Guides to buying and owning property in Marbella.
24 guides for a buyer from abroad: what is paid at purchase, what falls due every year, how Spanish residency changes the tax position, what heirs pay, when a holding company makes sense, and how a purchase runs from due diligence to the notary. Written by the Muse Selection desk for buyers, owners and sellers of a residence in Marbella or elsewhere on the Costa del Sol who live outside Spain, or are moving to it.
Not advice; verify with a registered Spanish gestor, abogado, or notario before relying on any figure or interpretation.
What do I pay on top of the price?
Marbella Property Buying Fees — Complete Breakdown 2026
The actual cost above the headline price. ITP, IVA, AJD, notary, registry, legal, banking — every euro a non-resident buyer pays in 2026.
3 min read
Spanish property tax for non-residents, 2026.
A clear summary of transfer tax, IRNR on rentals, IBI, wealth tax and the solidarity tax as they apply to a non-resident owner on the Costa del Sol.
12 min readWhat do I owe every year I own it?
Marbella Property Tax Calendar 2026 — All Deadlines
IBI, basura, IRNR, Modelo 210, plusvalía, derramas, community fees. Every annual deadline for Marbella property owners with surcharges for missed dates.
3 min read
IRNR Spain 2026 — Non-Resident Income Tax on Property Explained
Modelo 210 for a non-resident owner: the 19% and 24% rates, who may deduct expenses, deemed income on a home that is not let, the deadlines from the 2026 income year, and the 3% retention at sale.
3 min read
Patrimonio + Solidaridad 2026 — Andalucía's 100% Waiver and the State Surcharge
How Patrimonio (wealth tax) and the ITSGF solidarity tax interact in Andalusia: the 100% relief, the limit on it while the solidarity tax is in force, the €3,000,000 threshold, and a worked figure on €5,000,000 of net assets.
3 min read
Marbella Rental Yield — What Can and Cannot Be Measured
Why no honest net yield can be quoted for Marbella property, what the cost stack does to a headline figure, and how to model your own.
3 min readWhat changes if I become resident in Spain?
Beckham Law 2026 — What Actually Changed for New Applicants
What Ley 28/2022 changed in the Beckham regime from 1 January 2023: the €600K threshold, the 24% rate, the six-month window for Modelo 149, and the digital-nomad route — with honest math on who actually saves.
3 min read
NHR (Closed) vs Beckham 2026 — Inbound HNW Tax Comparison
Portugal NHR closed for new applicants Q4 2023. Spain Beckham at 24%. Worked example on €600K foreign dividends — and when Portugal D7 still wins on speed and citizenship.
3 min read
Spanish Golden Visa 2026 | What HNW Investors Need to Know
Spanish Golden Visa 2026 update — the scheme was abolished in its entirety in April 2025. What actually remains for HNW buyers, plus tax and residency paths in Marbella.
3 min read
Marbella Property + Caribbean Passport — Why a Spanish Villa Is Not an EU Passport
For UHNW buyers locked out of the Spain Golden Visa post-April 2025, the Caribbean CBI route (St Kitts, Antigua, Dominica) plus Marbella property is the cleaner stack than residence-by-investment in any EU member state. The honest mechanics — and where it fails.
4 min read
Modelo 720 Walkthrough 2026 — Foreign-Asset Disclosure After CJEU C-788/19
Step-by-step Modelo 720 filing — €50K thresholds per category, the post-2022 penalty regime after the CJEU struck down the old fines, and what actually happens if you forget.
3 min readWhat will my heirs pay?
Spanish Inheritance Tax 2026 — Andalucía 99% Bonificación and the ISD Mechanics
How Spanish inheritance tax (ISD) works by region, why Andalucía is structural alpha for HNW heirs (99% bonificación), Group I/II/III/IV brackets and a worked €15M generational transfer.
3 min read
Andalucía 99% Inheritance Bonificación 2026 — Full Mechanics with Worked Examples
How Andalucía's 99% inheritance/gift bonificación for Group I/II actually works — residence requirements, family-relationship requirements, and worked examples on €5M, €15M, and €50M parent-to-child transfers.
3 min readShould I own it in my own name or through a company?
Marbella Property Holding Structures — Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, BVI, Isle of Man 2026
When offshore holding structures genuinely help €5M+ Marbella buyers — and when they cost more than they save. Setup and yearly maintenance, Spanish CFC rules, transparency reality, and the structures actually used in 2026.
3 min read
Marbella Holding Structure Exit — Personal Name vs Spanish SL vs Cyprus/Lux/Malta
Holding structure exit comparison for Marbella sellers. Personal name vs Spanish SL vs non-resident corporate vehicle (Cyprus/Luxembourg/Malta). Exit tax differences, ITP/AJD on share-vs-asset deals, IRPF capital gains. When each structure wins.
3 min readHow does a purchase run, step by step?
Buying property in Marbella — the long version.
A considered, end-to-end guide to acquiring a residence on the Costa del Sol: NIE, notary, taxes, the slow rhythms of Spanish conveyance.
18 min read
Marbella Property Due Diligence Stack — Pre-Arras Checklist 2026
The complete pre-arras due-diligence stack for Marbella property buyers. Nota simple, valor de referencia check, IBI history, community fee status, ITE/IEE energy certificate, cadastral matching, urbanism certificate, pending litigation search. The realistic 14-day window, what each document tells you, what each costs, and what should kill a deal.
3 min read
Escritura Pública Walkthrough — The Notary Signing Hour in Marbella 2026
What happens in the 60-90 minute notary meeting. Translation requirements, final price reconciliation, key handover, who files Modelo 600 afterwards, and the Registro inscription that follows.
3 min read
Marbella Property Closing Day Checklist 2026
Hour-by-hour escritura signing protocol. Key handover, utility transfer, IBI account, community fees, insurance go-live. The full completion choreography.
3 min read
La Zagaleta membership, explained.
How the membership of Spain's most discreet estate actually works — and what it costs, in time and otherwise.
6 min readWhat do I pay when I sell, or when I leave Spain?
Plusvalía Municipal Marbella 2026 — Choose the Lower Method
After Constitutional Court ruling 182/2021, a seller can choose between the cadastral-objective method and the real-gain method and pay the lower. Who pays, the thirty-working-day deadline, and what changes when the seller is a non-resident.
3 min read
Marbella Sellers Cross-Jurisdiction Tax Planning — US, UK Coordination with Spanish IRNR
Cross-jurisdiction tax planning at Marbella sale. US capital gains + Spanish IRNR coordination, UK CGT (post-non-dom) + Spanish IRNR, treaty-side credits, pre-sale restructuring (entity vs personal sale), when to involve dual-licensed advisors.
3 min read
Spanish Exit Tax 2026 — Leaving After Beckham, Wegzugsteuer Comparison
Spanish exit tax (impuesto de salida) when leaving Spain after Beckham — when it triggers, how unrealised gains are frozen, and how it compares with German Wegzugsbesteuerung and UK NRCGT.
3 min read