IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT RECEIVING PACKAGES WHILE IN MADRID! 

While you are in Madrid, it is important that you are aware of how difficult it may be for you to receive packages from the United States, due to the extremely difficult procedure followed at the customs in Spain. 

If your packages contain food, or items of value, you will be required to present several documents, and then you will have to pay a quantity of money, that could be superior to the value of the package.  

So, for this reason, we  advise you not to receive packages from the United States while staying here; it is not worth it (because of the difficulty of the procedure and the high possibility of having to pay a tax).


When receiving packages from the U.S., it is very usual to receive a message asking you to activate your N.I.E. with the Treasury Department. If this happens to you, here's the procedure you'll need to follow: 

You will need to go to the “Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria” (Calle de Núñez de Balboa, 116, 28006 Madrid), choose the option “Sin Cita Previa” when taking your ticket, and then “NIF para personas físicas”. Once you have your ticket, you will need to approach one of the tables with the staff members, and tell them that you need to “dar de alta el NIE” (activate your NIE); you will need to bring your passport with you, and your NIE should be visible in your VISA.

To avoid not receiving your package we recommend you work with private companies such as DHL or FedEx; you will still have to pay a tax, but at least you won't loose your items. 

This being said, if you can't receive postal deliveries at your address in Madrid, or you prefer to receive them in any other place, Correos has a service that may be of your interest; 

Correos gives you the possibility of having a reception box where you can get all your postal deliveries, without being officially a resident here. 

Click here for further information! 

 

Receiving packages inside the European Union

 While receiving packages from the EE.UU. is extremely problematic, it is very simple to receive packages inside the European Union. Ordering through Amazon is a good option, and you will also be able to receive your packages at specific lockers which you will find in various places of Madrid. Click here if you want to see the specific details and location of these lockers!