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My friend told me about Gestors. Apparently they are used quite often in Spain, but I'm not sure I understand what exactly they do. Does anyone else? Anyone employed one before? Thanks.

The Gestor is a professional dedicated principally to helping with Spanish Bureaucracy.
The Gestor originates form the days when illiteracy in Spain was very high and the bureaucracy was complicated and Accountants and lawyers were out of reach to the general populace as their costs were so high. Luckily there are now many English speaking Gestors in Spain on hand to help.
He will help you apply for your Residencia, a Spanish driving license or complete your annual income tax return. If you are setting up a new business as self employed or as a limited company you will definitely need to employ one as there are numerous services he can help you with.
Please note, for an E.U. national, it is no longer required that you obtain "residencia" even if you are living here permanently. There maybe tax advantages or necessities, but no legal requirement.
For a moderate fee, a Gestor can save you hours of leg work. He will know which forms to get, how to fill them in and give you basic advice. At the tax office he will save time by knowing which queue to stand in and will probably deal with the paperwork of several clients at a time. When there is a problem he will know the best way to approach the civil servants to sort it out.
Although a Gestor will advise you on what you can claim and what you should not claim when completing any income or allowance sections of a form, remember it is you who signs the form at the end of the day and you are responsible for your own declaration.
Gestors are professionals and also belong to a Colegio.
But be aware that a Gestor is not a Lawyer or a Tax Consultant and in certain specialist areas it may be necessary to seek the advise of these more qualified professionals.

Many matters dealt with by a gestor can be handled by anyone who has sufficient knowledge of the Spanish language and the time and patience to go through the hoops of bureaucracy which are many and varied. A gestor will help you through this minefield for a fee and will have most of the answers at his or her fingertips as well as useful contacts in government offices who may help to get things done more quickly than they are for the ordinary person in the street. www.integratedrelocationspain.com