Off to Mallorca

Why go far away when good things are so close. This variation of a four-line poem written by Goethe called "Memory" is particularly true for Mallorca. Some readers will probably think that Mallorca is also far away, but in terms of travel, this has not been the case for a long time. The Balearic Islands, which include Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca, can be reached from almost every international airport in Germany in around 2 ½ hours. The popularity of the Mediterranean island has ensured that airlines have continuously expanded their flight offerings, so that today there are daily flights between the island and Germany, from most of Germany's major airports to and from Palma de Mallorca, the Mallorcan capital. So wherever your actual home is in Germany, it is usually only a few kilometers from the nearest airport and thus from your new home Mallorca.

If you compare this to other southern travel destinations, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic are already 4 hours away by plane, and long-distance destinations such as the Caribbean or Thailand are 9 to 15 hours of regular flight time. Flying to Mallorca is more like using the local train to quickly visit a friend in another part of town.

Living in Mallorca

Around 35,000 foreign residents already live in Mallorca, a considerable number of whom are from Germany. There is therefore no need to fear forgetting or missing your own language in a foreign country. There is no need to worry about this. So anyone who is thinking of moving their life to an island with an average annual temperature of 16.1 degrees Celsius should consider a few points that are necessary to make the move easy.

Travel documents

As both Spain and Germany are EU countries, there is a mutual right to freedom of movement, which means that in principle an identity card is sufficient, or a passport, as the identity card is actually a document that is linked to the place of residence in Germany. Anyone who deregisters at their old place of residence in Germany will only have their identity card valid for the period stated on it. When deregistering in Germany, a deregistration certificate should be requested.

Arrived in Mallorca

Registration as an "Extranjero" - the Spanish term for foreigners - is not necessary for EU citizens for the first three months. After that, they should register with the Policia National in the Oficina Unica de Extranjero in Palma de Mallorca in order to receive an identification number. This also applies if they keep their place of residence in Germany. Quite a few residents only have a holiday home on the island. Anyone who moves completely will then also be subject to tax registration with the Spanish tax office. This is a downside that requires a special explanation.

Taxes in Spain

The Spanish tax office taxes pensions of 7,000 euros or more annually with normal income tax, which means that pension taxation is significantly higher than in Germany. Inheritance tax is also significantly higher in Spain than in Germany. For these reasons alone, both specialist lawyers and emigrants themselves advise keeping your primary residence and thus your tax registration in Germany. At the same time, keeping your primary residence in Germany usually offers advantages when it comes to receiving your pension. The simplest solution to this problem would be to keep your primary residence in Germany and withdraw your pension into a German bank account. To ensure that bank fees for withdrawals do not get out of hand, it is worth using a credit card that is often free of charge. In theory, German tax law requires that you visit your primary residence at least 6 times a year in order to be considered the center of your life, but this is usually not checked. The German primary residence also ensures that certain bureaucratic obstacles are avoided in Mallorca. For example, the authorities often require proof of the amount of pension entitlement and existing health insurance. Pensioners have this anyway, and medical services can also be used in Spain with the European Health Insurance Card, the EHIC. However, advance payment is often required and the doctor or hospital bill can be submitted to the German health insurance company later.

Is Mallorca expensive?

Yes and no. Anyone who spends every day in El Arenal and parties or 2.070 / 5.000 If you choose to live in one of the famous celebrity residences such as Puerto de Andratx, you will need a considerable sum for monthly living expenses. Since tourism is the largest source of income for the Mallorcans, with around 10 million visitors a year, and a lot of money flows into the island, the per capita income is also one of the highest in Spain. Nevertheless, the monthly income of German pensioners is on average higher than that of a Mallorcan worker or even a Mallorcan retiree. As a result, you can live quite well on around 1000 to 1500 euros a month, even if you have one or two imported goods from Germany on your shopping list that you don't want to be without in your kitchen abroad. Spanish and especially Mallorcan cuisine is quite varied and even smaller "supermercados" in the countryside have a fairly diverse and inexpensive range of products due to the influx of tourists.

Cushion the beginning

Even as a pensioner with a primary residence in Germany and especially when moving completely, you should have a small cushion ready for the new start under the Spanish sun that helps cushion unexpected events. Even if the reassuring monthly pension payment is in the background, events can always occur that cause higher costs. There are always risks, especially when getting used to a new environment with possible language barriers and a change in climate. The financial cushion should definitely be large enough to finance the problem-free return transport in an emergency, such as a serious illness. These initial difficulties can at least be counteracted to some extent by internalizing the culture and peculiarities of the host island of Mallorca on previous vacation trips and through preparatory language courses. Then emigrating to Mallorca, no matter what form it takes, is a pleasure that is additionally rewarded with sun, lots of nature and a blue sea.