At the airport in Mallorca, reality catches up with the first adventurers, because knowledge of the language of the new home is not a nice gesture, but simply necessary basics such as basic knowledge of the new country, the customs and the mentality of the people who represent potential customers after emigrating. 

Anyone who wants to emigrate to Mallorca should think about it in advance. How do you actually start this self-employment abroad? What do I have to consider if I want to be a successful freelancer in Mallorca? In Spanish, by the way, this is called autónomo - self-employed, independent, and that is no coincidence. Freelancer was relatively unknown in Spain ten years ago. There are now more tax consultants, therapists and craftsmen who work as autónomos. However, as in Germany, you have to have enough money: without financial reserves, the adventure of emigrating quickly becomes a terrible nightmare that never ends, because you don't even have enough money for the return flight ticket.

Don't emigrate without a piggy bank!

So make sure you have financial backing, because in Spain there is no support from the Federal Employment Agency. Here you are autónomos and sometimes push the adventure of emigrating and being self-employed to the limit. How big this reserve should be depends on the running costs that are necessary for life on Germany's most popular island and on the fact that every business requires a start-up period that must be financially managed even without the income from the new shop or the new service. It often takes a good year for the business idea to find favor in Mallorca and make a profit. Leaving your homeland behind to find happiness as an autónomo by emigrating to Mallorca should be realistic with a budget of at least 10,000 euros. Under these circumstances, it can sometimes become an unpleasant adventure that ends quicker than you can say Balearic Islands.

Research is half the battle - even on Mallorca!

Mallorca is not Germany. The Spanish are aware of the increased attention and the general demand for real estate in Spain, especially on Mallorca, is high. It can therefore easily happen that the costs are set too low or that even more expenses are incurred than expected. Popular centers such as Palma or Cala Millor, where many tourist hotels are located, cost even more, but promise attractive locations. The deposit that you have to pay is usually higher than at home and an additional payment for taking over the inventory is usual. Also, the rent is due in advance for at least the next 12 months. Good preparation, realistic cost planning and research to get a feel for the costs of commercial real estate on the Balearic island are valuable points for a successful emigration. The bureaucracy is also neighing in faraway Mallorca. For every permit, for every certificate that the over-motivated autónomo needs, someone is holding out their hand. Incidentally, papers from Germany must be translated and certified in order to be accepted by the Mallorcan authorities.

Necessary documents to become a successful autónomo

You must be at least 18 years old and register your business (Alta en Impuestos sobre Actividades Económicas). Once you have registered your business, the new Trabajador autónomo must register independently with the tax office, hacienda or Agencia Tributaria, with a NIE. You will then receive the NIF (número de identificación fiscal), the Spanish tax identification number. The taxes due are calculated quarterly (estimación directa) or by means of an estimate. As in Germany, income tax (IRPF - Impuesto sobre Al Renta de Personas Fisicas) and value added tax (IVA - Impuesto de Valor añadido) are due. Paid quarterly, the tax office calculates the total tax at the end of the year = the system is called régimen auf módulos and sometimes even has a positive surprise.

With social insurance, you are obliged to register as a freelancer and pay monthly contributions. You can freely choose the income to be insured. If you declare more, it will cost higher monthly installments (cuota de autónomo), but you will be entitled to sick pay and later higher pension payments. A minimum salary of 850 euros per month as an example: you pay 254 euros for pension, accident and health insurance and receive 60 percent of your salary from day four if you are unable to work. In our example, that would be around 510 euros per month. If the incapacity to work lasts longer than three weeks, this would be 75 percent of the basic salary. With a monthly salary of 1,500 euros and social security contributions of 450 euros per month for a longer period of illness. 1,125 euros, which is paid by the professional association (mutua laboral). Anyone who wants to emigrate to Mallorca does not do so lightly and wants to be successful as an autónomo in the long term. The practice of registering as a self-employed low-income worker for just two months a year and issuing invoices saves on social security, but there is a risk of fines of 6,000 euros and more.