SPAIN
Business/social hints
Appointments: Must be made in advance, punctuality is important.
Attire for business meetings: men should wear a suit and tie, women a two-piece suit or equivalent and hosiery.
Etiquette: It is customary to shake hands on meeting and taking leave.
Language: Business is conducted in Spanish, many executives speak French or English.
Invitations: The time for evening meals is usually quite late, around 9pm-10pm. Gratuities in bars and restaurants are around 5% to 10%.
Local time: GMT+2hrs mainland, Balearics, Ceuta and Melilla (from Oct 25 to Mar 27 GMT+1hr), GMT+1hr Canary Islands (From Oct 25 to Mar 27 GMT)
Capital: Madrid
Language: Spanish (Castilian), Catalan, Galician, Basque
Electricity: 220VAC50Hz
Int. direct dialling code: 34
Driving:Green UK licence must be accompanied by an International Driving Permit and an official Spanish translation stamped by the Spanish Consulate. Pink UK licence does not require the above although an International Driving Permit is recommended. Minimum driving age is 18
Currency: Peseta (ESP 1 = 100 Centimos)
Notes: ESP: 1,000; 2,000; 5,000; 10,000
Coins:ESP:1; 5; 10; 25; 50; 100; 200; 500
Business hours
Banks: 9am-2pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat (except during the summer).
Offices: Times vary considerably.
Shops: 9am-1pm and 4.30pm-7.30pm Mon-Sat
Emergency Services
Police: 091. Fire: 2323232
Ambulance: 092 (Madrid and Barcelona)
Health
Compulsory vaccinations: None
Weather
Most of Spain is hot and sunny in summer but there are differences in temperature during winter depending on the climatic region.
Madrid
Temp C Humidity % Rain
Max Min am pm (mm)
January 10 1 89 71 39
February 11 2 87 65 34
March 14 4 84 58 42
April 18 7 78 52 48
May 22 10 75 51 47
June 27 14 69 43 28
July 33 16 63 37 11
August 30 17 63 36 15
September 25 13 73 47 32
October 19 9 83 58 54
November 12 4 89 68 48
December 9 1 90 72 48
Barcelona BCN
Postal address: Aeropuerto de Barcelona, Edificio Bloque Tecnico, 08820 El Prat de Llobregat
Telephone: +34 932 98 38 38
Fax: + 34 932 98 37 37
Location: Eight miles southwest of Barcelona
Transportation to city centre: Aerobus: operates 0630-2300, every 15mins (Mon-Fri), 30mins (Sat), 20mins (Sun), fare ESP475, journey time 35mins. Train: RENFE, operates 0614-2244, every 30mins, fare ESP 320, journey time 20mins.
Taxi: fare ESP 2,000, journey time 20mins
Airport departure tax: None
Flight information: tel +34 932 98 38 38, available 24hrs.
Business facilities: Cambra de Comerce, tel 934 78 67 05, 8.30am-8.30pm Mon-Sat
Passport and visas
Required.
Customs
Import allowances:
These import allowances do not apply to the Canary Islands.
For persons of 15 years of age or older:
Persons arriving from European countries and Mediterranean countries of Africa and Asia:
n a) 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250gr of tobacco
n b) One litre of spirit or two litres of other alcoholic beverage and two litres of other wines.