximum limits and customs fees are applicable on surpassing these quantities. There however is no limit to the amount of pesetas or Bank of Spain notes that a tourist may bring along; so also the entry of travelers' cheques and foreign currency including both banknotes and coins, are permitted with no limits.

As you begin the process of shipping to Spain, you are likely to encounter the relatively large expenses that accompany this. It is hence important to locate a trustworthy and professional shipping agency to provide you with a well organized and smooth entry into Spain and thereby give you true value for your money. There are a wide range of varied and optional services that one can avail of while shifting. Lift-van packaging of shipments is one of these facilities that are highly recommended. Storage in modern alarmed, customs bonded warehouses and air freight services is a plus. It is also important to opt for a fully comprehensive Shipment Protection insurance to guard your valuables from any mishap in transit. Lastly, it is best to plan ahead and avoid public holidays and month ends while shipping to Spain because these happen to be the busiest times for these activities.


Useful links:

General : www.sispain.org
Tourism : www.spain.info ; www.tourspain.es
Employment : www.inem.es
Meteorology : www.inm.es
Immigration : www.spain-visas.com
Statistics : www.ine.es
Education : www.injuve.mtas.es
Statistics : www.ine.es
Consumer Rights : www.consumo-inc.es
Social Ministry : www.seg-social.es