Relocating is one of life's biggest transitions, and often one of the most stressful. At Malaga Expat Consulting, we help take the pressure off your shoulders so you can focus on what truly matters: building a new life in Spain with clarity, confidence, and peace of mind. Whether you're already living in Spain or just starting to plan your move, we offer expert support in a structured, reliable, and personal way. From handling complicated paperwork to helping you find your future home, we're here to guide you through every step of the journey.
Relocation & Admin Support for Expats in Spain
Friendly, Professional Help for a Stress-Free Move to Malaga, Costa del Sol & Beyond
Meet Irina Saltmarsh, Founder of Malaga Expat Consulting
Having relocated multiple times and lived in countries like Russia, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, and finally Spain, Irina knows the relocation experience inside out. Since making Malaga her permanent home in 2017, she has helped hundreds of expats do the same, offering a combination of personal insight, deep local knowledge, and professional know-how. Fluent in English, Spanish, Russian and with some level of German, Irina leads Malaga Expat Consulting with a detail-oriented and highly organised approach—always tailored to the unique needs of each client.
Why So Many People Choose Spain
Spain continues to be one of the world's most popular relocation destinations, and it's easy to see why. With its Mediterranean climate, stunning natural beauty, rich cultural life, and famously laid-back lifestyle, it's a place where many choose not just to holiday, but to start a new chapter. But that relaxed way of life can be hard to access at first, especially when you're faced with unfamiliar bureaucracy, language barriers, and complex legal processes. That's where we come in. Our mission is to take the stress out of your relocation, so you can enjoy the lifestyle that drew you to Spain in the first place.
What We Offer
We provide a full range of relocation and administrative services to individuals, couples, and families, including:
- Visa and residency applications (NLV, DNV, EU residencies, and more)
- NIE/TIE, Town Hall registration (padrón), Social Security numbers
- Digital certificate setup and school enrolment support
- Property search assistance and rental contract reviews
- Private health insurance from Spain's leading provider Sanitas
- Full Relocation Packages tailored to your needs
- One-on-one consultations and trusted referrals to legal, tax, and other professionals.
Whether you're just getting started or already on the ground in Spain, we can support you at any stage of the process.
Local & remote support
Malaga Expat Consulting is based in Malaga and specialises in the Costa del Sol region, where we've built strong local insight and a reliable professional network. For services like property search assistance, we work exclusively in this local area to ensure high-quality, on-the-ground support.
However, many of our administrative services - including visa applications (such as DNVs and NLVs), residency permits, and other paperwork-related assistance - can be handled remotely across Spain. This means that even if you're relocating to another region, you can still benefit from our professional guidance and experience.
Why Work With Us
- We combine professionalism with a personal touch
- We're fully independent and act only in your best interest
- We offer structured, very efficient, and transparent support
- We understand the expat experience—because we've lived it too
- We're passionate about helping you feel at home
Start Your Spanish Life the Right Way
Whether you're navigating the Spanish bureaucracy, finding your new home, or just figuring out where to begin—we're here to help. We take the unnecessary stress and confusion out of relocation, so you can focus on enjoying the lifestyle that brought you to Spain in the first place.
Get in touch today to schedule a consultation and see how we can support your move to Malaga or anywhere in Spain.
Let's make your relocation smooth, successful, and as stress-free as possible
Relocation stories
Published on 1 Jun 2025
Vikki’s Relocation Story: A Family’s Journey to Successful Integration
After less than a year in Spain, Vikki and her family feel so integrated — despite a challenging start — that even the children no longer want to return to England. Her best advice? Make the move, no matter how scary it feels. Embrace the process, and be patient! Read her full story...
Read more ⟶Published on 12 Mar 2025
Stephanie & Pradip’s relocation story to a better quality of life
For Stephanie and Pradip, the move to Malaga has turned out to be one of the best decisions, as now not only can they work in the sunshine and on their balcony, but also enjoy this vibrant city as residents, being able to sneak away to the beach any time they wish…
Read more ⟶Published on 22 Dec 2024
Relocation to Benalmadena Story of Trevor & Ann-Marie
More than a year into their new life in Spain, Trevor & Ann-Marie feel now much more settled and belonging to the local community. The main challenge for them was finding a social group – read how they solved it…
Read more ⟶Published on 5 Sep 2024
Valuable Relocation Insights From Lyman & Jackie
After considering and visiting many countries, Lyman and Jackie have decided to move for retirement to Spain and have never regretted this choice. More than a year in their life in Malaga, they kindly agreed to share with us their experience and “take-aways” from this move
Read more ⟶Information
Showing 36 articles
Is Private Health Insurance Legally Required for Spanish Residency?
Published on 3 Jul 2025 ⟶
How to Legally Rent Out Your Property as a Tourist Accommodation in Andalusia
Published on 11 Jun 2025 ⟶
Spanish Residency Permits for non-EU citizens
Last updated on 24 May 2025 ⟶
About Spanish Digital Nomad Residency Visa
Last updated on 22 May 2025 ⟶
About non-lucrative residence permit in Spain
Last updated on 22 May 2025 ⟶
Spanish Residency Visa Alternatives: Digital Nomad Visa vs. Non-Lucrative Visa
Last updated on 5 Feb 2025 ⟶
Understanding Spanish Healthcare: Public and Private
Published on 20 Oct 2024 ⟶
How to find long-term rental in Malaga as an expat
Last updated on 25 Jul 2023 ⟶
New Property Law and Long-Term Rentals in Malaga
Published on 31 May 2023 ⟶
Are You Ready To Relocate From Malaga?
Last updated on 24 May 2023 ⟶
About Malaga
Last updated on 21 Nov 2022 ⟶
What to expect when looking for a long-term rental in Malaga
Published on 11 Nov 2022 ⟶
What are NIE, Green NIE and TIE?
Published on 27 Jul 2022 ⟶
Which school in Malaga to enrol my children to?
Last updated on 23 Jun 2022 ⟶
Do I need First Occupation License to let my tourist property?
Published on 9 May 2022 ⟶
Do I need Spanish residency card if I hold an EU passport?
Published on 28 Apr 2022 ⟶
Your guide to renting long-term on Costa del Sol
Published on 13 Feb 2022 ⟶
About renting a property
Last updated on 10 Feb 2022 ⟶
Should I exchange my EU green residency certificate to TIE card?
Published on 9 Dec 2021 ⟶
Bespoke Property Finder Service in Malaga
Last updated on 29 May 2021 ⟶
Spanish residency before and after Brexit
Last updated on 6 Apr 2021 ⟶
Essentials of becoming Spanish resident before Brexit
Published on 7 Sep 2020 ⟶
British in Spain - Are You Prepared for Brexit?
Last updated on 5 Jul 2020 ⟶
Guide to Spanish education system
Published on 29 Apr 2020 ⟶
Who is Autonomo in Spain?
Published on 15 Apr 2020 ⟶
Love living in Malaga - you will love it too!
Published on 26 Mar 2020 ⟶
About Spanish Healthcare System
Last updated on 21 Mar 2020 ⟶
About building permits and licences in Spain
Last updated on 7 Nov 2018 ⟶
About buying a property on Costa del Sol
Last updated on 30 Aug 2018 ⟶
About Pareja de Hecho or Civil Union in Andalusia
Last updated on 4 May 2018 ⟶
Is it easy to get a NIE number?
Last updated on 20 Dec 2017 ⟶
Do I need to renew my Residence in Spain?
Last updated on 25 Oct 2017 ⟶
About NIE and Residency
Last updated on 28 Sep 2017 ⟶
About retiring on the Costa del Sol
Published on 1 Jul 2017 ⟶
About Getting A Spanish Driving LIcense
Last updated on 22 May 2017 ⟶
About Transfer Of Car Ownership
Last updated on 1 May 2017 ⟶
Testimonials
Thorough and extremely efficient!
I have recently moved to Malaga and engaged with Irina to support me with finding a place to live given my Spanish is limited. Irina was amazing, she booked viewings on my behalf and translated all legal documents for me before I signed an agreement. She has also been a huge help with finalising my visa process and has made the move to Spain extremely seamless. She responds extremely quickly and is very thorough. I would highly recommend and use Irina again. Matthew, May 2024
Would recommend without hesitation!
My wife and I recently moved to Malaga from the US. Irina was highly recommended to us as an expert in finding an apartment to rent. She took the time to understand who we are and what we value in housing, helped us understand the rental market and factors that we should consider, laid out a clear and structured plan for collaborating with us on the search, and served as our advocate screening properties, scheduling viewings and reviewing the draft rental contract for the apartment we ultimately rented. We were so pleased with her services that we had Irina help us in obtaining our digital signatures and padron. Her business model allowed us to pick and choose exactly what we wanted help with. We would recommend her without hesitation to others in a similar situation to ours. Dean Mericas, February 2024
Can I give 10 stars??
Excellent professional service!
We have been using Malaga Expat Consulting to help with the whole set up of our new home/ life in Malaga and the service that was delivered could not have been better. If there were 10 stars, I would have given them. Irina helped us to get all our residencies and helped us to find a wonderful place to live.
We had the best experience and would highly recommend to anyone who is looking to relocate to Malaga! Stephanie Lal, February 2024