For years, Spain has been one of the preferred countries for professionals and entrepreneurs who, for various reasons, decide to live and work abroad for a while. This trend is growing due to the vast possibilities offered by remote work. There are also many executives from foreign companies with headquarters in our country who are posted for a few years to develop their professional careers in offices or branches located here.
Additionally, there is an increasing demand in Spain for qualified professionals in sectors such as technology. Barcelona, for example, already has residents from 180 different nationalities. Consequently, the range of services for these groups is growing in parallel.
Regardless of the circumstances of foreign professionals arriving here, it is evident that starting a new life in a foreign country, even if it is voluntary and sought after, involves a series of difficulties and bureaucratic processes that are always better resolved with the support of someone who knows the characteristics of the new country of residence.
Banco Sabadell’s Welcome Service makes your arrival in this country more comfortable
In this context, Banco Sabadell offers the Welcome Service online platform, aimed at expatriates and residential tourists who move to live or work in Spain. This is an initiative that Banco Sabadell has made available to all newcomers to the country since 2017, following a study by the International Talent Monitor of the Barcelona Global organisation, which identified the need for an open space of these characteristics.
Who can use it?
It is not necessary to be a Banco Sabadell customer to use the Welcome Service. This platform provides all the information needed by families, entrepreneurs or investors arriving in the country. Families are granted access to the Setting up home section, entrepreneurs to the Starting up a business section, and investors to the Investing in Spain section.
What services does it offer?
- 24-hour support in three languages. A team of professionals will answer inquiries in English, German and French, 24 hours a day, and will respond within a period of no more than 48 hours. Inquiries can be made from the platform itself, via chat, click-to-call, or by phone.
- Specialist partners Banco Sabadell has partnered with top-level specialists to offer a range of personalised solutions under preferential conditions: legal, tax, relocation, property or financial services specifically designed for the international community arriving in the country to work or live intermittently, such as executives, researchers, entrepreneurs, multinational employees, students and investors.
- Welcome offices As a complement to the Welcome Services platform, Banco Sabadell offers this community the Barcelona Welcome Hub, a specialised office for foreign residents located on the central Diagonal avenue. It is a unique, dynamic, and multidisciplinary space, pioneering in the Spanish banking system, with a team of specialists capable of assisting clients in up to eight different languages. Additionally, our offices in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Castelldefels and Sitges also have staff specialised in the operations required by international clients.
The Barcelona Welcome Hub, a centre specifically designed to serve foreigners settling in our country
In order to achieve this goal, we provide all foreigners coming to settle in our country with a Welcome Hub in the centre of Barcelona. At 456 Avenida Diagonal they will find a three-story office staffed by a team of highly specialised professionals prepared to serve clients in multiple languages (English, French, German and Russian, in addition to Catalan and Spanish). This facility spans 950 square metres, where foreign customers will find solutions to a wide variety of needs. From the most basic financial services to the most complex banking products or private banking services.
Non-financial services as well
This space aims to be a platform that facilitates the arrival of this type of customer to our country. For them, it also offers advice on non-financial matters and includes multi-purpose spaces, such as an event room and a networking area available to newcomers. Among other services, our Welcome Service also offers advice to:
- Smoothly handle all bureaucratic procedures related to settling into their new residence.
- Manage basic aspects during the first months of residence (children’s schooling, receiving funds from abroad, finding a home…).
- Understand the tax obligations of our country in detail.
- Obtain the best advice on procedures such as updating the names on utility accounts in their new home.
More information about the Welcome Service here.
Banco Sabadell, present at the Barcelona International Community Day
On 28 October, the tenth edition of the Barcelona International Community Day will be held, the annual meeting of the international professional community living and working in Barcelona. Once again, the team of specialists from Banco Sabadell will be present at the event to support, advise and offer services tailored to the expat community. On this occasion, they will also be joined by start-up specialists from BStartup.
Experts from our institution will be available to attendees at our stand in the Maritime Museum and will also participate in various talks:
11:45 – 12:15
‘Financial expectations of an international client in Barcelona’
Roger Pi, director of the Banco Sabadell Welcome Hub, and Anna Klevtsova, Managing Partner at Klev & Vera International Law Firm, will discuss and share key financial advice for non-residents and the steps to take to transition from non-resident to resident. We will explain what kind of financial services an expat can get.
12:30 – 13:15
‘The challenges of starting a business and seeking funding in Barcelona’
This round table will provide useful advice if you want to start a business in Barcelona or embark on your new professional project. Key players in the city, such as Barcelona Activa, BStartup, and Banco Sabadell’s Welcome Hub, will present their services, programmes and activities to accompany you throughout the process: from business idea to the creation of the company. Entrepreneur testimonials will give you information about the start-up experience and their choice of Barcelona. We will provide you with different ways to find funding and turn your idea into a viable business.
You can find the complete programme here.
