Moving to Barcelona PRACTICAL GUIDE TO SETTLING DOWN Moving to Barcelona PRACTICAL GUIDE TO SETTLING DOWN Moving to Barcelona BARCELONA, Barcelona, with more than 2000 years AN OPEN AND of history, has always been a mixed, WELCOMING welcoming, tolerant and open city. Open to CITY the sea, open to trade and commerce, as well as other people and cultures. Barcelona is a city with a soul and a special charm, full of stimulating contrasts, commited to the current world challenges and with initiative and drive. With a long industrial and commercial tradition, the Barcelona area is one of the most powerful economic engines in Europe, with a strong presence of foreign companies that invest here thanks to a diversified economy with many competitive assets. The city is also one of the most dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystems, especially in new technologies and life sciences. It is ranked among the top 5 start- up cities in Europe and is a hub for innovation, research and culture. An outstanding academic system generates and attracts talent and many delegates visit our city to attend congresses, conventions and fairs. All of the business, cultural and leisure opportunities combined with the local lifestyle make Barcelona a great place to live. And that explains why Barcelona is a cosmopolitan city with a large and active international community. If you are reading this, you may be considering moving to Barcelona. Here you will find the friendliness and warmth of the Mediterranean character that encourages visitors to come and get to know us, a pleasant climate all year round, as well as an enviable quality of life with unique and distinguished neighbourhoods, and cohesive communities that will make you feel at home. Whether you are still thinking about moving to our city, are in the process of doing so or have just arrived, this guide will help you settle in and make the most of your first experiences here. It includes everything you need to know before coming to Barcelona and upon your arrival, to make moving in and your everyday life easy. The objective is for you to become a new Barcelonian, proud of your adopted city and ready to enjoy all that this beautiful and vibrant place has to offer. Welcome home, welcome to Barcelona. Moving to Barcelona CONTENTS 3 6 Currency and Health banking 40 - PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM 20 - CURRENCY 41 - HEALTH EMERGENCIES 1 20 - CHOOSING A BANK 42 - HOSPITALS Practical 21 - OPENING A BANK ACCOUNT 42 - PRIVATE HEALTH 21 - BANKING HOURS INSURANCE information 21 - CREDIT CARDS 42 - PHARMACIES 42 - MATERNITY AND 6 - PLEASANT CLIMATE 21 - PAYING BILLS PATERNITY 6 - LOCAL TIME 43 - PEOPLE WITH 7 - MEALTIMES DISABILITIES 7 - SHOPPING HOURS 45 - ELDERLY PEOPLE OR 7 - HOLIDAYS 4 DEPENDANTS 8 - STREET ADDRESSES Taxes 45 - STD AND HIV 8 - POSTAL SERVICE INFORMATION AND TEST 8 - TIPPING 23 - INCOME TAX (IRPF) POINTS 8 - DRESS CODE 23 - NON-RESIDENT INCOME 8 - SAFETY TAX (IRNR) 9 - CITIZEN INFORMATION 23 - SPECIAL TAX REGIME AND ASSISTANCE FOR WORKERS MOVED TO SPAIN 7 24 - VALUE ADDED TAX (IVA) Education 24 - PROPERTY TAX (IBI) 46 - CHOOSING A SCHOOL 2 24 - VEHICLE TAX (IVTM) FOR YOUR CHILDREN Procedures 47 - THE LOCAL EDUCATION SYSTEM 11 - BEFORE AND AFTER 47 - TYPES OF SCHOOLS YOUR ARRIVAL 49 - SCHOOL CALENDAR 14 - LEGALISING AND 5 TRANSLATING PUBLIC Housing 49 - LOCAL SCHOOLS (PÚBLICA DOCUMENTS AND CONCERTADA) 14 - GENERAL REQUIREMENTS 26 - CHOOSING A PLACE TO 50 - INTERNATIONAL FOR COMING TO THIS LIVE SCHOOLS COUNTRY 27 - THE NEIGHBOURHOODS 54 - HIGHER EDUCATION 15 - IMMIGRATION OF BARCELONA 55 - SUPPORT SERVICES FOR PROCEDURES FOR EU 32 - THE METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS CITIZENS AREA OF BARCELONA AND RESEARCHERS 15 - IMMIGRATION 34 - SHORT-TERM 55 - BUSINESS SCHOOLS PROCEDURES FOR ACCOMMODATION 55 - LANGUAGE SCHOOLS NON-EU CITIZENS 34 - MEDIUM AND LONG- AND FOREIGN CULTURAL 16 - MUNICIPAL REGISTRATION TERM ACCOMMODATION CENTRES 17 - IDENTIFYING DOCUMENTS 35 - RENTING A PROPERTY 18 - SOCIAL SECURITY 36 - BUYING A HOUSE NUMBER 37 - MUNICIPAL HOUSING 18 - HEALTH-CARE CARD POLICY 19 - PETS 37 - UTILITIES 19 - DRIVING LICENCE AND 39 - DOMESTIC SERVICE VEHICLE TRANSFER 39 - WASTE MANAGEMENT 74 - MUSIC AND DANCE 8 VENUES 13 Public transport 75 - MUSIC FESTIVALS Working and 75 - THEATRE 59 - INTEGRATED FARE 76 - CINEMAS professional SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC 76 - LIBRARIES career TRANSPORT 77 - CIVIC AND COMMUNITY 92 - WORKING HOURS 59 - BUYING A TICKET CENTRES 93 - LABOUR MARKET AND 59 - BUSES 77 - HOW TO BUY TICKETS JOB OPPORTUNITIES 60 - RAIL 93 - JOB SEARCH TOOLS AND 61 - TAXI RESOURCES 61 - BICING: PUBLIC SHARING 94 - SELF-EMPLOYMENT AND BICYCLE SYSTEM ENTREPRENEURSHIP 62 - TOURIST AND LEISURE 11 95 - PROFESSIONAL TRANSPORT Sport, outdoor DEVELOPMENT IN NEW 62 - AIRPORTS activities and TECHNOLOGIES leisure 95 - WELCOMING AND ACTIVITIES FOR 78 - PUBLIC SPORTS INTERNATIONAL CENTRES TALENT 9 79 - PRIVATE SPORTS Private transport CENTRES 79 - FOOTBALL 64 - RULES OF THE ROAD 79 - OTHER SPORT 65 - SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY 80 - LIVE SPORTS EVENTS 14 POLICIES Doing business 65 - BICYCLES 80 - PARKS AND GARDENS 65 - ELECTRIC VEHICLES 82 - BEACHES 96 - TEN GOOD REASONS 66 - VEHICLE HIRING AND 83 - ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS FOR DOING BUSINESS SHARING AND FAMILIES IN BARCELONA 66 - PURCHASING A CAR 84 - VARIED SHOPPING 98 - MUNICIPAL OFFER SUPPORT SERVICES 66 - SCOOTERS AND FOR ENTREPRENEURS MOTORBIKES 85 - RESTAURANTS AND BUSINESS CREATION 67 - ITV – INSPECCIÓ 87 - NIGHTLIFE 99 - MUNICIPAL LANDING TÈCNICA DE VEHICLES SERVICES FOR 67 - CAR PARKS AND THE FOREIGN COMPANIES GREEN AREA (INVESTMENT PROJECT) 12 99 - LOCAL KEY AGENTS Diversity and FOR BUSINESSES AND INVESTMENTS social rights 101 - CHAMBERS OF 10 89 - RELIGIONS COMMERCE AND Culture and FOREIGN TRADE OFFICES 89 - LGTBI 103 - INTERNATIONAL cultural life 90 - WOMEN ASSOCIATIONS, 68 - CATALAN CULTURE AND 90 - IMMIGRATION AND PLATFORMS LANGUAGE REFUGEES AND CLUBS IN THE 69 - FESTIVALS AND 91 - SOCIAL INCLUSION AND PROFESSIONAL AND TRADITIONS COHESION BUSINESS FIELD 71 - CATALAN CUISINE 91 - VOLUNTEER 72 - MUSEUMS AND OPPORTUNITIES CULTURAL CENTRES Moving to Barcelona / Practical information PLEASANT CLIMATE 6 Barcelona has a Mediterranean climate that begs you to enjoy the city by day and by night. Cradled between the sea and the mountains, it enjoys a microclimate with an average temperature of 10ºC in winter and 25ºC in summer, few days of rainfall and more than 2,800 hours of sunshine per year. 1Practical LOCAL TIME Local time in the Spanish peninsula is one hour ahead of GMT, six hours ahead of US information Eastern Standard Time and nine hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time. When it is 6.00 p.m. in Barcelona, it is 5.00 p.m. in London and noon in New York. Spain, like the rest of Europe, observes Summer Time. Clocks go forward one hour on the last Sunday in March and go back one hour on the last Sunday in October. This time change takes place simultaneously in all EU member states. MEALTIMES HOLIDAYS 7 Spaniards tend to eat later than other Spain has public holidays, many of them Europeans. They usually have a light with religious origin. Some are celebrated breakfast of fruit juice, coffee and a pastry nationwide while others are celebrated only or sandwich between 9.00-11.00 a.m. Lunch in Catalonia or in Barcelona. is between 2.00-3.00 pm. Dinner starts between 9.00-10.00 p.m. SHOPPING HOURS Bank holidays in Barcelona Most establishments are open from Monday 1 January — Any Nou* / New Year’s Day to Saturday and are closed on Sundays. They open between 9.00-10.00 a.m. and close 6 January — Dia de Reis* / Epiphany between 1.00-2.00 p.m. They then reopen March-April (movable) — Divendres Sant* / between 4.30-5.00 p.m. and close between Good Friday 8.00-9.00 p.m. Markets open earlier, between 7.00-8.00 a.m. Smaller shops close by March-April (movable) — Dilluns de 2.00-3.00 p.m. Some shops do not open on Pasqua**/ Easter Monday Saturday afternoons. Major shopping centres 1 May — Dia del Treball* / Labour Day and a growing number of shops open all day, from 10.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. from Monday to May (movable) — Pasqua Granada*** / Saturday. Pentecost Monday 24 June — Sant Joan** / Feast Day of A few shops and shopping centres are open St. John on Sundays and holidays, mostly around Christmas and at the summer or winter sales 15 August — L’Assumpció* / periods. In summer, many restaurants and The Assumption shops close for all or part of August. 11 September — Diada Nacional de Catalunya**/ Catalan National Day 24 September — Festa de la Mercè*** / La Mercè Festival 12 October — Dia de la Hispanitat* / Spanish National Day 1 November — Tots Sants* / All Saints’ Day 6 December — Dia de la Constitució* / Constitution Day 8 December — La Immaculada* / Immaculate Conception 25 December — Nadal* / Christmas Day 26 December — Sant Esteve** / Feast Day of St. Stephen (Boxing Day) * National holiday ** Regional holiday (Catalonia only) *** Local holiday (Barcelona only) Moving to Barcelona / Practical information STREET ADDRESSES TIPPING 8 The standard address format begins with Restaurants are required by law to include the street name and number, followed by the service charges in their menu prices. There is floor number and the flat or unit number. no expected rate for tips. Most people leave For example, the address Carrer d’Aragó 137, small change if they are satisfied with service. 2n 3r corresponds to a flat on Aragó street, at number 137 which is on the second floor and It is also customary to tip hotel porters and is door number 3. washroom attendants. Five percent is the usual tip for taxi drivers, more for longer In Spain, the ground floor is either marked 0 journeys and if the driver helped with your or PB (planta baixa in Catalan).