The Gestor
After 38 years of corporate life Harry King retired to Spain. He now lives in Alicante in a house overlooking the Med, with the mountains at his back door. He is also author of Going to Live in Spain, Buy to Let in Spain and the forthcoming Knowing the Law in Spain.
THE GESTOR
A gestor is a registered agent dealing with government departments and acts as an intermediary between Spanish officialdom and the general public. It says much about the Spanish way of life that such a person is necessary to deal with its wearisome bureaucracy.
A gestor is a well respected occupation. They are competent, highly qualified administrators whose fees are somewhat less than those of the abogado.
What do they do? For the Spanish they simply deal with the complicated mass of paperwork. For foreigners they do the same, in a country where the language barrier, a new culture and different procedures cause additional problems. The tasks covered by the gestor are covered in Chapter 12 but are mainly:
- payment of income and wealth taxes
- application for residency
- entry into the Spanish health system
- dealing with the payment of car tax, car transfer tax and other car related matters
- if required, help in setting up new businesses.
In all probability a new house owner will not require the services of a gestor until after the house conveyancing is completed. Up to this time he will be best serviced by the advice of the abogado.
Of course, as a new resident’s knowledge increases with time, some of the day to day administration of minor items can be accomplished personally.
