Step one is to get your professionals lined up and ready. That should certainly include a lawyer who is independent of the estate agent or developer whose property you are viewing, who is qualified and who is a specialist in property in Spain and land law, known as urbanismo. By Christopher Nye It is also...

Although the Spanish property market and mortgage process may be different from what you are used to at home, it is possible for foreigners and expats to buy and get a mortgage in Spain. However not all banks – and certainly not all mortgage brokers – follow the procedures of the recently regulated mortgage market...

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 30th and join Greenback Expat Tax Services for a FREE, live webinar on how to utilize the Streamlined Filing Procedures to catch up on 3+ years of late taxes, penalty-free.  Host David McKeegan, Co-Founder of Greenback will be joined by one of Greenback’s Streamlined Filing experts, and they will...

If you decide to take your pet with you to Australia you will need to comply with the detailed regulations and procedures and some pets cannot be taken to Australia. Cats and dogs can be imported to Australia under strict conditions designed to manage biosecurity risks. For the import conditions applicable to your cat or...

You need to have a visa to enter Australia. The exact visa requirements will vary according to the length and purpose of your intended stay. The Australian Department of Home Affairs has a useful Visa Finder which allows you to work out which visa will meet your situation. The main categories of visa are as...

Health insurance is an important consideration for every expat. A robust health policy offers extensive protection against a wide range of medical procedure costs, thus ensuring that the policyholder gets the treatment they need without breaking the bank. One thing to be aware of, however, is that health insurance plans won’t cover everything. To avoid...

As a collection of seven separate emirates, there are some differences between emirates in the rules and procedures for buying property in the UAE. Here we are focussing on Dubai, where buyers from India, the UK and Pakistan make up the three largest overseas contingents. The market is certainly buoyant. Transaction reports from the Dubai...

Buying a home in Malta is made easy by the short distances – the island is only 30 kilometres at its widest – and the fact that English is an official language. Estate agents speak English, newspaper ads and many property websites are in English too – try maltaproperty.com Malta is...

Buying in Cyprus has the advantage of English being very widely spoken and there being no great difference between prices for ‘locals’ and expats, which you see in some countries. When it comes to selling property to foreigners, however, developers and agents in Cyprus have made a few mistakes in the past. Some encouraged buyers...

Buying property in New Zealand is generally quick, efficient and safe. It takes four to six weeks from offer to moving in, and is relatively inexpensive compared to most European countries. There are few restrictions on foreigners buying property there, although ownership certainly does not guarantee residency rights. It is worth mentioning though, that buying/building...

The first thing to know about buying property in Australia is that foreigners do not have an automatic right to own property. Unless you are married to an Australian or hold a permanent resident visa or special category visa (as New Zealanders do) you will need to apply to the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB)....

As a collection of seven separate emirates, there are some differences between emirates in the rules and procedures for buying property. For this guide we will focus on Dubai, where buyers from India, Pakistan and the UK make up the three largest overseas contingents. Buying an existing (resale) property in Dubai follows a similar pattern...