A brief guide to living in Mallorca

Mallorca Living - a guide to health, work, schools and much more...

You have been to Mallorca on holiday, perhaps more than once. Now you are thinking of buying a house and living in Mallorca!

Making the move - Buying a house and living in Mallorca

We have all sat on a Mallorcan beach at some point and dreamt of a life on the island; living in Mallorca seems easy, light and fun, charmed by great weather, stunning scenery and a vibrant culture. Traditional fiestas abound and now Mallorca property prices are at an all time low. 

Who wouldn't want to spend their life under the Mallorcan sun? So, is this a good time to buy a house in Mallorca, relocate and live here? Switching a few glorious days on the beach for a whole lifetime living in Mallorca entails certain big changes. 

Over the next month we will deal with a few key challenges and some of the practicalities worth taking into account when planning on living in Mallorca.

A brief guide to Healthcare - Living in Mallorca

Healthcare will be one of your priorities and top concerns about living in Mallorca. The island has a good healthcare system, both private and public hospitals, dentists, specialist clinics and national health medical centres which can be found in every village and town. There are also many European, German and British working doctors, dentists and healthcare specialists working and living in Mallorca. 

If you are working in Mallorca you will be automatically credited with a healthcare card and assigned a GP at your nearest state healthcare centre known locally as PAC. This means that while working and living in Mallorca you will not have to pay for visits to your doctor, hospital, prescription medications and operations.

Alternatively you may wish to avoid the queues and pay for private healthcare and the specialist physician of your choice. 

The north of Mallorca has two fine hospitals, the state run Inca Hospital and private Muro hospital. There is also a whole array of holistic and alternative medical practitioners, and Palma de Mallorca, the capital has specialist medics of all fields, dentists and a growing number of cosmetic surgeons.

The climate - A good reason for living in Mallorca

Warm practically all year, 300 days of sunshine, scorching hot in the mid summer and long springs and autumns. The climate is pretty great in Mallorca and living in Mallorca is wonderful way of enjoying it fully.

It does rain though, it has to!. The winters are mild, definitely milder than northern Europe and short too, starting mid November and over by the beginning of January. However, living in Mallorca in winter, can come as a bit of a shock as the island becomes increasingly empty and cold. 

The sea and the mountains have a barrier effect, keeping temperatures temperate and living in Mallorca you soon discover that it is in fact during the silent winter months when you love living in Mallorca most.

Mallorca's living culture, language and schools - Spanish and Mallorquín

The first thing to say on the subject of language and living in Mallorca is that this is a holiday island and most people speak English.

In Mallorca however there are two languages; Spanish, which is Castilian, and the national language of Spain and Mallorquín, a regional dialect of Catalan, the official Balearic language in which most paperwork and officialdom is carried out.

Newspapers and the local TV is all in Catalan and if you are thinking of living in Mallorca with your family, your children will most likely be schooled bilingually in Spanish and Catalan. There are also several international schools on the island, mainly in the south, where your children can be educated in English, German, French or Swedish.

A brief guide to visas - Living in Mallorca

European citizens at first will only need a valid passport. Later, if you plan on living in Mallorca for over 3 months at a stretch then you will have to get a NIE number (Numero de Identidad de Estranjeros) which is your foreign identity number in Spain.

If you are planning on living in Mallorca in a property you own, then you will have got your NIE number already in order to buy the house. In fact you will need a NIE number to do practically anything; open a bank account, work, buy a property or rent. 

Non European citizens whose countries have an agreement with Spain can stay in Mallorca for up to 90 days. If you intend to stay in Mallorca for longer you will need a visa, applied for in your home country, not in Spain.