THE BOFFO BLOG
We're two Filipinos who spent 13 years in Southern California chasing the version of life everyone told us to want, and never got the green card to show for it. So we sold what we owned, packed six suitcases and one very confused dog, and moved to Valencia without having set foot in Europe first. Two years later, we were Spanish citizens.
This is everything we learned along the way, organized so you can actually use it.
Looking into visas, we break down the Non-Lucrative route and the Digital Nomad option side by side.
Curious about daily life, we cover working in Spain, studying here, and how the healthcare system actually treats you.
If you're Filipino or part of the diaspora, there's a whole section built with you specifically in mind.
And if you just want to see the country, we've got city guides for Spain and a closer look at Valencia, the place we picked on purpose.
Citizenship questions get their own section too, written from two people who finished the entire process without a shortcut.
And if Spain is only the start of it for you, Wanderelse covers what we've picked up traveling slower, further, and on purpose.
Start wherever your questions are. We were starting from zero not long ago too.
Where do you want to go today?
No work permit, no problem, if you have savings and patience for the paperwork. The NLV might be your way in. We break down the income requirements, the application steps, and what nobody tells you about renewals.
Remote income, a laptop, and the right documents can get you legal residency in Spain faster than most people expect. We cover who qualifies, the tax angle, and how it compares to the NLV.
Spanish salaries surprise most newcomers, and not in the way you'd hope. We talk through contracts, the autónomo route, and what actually changes about your relationship with work once you're here.
A student visa can be one of the more affordable ways to build a life in Spain long term. We share what the TEFL and language school pathways look like, and how studying connects to staying.
Healthcare in Spain runs differently than what most Americans and Filipinos are used to, mostly in good ways. We walk through how the system works, what private insurance adds, and what surprised us most.
Buying property in Spain works differently than back home, with rules that shift depending on your residency status and the region. We share what we've learned about the market, the paperwork, and where the real value tends to be.
Two years after arriving in Valencia, we became Spanish citizens, and we did every step ourselves. Here's the real timeline, the paperwork, and what the process actually demands of you.
Congrats! You're in Spain!
Now what?!
Here we talk about everything you need to know about living in Spain because, well, the adventure never stops.
From visa pathways to the growing Filipino community already living here, we cover what moving to Spain looks like for Filipinos and other former colonies.
Spain rewards slow travel more than almost anywhere we've been. These are the cities, towns, and detours worth your time, written from actual visits, not a list pulled from somewhere else.
Valencia is home, so we know its beaches, neighborhoods, and weekend trips better than any guidebook could tell you. This is our city, mapped out for people thinking about visiting or staying.
Spain is home base, but we travel slowly through the rest of the world too. Wanderelse is where we share how we plan trips that feel less like vacations and more like living somewhere for a while.
Disclaimer: This content is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered legal, financial, tax, medical, or immigration advice. Rules, visa requirements, housing regulations, tax obligations, and public services in Spain can change frequently and may vary depending on your nationality and personal circumstances. Always verify information with official government sources or qualified professionals before making decisions. Some links, resources, courses, consultations, and recommended services mentioned throughout our content may be affiliate partnerships, meaning we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you if you choose to use them. We only share resources, professionals, and services we genuinely trust or believe may be useful to our community. Any opinions expressed are our own and based on personal experience, research, interviews, and publicly available information at the time of publication.
Support from readers who use our links, courses, or resources helps us keep this information free, maintain the platform, and quite literally keep the lights on at home so we can continue producing guides like this for the community.
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