We have been in Barcelona for 2 years and I don’t foresee us going back to the US. Prior to arriving in this foreign land, I needed to have security back in the US. I needed to have one foot there and one foot here. I needed to have a back up plan in case life didn’t work out in Spain or we ran out of money. I felt safer with a Plan B. So, we kept one slice of real estate in the form of a small rental property. This house was purchased with cash and rented for several years before and after we moved to Spain. But the tenants coming and going, and the constant damage became too much for us to manage from abroad. So, we decided to sell it.
We needed a Power of Attorney (POA) so we could designate someone to sign documents on our behalf. This document (and other legal forms) needed to be notarized (signed and witnessed by an official). In Spain, the system of notarizing is quite different, using the Hague Apostille system. While this is an acceptable form of notarizing, I did not want there to be any hiccups with the sale of this property in that many US attorneys may not recognize this form of notary. Therefore, the only way to gain a US notary is to go through the US consulate in Barcelona.
First, you must start by perusing the website of the consulate to ensure the documents you need to be notarized are acceptable, other rules, and you must make an appointment. Visit the site here which includes a link to make an appointment:
https://es.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/notary-services/
Things to note!
- You only need one appointment, even if there are multiple people signing.
- You must print out your appointment confirmation and bring this to the consulate.
- You must bring your own witness.
- Ensure your documents are whole. If an Exhibit A Legal Description is referenced, then be sure Exhibit A is attached.
- The cost is $50 per stamp of the notary. We had 6 stamps needed. Thankfully, the consulate accepts credit cards.
- The process takes about an hour.
Overall, once I had the documents and witness in place, the process was relatively easy and pleasant. The officer was funny and nice. While waiting, we encountered 5 sets of people in line to gain an emergency passport because of theft the previous evening. After speaking with the victims, it appeared they were all in the same area around the same time. This is a problem in Barcelona, Spain, and Europe. It is worthy of a post to explain how to avoid getting pick pocketed here. Be safe and diligent!
Loosely Lucy 