Mark Danby, a UK expat from Stockport, Greater Manchester, swapped the rainy UK for sunny Spain six months ago, settling in Manilva on the Costa del Sol. While he enjoys life in Spain, Mark has encountered significant frustrations with the country’s bureaucratic processes, which he describes as “20 years behind” the UK in terms of technology and efficiency.
Working in IT and running a popular YouTube channel, Tapas Guy, Mark relocated on a digital nomad visa designed for remote workers and self-employed individuals. However, he quickly discovered that administrative tasks here move at a glacial pace, heavily reliant on paper rather than digital systems.
In one of his videos, Mark explained his biggest cultural shock: “Spain is about 20 years or so behind the UK when it comes to technology. Everything takes so long. They don’t use electronic systems; they prefer their pieces of paper. That’s the biggest shock.”
READ MORE: Construction Begins on 82 New Affordable Homes in Cotswold Village
READ MORE: Call the Midwife’s Helen George Left ‘Furious’ Over Buckingham Palace Discovery
He illustrated this by describing the process of obtaining his TIE card, Spain’s foreign residency identity card. Despite already being accepted, Mark must physically visit a police station to submit documents, have his fingerprints taken, and then wait for the card to be produced—a process that could be easily sped up with simple digital solutions, but instead remains paper-driven.
“If they had a printer on site, they could just print it out immediately, but no, it has to go through multiple paper steps,” he said. “You then need to book another appointment to collect it, and everything is fully booked. It takes a very, very long time.”
The TIE card is a mandatory document for foreigners residing in Spain for more than six months, proving legal status for visa holders. While Spain follows Schengen Area rules that allow visa-free travel within Europe for short stays, the process of establishing legal residency remains cumbersome.
Mark’s experience shines a light on the bureaucratic challenges facing expats in Spain, especially those expecting more streamlined, modern systems after leaving the UK.