Sandtons

30/09/2026

Spain is adapting, and several changes this week could affect your plans. 🇪🇸

Here's what's in Edition 4 of The Sandtons Spain

🏠 Holiday lets: 10% VAT on short stays from 1 December, and councils can now add up to 150% to the IBI bill on tourist rentals.

🚗 New road rules from 1 October, including €200 fines for not clearing a path for emergency vehicles.

🔥 The wildfire season has been extended to 31 October after one of the hardest summers in years.
💻 A cyberattack reached passenger data on Spain's rail network, so watch out for scam emails.
🛒 Why "Spain is cheap" is the wrong question, with new supermarket and energy costs.

If you're planning a move, own a home here or thinking of letting one out, it's worth a read.

Read the full briefing at Sandtons

Which of these changes affects you most? Tell us in the comments. 👇

24/09/2026

Spain is attracting more than tourists.
International capital, technology and people are increasingly converging on Spain, and that is beginning to change the country in interesting ways.

In Edition 3 of The Sandtons Spain Briefing, we look at rising foreign investment, Spain's ambitions for AI, what UK interest rates mean for British people planning Spain, and some of the pressures accompanying the country's growth.

We also travel around the country with our Spain Regional Pulse, looking this week at Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia, Andalucía and the Canary Islands.
The bigger story? Spain is increasingly competing not simply as somewhere to visit or retire, but as somewhere to live, work, invest and play.

17/09/2026

Thinking about living, buying or investing in Spain?
The headlines only tell part of the story.
This week we look at 61 heatwave days, rising house prices and interest rates, more than €17 billion of planned electricity-grid investment, AI and data security — plus our new Regional Pulse covering developments across Spain.
Together, they tell us something important: making good decisions about Spain increasingly means looking beyond the property.
Read Edition 2 of The Sandtons Spain Briefing
https://sandtons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Sandton-Briefing-2.pdf

04/09/2026

Marbella East may be entering a significant new investment cycle.

This week, plans were confirmed for a €200 million transformation of La Bajadilla marina, increasing its capacity from 268 to approximately 750 berths.

Only a short distance east, plans around Río Real could provide up to 428 new homes, together with retail space, green areas and public facilities.

Taken separately, these are important announcements. Considered together, they may indicate a wider shift in Marbella’s development and economic activity.

But after 16 years of unfulfilled plans at La Bajadilla, the important questions are what is approved, what is delivered and whether local infrastructure keeps pace.

In the first Sandtons Spain Briefing, Brian Stevendale examines the marina, Río Real, Málaga’s record property prices and a visa-process change affecting some US applicants.

Read the briefing:https://sandtons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/The-Sandtons-Briefing-issue-01.pdf

Do you believe Marbella East is entering a different phase—or is it too early to judge?

24/08/2026

Which visa is actually right for you, the Non-Lucrative or the Digital Nomad?

Most people researching a move to Spain get this wrong before they even file, not because the paperwork is hard, but because nobody tells them there are really only two routes that matter, and picking the wrong one is expensive to undo.

Our founder Brian Stevendale breaks down the real numbers behind both visas, the exact income thresholds, what each route actually allows and restricts, and the mistake we see cost people the most: arriving on one visa type and trying to switch once they're already settled in Spain. Spoiler, it's often faster to leave and reapply than to change your status from the inside.

If you're planning a move and want the full picture before you commit to a timeline, this is worth the read.

Full article linked below.

For most non-EU people asking me how to move to Spain, there are really only two doors. Not five, not ten.

24/08/2026

Americans hear "double taxation" and panic.

Here's what the treaty actually does. It runs on a foreign tax credit, the tax you pay in Spain offsets what you owe the US, dollar for dollar in most cases. You still file both returns, the treaty doesn't remove that.

But it stops you from actually paying twice.

It also covers something almost no other US tax treaty touches: estates. Article 22 gives credits and allocation rules if you pass away as a US citizen resident in Spain, reducing double taxation on the estate itself.

And as of this year, Spain and the US added binding arbitration for treaty disputes, a real, enforceable path to resolve double-taxation disagreements instead of years in limbo.

The treaty isn't the problem. Getting your filing structured to actually use it, that's where people lose money.

Sandtons helps non-EU movers relocate to Spain the right way, visas, property, tax structure, and settling in, without the guesswork. Part of the Spain Made Simple series.

Full breakdown in the Tax Made Simple guide, us.sandtons.com/services/tax/

23/08/2026

f you're moving to Spain on a Digital Nomad Visa, you may qualify for the Beckham Law, a special regime that taxes you as a non-resident even though you're living here full time.

The rate: a flat 24% on Spanish-sourced income up to €600,000 a year, instead of Spain's standard progressive rates that climb to 47%. Foreign-source income, dividends, rental income, capital gains from assets outside Spain, is generally exempt under the regime. You're also excluded from Spain's Modelo 720 asset declaration and from wealth tax on anything held outside the country.

The catch: you have to apply within six months of starting work or registering with Spanish Social Security, not six months from when you arrive. Miss that window and you lose access entirely, no exceptions. You also give up personal deductions, kids, spouse, the standard allowances, this is a flat gross tax, not a net one.

It lasts six tax years: the year you become a resident plus the following five. After that, you roll onto Spain's standard progressive rates, so it's worth planning for what happens at year seven before you're in it.

Eligibility requires you haven't been a Spanish tax resident in the previous five years, and since 2023, Digital Nomad Visa holders working for a non-Spanish employer qualify directly.

Sandtons helps non-EU movers relocate to Spain the right way, visas, property, tax structure, and settling in, without the guesswork. Part of the Spain Made Simple series.

Full breakdown in the Beckham Law Made Simple fact sheet, link below.
us.sandtons.com/services/tax/visas/

23/08/2026

Rhe Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV) is for passive income, pensions, dividends, rental income, no work permitted. Roughly €2,400 a month, €28,800 a year. The Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) is for remote workers and freelancers with income from outside Spain. Roughly €2,849 a month, €34,188 a year.

Same visa, wrong plan, and switching later is slow and expensive. Know which lane fits your income before you file anything.

Sandtons helps non-EU movers relocate to Spain the right way, visas, property, and settling in, without the guesswork. Part of the Spain Made Simple series.
Free Visa Match Quiz and consultation booking: us.sandtons.com

Shorts

22/08/2026

Most Americans moving to Spain miss the Beckham regime entirely. It is not a loophole. It is a legitimate six-year tax regime that most advisors do not mention until it's too late.
Full guide- Link in bio.

22/08/2026

Connect with us:
🌐 Website - https://www.us.sandtons.com/

Managing taxes for Americans in Spain is complicated, but avoiding an audit is possible.

Learn how to navigate the US-Spain tax treaty and correctly establish your residency status to prevent costly penalties. This guide clarifies filing requirements and income differentiation for US citizens living abroad.

Subscribe for more practical advice on living in Spain, and tell us your biggest tax question below.