Firstly it is useful to determine if your country has an automatic validation agreement with Spain, in case you already have a driver´s licence. Here is an official list of countries which have a co-validation agreement or ¨canje de conducir¨ in Spanish. This means that if you have a driver´s licence from any of the listed countries, all you need is to do is call 060 to make an appointment for validation. READ MORE »
Lost and Found Office:
Lost or Stolen Credit Cards:
Any foreigner staying longer than 3 months in Spain needs to apply for a NIE. The NIE, which stands for Número de Identidad de Extranjero, is basically an identification number for foreigners. It’s required for many transactions in Spain, such as buying or selling property, or paying taxes.
Getting it requires a bit of patience and a good deal of red tape; but then again, if you’ve been here for more than 3 months, you probably already guessed that it would!
First, you should go to the Foreigners Department (Departmento de Extranjeros) in your local National Police Station and ask for details. Here in Madrid, you can call 902 56 57 01 anytime from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to make an appointment.
Keep in mind, this will all be done in Spanish, so if you’re Spanish isn’t up to snuff, ask a friend for help. Also keep in mind that calling 902 numbers involves paying a small fee.
You will be assigned a date (possibly a few months out) and a Foreigners Office to go to. When you go to the appointment, bring your passport and the filled out EX 14 form (you can download it here).
Also bring documentation explaining why you’re applying for the NIE (such as papers from your school or employer here). Also, just to be safe, bring copies of all these documents.
There is a small fee of about €10 to apply. You must pay that at a bank before going to the appointment, and bring the receipt to your appointment.
To do this, ask for the “impreso 790″ form at the Foreigners Department of your local National Police Station. On the form there will be a list of banks where you can pay.
One of the challenges of English speaking expat families is finding, not just the right school for their children, but an English instruction school at all in Spain. In general English is still not that big in Spain, but some Spanish regions like Madrid are trying to bridge the language gap. However, if a child is already English speaking, they will find the English levels of the newly inaugurated bilingual schools very low. The only other option is to find private or international schools. These schools also offer Spanish.
The only schools in Spain using English as the teaching language are foreign and international private schools. If your children attend public schools, they will be obligated to study all subjects in Spanish. In Madrid there are several private and international schools whose medium is English and the purpose of this article is to inform about the similarities and differences between education systems. In another article we will treat the process of enrolling into a school as well as the fees.
Firstly let’s get to know the Spanish schooling system: Public schooling is compulsory and free of charge for all children from age 6 to age 16. However, in some autonomous regions books must be paid for, and in particular, in Madrid books are paid for. There are special needs schools available as well as schools for artistic learning and linguistics. All students receive vocational training in high school. However, as mentioned earlier public schools are predominantly Spanish instruction schools and the integration of foreign students is promoted through specific programmes and language bridging courses. READ MORE »
No doubt Madrid is packed with dazzling events, pristine green spaces and world-renowned food but, like the refrain of Los Refrescos’ famous anthem reminds the millions of sweating Madrileños and red-faced visitors, ‘Aqui no hay playa‘. There is no beach here in Madrid, of course! There are, however, a number of public swimming pools beckoning bathers across the city. Entrance costs 4.35 Euros and the pools are open from 11.00h to 21.00h.
Click here to see a list of public swimming pools in Madrid to help you find the nearest spot to cool off. READ MORE »
Written by 
Written by