Practical guides to the rhythms of everyday life in Spain as an American. This section covers Spanish phone plans and which operators offer the best value for new arrivals, how to set up internet and what to do during the installation wait, grocery shopping and what the supermarkets are called, the meal schedule and shop hours that reorganize your day, and the public holiday calendar with its regional differences. We cover bringing pets from the U.S., mail and package delivery, tipping, and the social norms that differ from U.S. expectations.
We also cover the language: how much Spanish you need in Madrid versus Málaga versus a smaller town, resources that work, and the regional languages in Catalonia, the Basque Country, Galicia and Valencia. The aim is to shorten the period where everything takes twice as long because you do not yet know how it is done here. Every guide names the operator, the shop or the office it refers to, with prices dated to the month we checked them.
Practical guides for Britons organizing everyday life in Spain, from the first weeks to the habits that make a place feel like home. This section covers the practical questions that sit between the big administrative steps: bringing a pet from the UK, what vets and authorities require, and how travel rules for dogs and cats differ from before the UK left the European Union. It also looks at the rhythm of Spanish life, from shop hours to public holidays, and at how to find the professionals you will need.
For each topic we link the official page behind the rule and say plainly where practice differs by region or by town. Where a step is not covered by an official page, we say so rather than guess. Our aim is to give Britons the order in which things happen, the documents each step asks for and the places where people most often go wrong, so that nothing in the first months comes as a surprise.
Where each of Spain's languages is official, public Spanish classes and their 2026 fees, the DELE and SIELE, regional language courses, and the language rules for your residence file and children.
What a Spanish bar or restaurant may put on your bill: taxes, cover and bread charges by region, tipping, tap water, leftovers, allergens, card and cash rules, smoking and complaint forms.
What a parcel from the UK costs on arrival in Spain since July 1, 2026, how gifts and household belongings are treated, what to know before posting food or medicines, and how Correos delivers.
Where an official Spanish level counts for a Briton: nationality, student renewals and some jobs, the 2026 DELE prices, language school fees by region and regional language certificates.
What happens to your UK SIM once you live in Spain, how Spanish mobile and fibre contracts work, how to switch and keep a number, and where to complain when a provider will not listen.
What an American needs for a Spanish number and home internet: unlocking, SIM identification, contracts, switching, cancelling, complaints, roaming, 112, ES-Alert and the universal service.
The order that gets a dog or cat from the U.S. into Spain in 2026: microchip, rabies shot, USDA endorsement and airport checks, then the regional registry, boosters and breed rules.
How a dog, cat or ferret gets from Great Britain into Spain: microchip, rabies wait, the animal health certificate, the Spanish point of entry, then the Spanish registry and dog rules.
What a parcel from the United States costs in Spain in 2026: import VAT, the 3 euro duty, carrier fees, gifts, moving boxes, banned items, USPS rules, certified letters and electronic notices.
Who runs Spain's trains, the 2026 passes and discounts open to U.S. residents, what EU law, Renfe and Ouigo pay when a train is late or canceled, and where to take a complaint.
Taking over the supplies after the keys: the CUPS code, the regulated PVPC and gas TUR against free-market offers, water through the town's utility, VAT, the bono social and complaints.
How power, gas and water work in Spain for a Briton in 2026: who sets each price, what you need to start, what a tenant pays, the taxes on the bill and where to complain.
What a U.S. prescription is worth in a Spanish pharmacy, how much medicine to bring, the AEMPS permit for controlled drugs, ADHD medicines, refills and buying online.
What the public system pays for by age and region, why a non-lucrative permit usually keeps you out, and how to check a private clinic, get an estimate, finance safely and complain.
