November 2021 Update: Everything That Changes in Spain This Month

November is a busy month in Spain this year, with plenty happening across the country for those both living in Spin and those planning to visit.

Whether you’re eagerly anticipating the start of the ski season, or excited to enjoy one of the many events the month has to offer.

Here’s everything that’s happening in Spain in November 2021:

Enjoy a Public Holiday

November 1st is always a public holiday in Spain, in all regions, as the country marks  El Día de Todos los Santos, All Saints Day in Spain. This is a day of remembrance, where Spanish families visit the loved ones, they have lost in the local cemeteries, leaving flowers and enjoying the day together, often over a family meal.

If you’re living in, or visiting, Madrid then you will enjoy another public holiday this month: on 9^th November the regional will enjoy a regional holiday in honour of its patron saint, Le Virgen de la Almudena. If not, the next public holidays for your calendar will be in December.

November Covid-19 News

During October, municipalities across Spain began vaccination campaigns for both the Covid-19 booster jab and annual flu jab programmes. Individuals who are over 70 or considered immunocompromised have been offered a shot in each arm, and this programme will be moving up a gear into November with more people being offered the vaccinations. This includes people in their 60s and, from the 15^th November, anyone who was offered the single dose Johnson and Johnson vaccination will also be offered an additional booster vaccine.  This booster will be either of a Pfizer or Moderna dose. Finally, if you live in a region where the flu vaccination programme hasn’t begun for the season yet (this is true of at least the Balearic islands) then you can expect for that programme to be rolled out this month.

Travelling To and From the United States

From 8^th November, it will be possible for Spanish citizens to travel to the United States again. You must be fully vaccinated, and meet other stringent conditions, in order to be permitted entry. This is the first time that residents of Spain have been able to fly into the United States in 18 months.

Cuba have also announced that, from 7^th November, they will allow fully vaccinated tourists from Spain (and the rest of Europe) to enter the country.

New Restrictions on Non-Essential Travel in Spain

Measured imposed on non-essential travel to Spain for third-country nationals have been extended. This means that, until midnight on 30^th November 2021, if you are from a third-party country and are not fully vaccinated, you will not be able to travel to Spain for non-essential reasons. The only exceptions to this rule are if you are travelling from the EU/EEA, or from one of the following ‘low risk’ countries: Saudi Arabia, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Chile, China, South Korea, UAE, Jordan, Kuwait, New Zealand, Qatar, Rwanda, Singapore, Ukraine and Uruguay.

The Covid-19 situation in Spain is looking very stable this month. Around 80 percent of the nation has now been vaccinated, and also the infection rate has rised very slightly, it still remains low and stable. We won’t find out until the end of the month whether the Spanish health authorities will lift the restrictions on non-essential travel, or whether they will be extended again.

Social Support Extended Until 28^th February 2022

During the pandemic, the Spanish government introduced a ‘social shield’ to provide economic support to those most vulnerable in the country, protecting them from extreme financial deprivation as a result of the pandemic. This ‘shield’ was due to end in November, but the scheme has now been extended well into the new year, with the new end date currently marked as 28^th February 2022. This shield has many benefits, including preventing home evictions, and not allowing energy companies to cut off power supplies to those who don’t pay their bills.

A Good Month for Pensioners

The Spanish pension system provides eligible pensioners with 14 payments a year. This means that in most months, they receive just one payment, but in June and November they receive an extra payment: one at the beginning of the month and one at the end of the month. That means that November is a good month for Spanish pensioners!

The Spanish Ski Season Officially Begins in November

When it comes to skiing nothing is guaranteed, as much is determined by the weather. But, provided the weather patterns proceed the way they should, many of Spain’s ski resorts will open at the end of this month. Baqueira Beret (Pyrenees) will open on November 26th, San Isidro and Valle de Laciana-Leitariegos (Castilla y León) will open on Saturday November 27th and Sierra Nevada (Andalusia) will open on November 27th.

We do know that the ski season will go ahead and the resorts will open, but the Spanish authorities are yet to announce what the rules in resort will be, in light of the current Covid-19 situation. Because the virus incidences are lower this season than they were last season, it stands to reason that they would be less strict than they were last year. It is thought that you won’t have to wear a mask in outdoor spaces, for example, and that you won’t need a Covid health pass in order to access public spaces.

The End of the Plusvalia Property Tax

The Plusvalia property tax was incredibly unpopular in Spain, and it has now been determined, by the country’s Constitutional Court, that it is unconstitutional. That means that property owners that sell their homes from November will no longer have to pay this tax: unfortunately, this decision is not being applied retroactively, so if you sold your property before November then you won’t get the tax money you have already spent back.

It isn’t all good news though: because a lot of money will be lost from the public purse as a result of this decision, Spain’s Hacienda tax agency is said to be rushing to introduce another means of taxing this land value rise.

Events Are Back On

As the pandemic improves across Spain, more and more events that couldn’t take place during 2020 are now back on the national stage. There are too many events taking place across Spain this November to list them all, but some of the most significant include the Barcelona Marathon on November 7th, the World Press Photo exhibition in Valencia until November 7th, Madrid Horse Week at the end of the month,  the European Film Festival in Seville from November 5th to 13th, and the World of Music, Arts and Dance festival (WOMAD) in Gran Canaria.

Black Friday Shopping

Finally, Friday 26^th November is Black Friday: a shopping event that originated in America and is also celebrated in Spain. This is a commercial and marketing-led retail event designed to encourage shoppers to spend by offering hefty discounts, and is often billed as the ideal time to begin your Christmas shopping. Stores that have already announced they will be involved this year include H&M, Media Markt, La Casa del Libro, Asos and Amazon. Additional substantial sales are likely to be announced throughout the month.

Are you thinking of moving to Spain? Perhaps your family is looking for a new and exciting change, or you’re hoping to retire to somewhere sunny? Then why not get in touch with Right Casa, locally based property experts right on the Costa Del Sol and happy to help you in your search for a property in Spain, be it a luxury villa in Marbella to an affordable house in Coin, or a resort golf villa on Mijas De Costa or a quaint townhouse in La Cala.