Moving to Gran Canaria, Spain

    You visited Gran Canaria and now you love its magnificent weather, nature and people? Want to live here, because…. why not?

    Always dreamed to have your own activity such as a restaurant, bakery or anything else. Gran Canaria is pretty much the “gay el dorado” as it is the perfect place to open an LGBT+ business.

    If you’re not the entrepreneurial type, your best chances are to work in the hospitality industry (hotels, bars, restaurants as the island is full of them) or work as a performer (singer, dancer, drag queen) as the island has shows every single day.

    Many are opting to work remotely from the island (with their company located elsewhere on Earth). You will also find several coworking spaces if you need one.

    Under which jurisdiction is Gran Canaria?

    Playa del Ingles and Maspalomas beaches are located in the city of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, which itself is located on the island of Gran Canaria, which itself is one the Canary Islands, which themselves are part of Spain, which itself is a member of the European Union, which itself is on the planet Earth ! Phew!

    All you need to know about Spain

    Moving too Gran Canaria means moving to Spain. So all you need to know is pretty much Spaniard culture. Expatica is pretty much the best resource online to prepare your move in a new country and to learn about all of the local customs. So click here for all the information necessary.

    Conditions to move to Spain

    If you are a citizen of the EU, you can move here pretty easily. Just your ID is enough. If you are not, you’ll have to look at your options with the Spain embassy in your country. If you live in a country where being gay is illegal (and of course that you are gay/lgbt+) you can claim your human right to asylum.

    In Spain, to be able to work legally, you will need to register, you’ll obtain a number called NIE.

    Register with the city

    Once you have your country situation figured out, you’ll need to become a resident with the city (you have to go to city hall in person). Bonus for all Canarian residents, to make them feels as one with Spain, they get 75% discounts on all flights going to mainland Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, etc). That’s a pretty awesome perk to have!

    Renting a Home

    Pretty simple, in Gran Canaria, most homes are listed on Idealista. Click here to see everything available at the moment in the South of the island (where the gays are). Feel free to narrow the settings on the menu.

    You can already rent your one bedroom apartment from 450 EUR/month (if you’re lucky), then it’s pretty easy to find something around 550-600 EUR/month up to big houses of 3000 to 5000 EUR/month (in that case you might as well just consider buying).

    As far as buying, at time of writing the cheapest apartment is 41 000 EUR and the most expensive is a house of 7 millions euros.

    How to open a bank account and which one?

    Once you have your NIE, you’ll be allowed to open a Spanish bank account where you can receive your salary. Look at opening an account with either Santander, Caixa or BBVA, N26.

    Mobile Phone and Internet

    Then, you can get your mobile phone service and internet at home. Provided by the operators Yoigo, Movistar and Vodafone. There is also a mobile phone operator specialized in offering its service in English to expats, it’s called Lobster. You can also find someone who speaks English with the 3 previously mentioned but it’s not guaranteed.

    Yoigo has the advantage that it allows you to use e-sim with prepaid accounts, which gets you to keep your home country sim card in the phone (so you can still receive calls on that number).

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