@Jakub Pacanda asked me to post about our experience obtaining an NIE with a gestor. Obtaining an NIE will quickly be at the top of your to-do list when you first move to Spain. My wife and I live about 45 minutes east of Málaga and we used a gestor in Nerja to arrange our appointments. You can certainly obtain an NIE on your own. My wife and I are in the early stages of learning the Spanish language, so we opted to hire a gestor for help with all the paperwork. We provided our gestor with our passports and they scheduled our appointments at the Policía Nacional station (one appointment for each person, but five minutes apart), provided us with all the completed paperwork we needed, and paid the required filing fees on our behalf. Fast forward to our NIE appointment day: We arrived at the Policía Nacional station in Velez-Malaga about ten minutes before our appointments. We went through the security screening, got our ticket for the queue (there was no queue, but you need to have a ticket number 🤷), and our appointments started right on time. We handed over our passports and paperwork. There were no questions as all the paperwork was in perfect order. The police official asked us to sign the forms our gestor created. (Do not sign your forms before your appointment. Wait until you are at the appointment and they tell you to sign.) Then we were done and the official provided us with our official forms with our NIEs printed on them. The entire process for two of us took less than fifteen minutes in total. TL;DR: Hiring a gestor makes the NIE process very smooth. It is worth paying someone to get everything sorted for you. We used Marrelo Solutions in Nerja and were very happy with them. They get inundated with emails from folks overseas trying to get paperwork put together, so your best bet is to phone them directly or show up in person to get the best service. https://www.marrelosolutions.com

As it often happens, the best ideas come from walks with friends and the community. Yesterday, my friend came up with the idea that I could create a flyer with a QR code for our digital community and spread it around the city. I found it so simple yet brilliant that I started working on it first thing this morning. Now I need your help to decide which of these four flyers you like the most. When you click on the images to enlarge them, you’ll see the image number appear in the top left corner. Please vote 🙏🏼

Hola! I'm Adam. My wife and I moved from California to a little village near Nerja on October 9th, 2025. We retired in 2024 and spent a full year traveling the world. During that time, we discovered how amazing how lovely this area is and decided to make it our new home. I've had a side-business since 2015 where I help tv shows, movies, and book authors with the "criminal investigation" aspects of storytelling. I am in the process of moving my online platform over to Skool, which is how I discovered the Welcome to Málaga group. 😁 Thanks to @Jakub Pacanda for allowing me into the group. Cheers to making new friends in a new country! Adam

So glad you’re here. This group is for everyone who lives in Málaga, just moved here or still daydreams about it while sipping coffee somewhere else. It’s a chill space to meet new people, find practical info and share your Málaga moments. Start with a little intro about yourselves. Where are you from, what brought you or might bring you to Málaga and what are you looking for here. Bonus points if you add a photo because smiles and sunshine travel faster than words ☀️ Feel free to drop tips about housing, business, work, events, hidden tapas bars or anything that helps others enjoy life here a bit more. If you’re looking for a place to stay in exchange for dog-sitting or you’re open to teaching Spanish in exchange for help with social media, feel free to create a thread with the label swap. You can also use this label if you’d like to give away clothes, furniture or other things in exchange for something useful to you. Looking forward to your posts and good vibes. Welcome home to Málaga, relax breathe and enjoy the ride 🌊🍷