Moving, Living on Ibiza, Spain

Everyone’s dream is to visit Ibiza and once they have visited they want to stay as long as possible. Island fever kicks in and you just don’t want to go home. But sadly for most people they have to return to realty and back to their job and life in whatever country they came from. But some of those people do return and change their lives to live and work on the Island.

30 years on Ibiza and every tourist I’ve spoken to says ‘You’ve got a good life, lucky man’ or ‘wow I wish I could live in Ibiza’

For the people who already live on Ibiza, they may be living half the dream, but a good percentage of them do work on the Island. Ibiza people live a good lifestyle during the winter months and the months running up to the summer season, but during the summer months most of the locals do work very hard so they can continue to live on Ibiza.

So where do you start in selling up where ever you are and moving to Ibiza. A good start is to visit the Island and spend a month or so, on the Island to see if you really can live there. Many people’s mistakes are that they go to Ibiza for a holiday and return back to their home country, sell up everything and return for the same lifestyle. Six months down the line they are broke no job and have spent most their money, in the end they are returning to their home country with nothing. So it’s a wise idea to visit the Island for a few weeks or months if possible and see what’s its really like to live there. You can get a cheap hostel or hotel on Ibiza. Remembering it’s another country and most things are that little bit different.

Of course if you have plenty of money then moving to Island shouldn’t be a problem, but don’t make crazy purchases in the property market until you have at least spent a few months there and lived and learned the lifestyle. As for people who need to make income on the Island your quest is more difficult and you face a steep hill in finding a suitable job or business to make a living on the Island. Remembering there have been people before you who have either established there selves on the Island or have businesses that have been successful. A number one business that is always on the changing hands of owners is restaurant/bar business. These types of businesses change hands on a regular basis in my 30 years of living on Ibiza I’ve seen so many changes in this sector. Reason being many people think they can run a bar or restaurant and think it’s an easy lifestyle. Think again, there is a reason why so many of these businesses change hands. They fail because of zero knowledge in the business and there are already so many bars and restaurants on the Island that have established into good businesses. Owning a bar or restaurant you need have some good knowledge of the business and at least have some new idea to make it. Other than that you need an excellent location or a bar/restaurant that is well established, but that means it would be selling at a higher price.

It’s all about research to find out what you can do and what you can do well. And if you have something to offer the community of Ibiza that is special. Although tourism is big in Ibiza, the actual season is only 5 months when tourists flock to the Island, therefore if you are doing something in the tourist industry you need to make sure you make enough money to keep you going through the long winter months. Ideal is a business that works all year round.

If you going to search for a job on Ibiza then one key ingredient is knowing the language (Spanish) . This will help you in leaps and bounds and if you have a skill to offer with that you will have a head start on this Island. Jobs are here, but it’s mainly down to the individual if they are prepared to work hard. Hundreds of companies operate on the Island which is mostly Spanish. You will find a lot of English ex-pats that live on the Island have setup companies and do often look for staff.

You will need to require a NIE (Numero de Identificacion de Extranjeros) - So if you want to be legally employed on Ibiza and take advantage of the Spanish health service you will need a NIE. Without a NIE and working is illegal as you would not be contributing to the Spanish tax system and would not be entitled to any Spanish social security benefits.
See more on residency on Ibiza

So you’ve brought a business or found a job that will suite you well and generate enough income to stay on the Island. So now you will need a property to either rent or buy. You might have some capital now and a little money to invest into a property on Ibiza. Don’t rush. A good suggestion is to rent for at least six months to a year to get the feel of the Island and know the best areas to live. During that time hunt for a bargain property. The more time you spend looking, the more chance you find a great deal. Renting is also a great opportunity to seek the part the Island you want to live. There are a wide selection of apartments to rent and small houses. Most the apartments are based in the towns or resorts. Small houses you can find dotted all over the Island. And depending if you want to live in the country or not, you will find most houses will be located a few kilometers away from the towns or resorts. You can always use a local agent to find a house to rent for you on a long term basis, and this goes the same with finding an apartment. All the requirements are needed when renting here in Ibiza. You are required to pay water, electricity, telephone and internet service provider. Other expenses come in if you live in the town like rubbish and general maintenance fees around the building. You may have parking fees as well depending if the apartment you rent has an underground car park.

If renting a small house in the country you may not have mains water and the house will have a large tank underneath that is filled up by a water lorry, or the house might have its own well which is keeps a tank on the roof topped up by a pump. Renting a house in the country in Ibiza is an experience and going back about ten or fifteen years things like telephone and mains water didn’t exist on the Island. Nowadays things are a little easier. I will warn you that the telephone company that is based on the Island can be a real pain to work with.

The Island of Ibiza has many schools for the Spanish children. And if your children are young and you want them to pick-up the Spanish language then dropping them into a Spanish school might be a good thing. If you prefer to have your children in a private school the Island of Ibiza does have an international school that has been running since 1973. The school is known as Morna Valley. The school used to be located in the Morna Valley near San Carlos some many years ago, now it’s located under new management and owner in Santa Gerturdis. It’s now very well run and school fees are worth looking at before you make the leap.

You may want to buy a car on the Island or at least rent one for a while until you can find a good priced vehicle. So the best place to start is a car hire company. Car hire companies normally have some good priced used cars for sale at the end of the season. As car hire companies normally replace a selection of their cars each year to upgrade or get latest models.