One Firm for Your Whole Life in Spain

Built for Expats, Not Adapted for Them

Most legal problems expats face in Spain are not really legal problems at first — they are language and process problems that become legal problems when they go wrong. A contract signed without understanding it. A tax declaration missed because nobody explained it was due. A property bought on trust because the paperwork was in Spanish. A visa refused because a document was in the wrong format.

We are organised around how foreign clients actually experience Spain, not around how a traditional Spanish law office is structured. That means clear English, clear quotes agreed before we start, one point of contact, and the ability to handle a whole situation — visa, property, tax and will together — rather than sending you to four different specialists who never speak to each other.

We also know that legal matters in a foreign country carry an emotional weight they don't have at home. There is no family solicitor to call, no instinct for what is normal, and no easy way to tell good advice from bad. Part of our job is simply to make you feel in control again — to translate the system, set out your options in plain terms, and take the administrative weight off your shoulders so you can get on with your life in Spain.

Who We Help

Our clients are foreign nationals at every stage of life in Spain. The common thread is that they want expert help that works in their language and on terms they understand. The most common are:

Retirees and the financially independent moving on pensions and savings, usually via the Non-Lucrative Visa, who need their residency, healthcare, tax and estate planning handled together. Our retiring to Spain guide is written for them.

Remote workers and digital nomads earning from outside Spain, who need the Digital Nomad Visa, a sensible tax structure and often advice on the Beckham Law regime. The visa services hub covers their route.

Property buyers and sellers — the largest group by volume — who need independent legal representation through a purchase or sale, due diligence, and clarity on the taxes involved. See buying & selling.

Families relocating together or dealing with cross-border family matters — reunification, marriage, divorce, custody and children's documentation across two jurisdictions. See personal & family law.

Business owners, freelancers and investors setting up as autónomo or forming a company, structuring foreign investment, or running commercial operations from Spain. See business & corporate.

Non-residents with a Spanish connection — a holiday home, an inheritance, a tax obligation, or a dispute — who need representation in Spain without living here. Much of this is handled remotely.

If you don't see your situation here, it almost certainly still fits — these are simply the patterns we see most. A short conversation tells us, and you, exactly what you need.

What We Cover

Whatever stage you are at — researching a move, mid-purchase, or settling an estate — there is a dedicated team and a detailed guide for it. Start with the area you need:

Just arriving, or still planning? Our moving to Spain and retiring to Spain guides bring these threads together into a single ordered journey.

Common Situations We Solve Every Week

Most people don't arrive looking for "legal services" in the abstract — they arrive with a specific worry. These are the situations we handle most often, and how we approach them.

"I'm buying a property and I don't understand what I'm signing"

This is the most common — and the most consequential. In Spain the estate agent works for the seller, and the notary's role is narrower than buyers expect. Without independent representation, foreign buyers regularly sign reservation and arras contracts they don't fully understand, and only discover problems — outstanding debts attached to the property, an unregistered extension, a missing first-occupation licence — after the deposit is paid. We act only for you, run full due diligence, and explain every document in English before you sign. Start with buying property in Spain and conveyancing.

"My visa was refused and I don't know why"

A refusal is rarely the end of the road, but the clock matters. Many refusals come down to a fixable document or formatting issue — insurance that didn't meet the no-copayment rule, financial evidence presented in the wrong form, a missing apostille. We review the refusal, identify the real reason, and advise whether to appeal or reapply. The visa services hub covers the routes, and time-sensitive cases should book straight away.

"I've inherited property in Spain and have no idea what to do"

Inheriting Spanish assets as a foreign national triggers a process that is unfamiliar and time-pressured: Spanish inheritance tax must generally be dealt with within six months, the rules and reliefs vary by region, and the estate cannot be transferred until tax and probate steps are completed. We guide executors and heirs through the whole sequence. See wills & inheritance, inheritance tax and probate.

"I'm becoming tax resident and don't know what I owe"

Crossing the 183-day threshold makes you a Spanish tax resident, taxed on worldwide income, with reporting obligations such as the Modelo 720. Done without planning, this can be more expensive and more stressful than it needs to be. We help you understand and plan your position — ideally before the move. See tax & fiscal services and tax residency.

"I'm setting up as self-employed or forming a company"

Whether you register as autónomo or form an SL company has real consequences for tax, liability and admin. We advise on the right structure for your situation and handle the registration and ongoing compliance. See business & corporate services.

"I'm going through a separation and we have assets in two countries"

Cross-border family matters — divorce, custody, recognition of a foreign divorce, assets spanning jurisdictions — are exactly the kind of situation that falls between two legal systems if not handled by people who understand both. See personal & family law.

The Real Cost of Getting It Wrong

Expats sometimes weigh legal fees against doing it themselves, or against using the cheapest option available. The honest comparison is different: it is the cost of doing it properly once against the cost of unwinding a problem later.

A property bought with an undisclosed charge can cost tens of thousands to resolve, or prove impossible to sell. A visa refused for a fixable reason costs a wasted application fee, a lost consulate appointment, and months of delay. A missed tax declaration can attract penalties and interest far larger than the original liability. An estate left without a Spanish will can leave a grieving family paying more inheritance tax than necessary and waiting far longer to access what they've inherited. None of these is rare — we see each of them regularly, and almost all were avoidable.

Why Expats Choose Us

Choosing a legal adviser in a foreign country comes down to trust, clarity and competence. Here is what you get with us:

For the full picture of how we work and what clients say, see why choose Platinum Legal Spain.

We are also realistic about what good legal service means for foreign clients specifically. It is not just technical competence — plenty of firms have that. It is responsiveness when you're anxious and waiting for an answer; it is explaining a Spanish concept without assuming you already understand the system; and it is being honest when something isn't worth doing, or when a cheaper route is the right one. We would rather tell you that you don't need a particular service than sell you one you don't, because the expat community is small and built on word of mouth, and our reputation depends on advice you can trust.

Our Commitments

However you come to us — for a single piece of paperwork or to manage an entire relocation — these are the standards we hold ourselves to on every matter:

• Plain English, always. Every document, every step and every cost explained in language you understand, with the Spanish handled on your behalf.
• A clear quote, agreed first. You approve a written scope and price before any work begins. No hourly meter, no surprises.
• The right specialist on the job. Bar-registered solicitors for matters that require them, immigration specialists for visa work, with one coordinator keeping it all joined up.
• One point of contact. You are not passed around. The person who knows your file is the person you deal with.
• Honesty over upselling. If you don't need a service, we'll tell you. If there's a simpler or cheaper route, we'll point you to it.
• Confidentiality and care. Your matter is handled discreetly, properly documented, and kept on file for the future should you need it again.

These aren't marketing lines — they're the reason expats refer their friends and neighbours to us, which remains how most of our clients find us.

Coordinating the Home-Country Side

One thing that genuinely sets expat work apart is that your life rarely sits entirely within Spain. You may keep a property, a pension, bank accounts or investments at home; your will, your tax filings and your family may all straddle two countries. Advice that only looks at the Spanish side can be technically correct and still leave you exposed, because the real risks live in the gaps between the two systems.

We work with the home-country dimension constantly — and where specialist home-country advice is needed, such as a UK solicitor for your English will or a US accountant for your federal filing, we coordinate with them so the two sides line up rather than contradict each other. The classic example is wills: a Spanish will and a home-country will must be drafted so that neither accidentally revokes the other, and so that any election of your national law under EU rules is made correctly. Get this wrong and your family inherits a conflict; get it right and the estate is settled smoothly in both countries.

The same logic applies to tax. Double-taxation treaties mean income is usually taxed in only one country, but the relief has to be claimed properly, and the reporting obligations on each side respected. We make sure your Spanish position and your home-country position are planned as one picture — which is exactly what a single coordinating firm can do and a patchwork of separate advisers usually cannot. If your situation is purely within Spain, none of this adds cost; if it spans borders, it is often the most valuable thing we do.

How We Work With You

The principle behind every matter is the same: you should always know what is happening, what it costs, and what happens next. No open-ended hourly meter, no surprise invoices, and no being passed between people who don't know your file.

What to Expect at Your First Consultation

The first conversation is where most of the value is created, because it is where the right questions get asked. You don't need to arrive with everything figured out — that is our job. You simply describe your situation, and we map it.

In a typical consultation we'll establish what you're trying to achieve and by when, identify which services your situation actually requires — often including ones you hadn't considered, such as the tax or inheritance angle of a property purchase — and flag anything time-sensitive, like a visa deadline or an inheritance-tax window. We'll explain the realistic timeline and the documents you'll need to gather, and set out the clear quote so there are no surprises. If your matter touches more than one area, we'll explain how the pieces connect and which specialist will lead each part.

You leave the consultation with a clear picture: what needs to happen, in what order, what it will cost, and what we need from you to begin. There is no obligation to proceed, and nothing is started until you've accepted a written quote. For many people, simply having the whole situation laid out clearly in English is a relief in itself — the fog lifts, and the move or the matter stops feeling overwhelming.

Across Spain — Local Knowledge, National Reach

Expats cluster in particular regions, and local practice matters: town halls, regional tax offices and inheritance-tax reliefs differ from one autonomous community to the next. We support clients across mainland Spain and the islands, with particular depth along the costas where English-speaking communities are largest.

Whether you are on the Costa Blanca, the Costa Cálida, the Costa del Sol, or in Alicante, Murcia, Valencia or Marbella, you get the same English-speaking, clearly-priced service with knowledge of the local procedures that affect your matter. Because most of what we do can be handled remotely or by power of attorney, your location is rarely a barrier — and our network means we can act wherever your property, residency or estate is based. Our English-speaking lawyers page explains how the language-first service works in practice.

Free Tools and Guides

Before you ever speak to us, you can get oriented with our free resources. They're designed to give you a realistic first picture of cost, eligibility and process — and to help you arrive at your consultation with the right questions.

Legal Help for Your Nationality

The broad service is the same for everyone, but the cross-border detail — which treaty, which documents, which inheritance rules — depends on where you're from. We help expats of every nationality, and have dedicated guidance for the communities we serve most:

Frequently Asked Questions