We’ve all been frustrated by Spanish red-tape – el papeleo. It’s one of the worst things about living in Spain. And how often have we gone to a utility company, the tax office, the Town Hall or the bank to find that the person we need to see has gone for breakfast?

The best way to get something done is to go in person and speak cara a cara to the funcionario. Phoning up is usually a waste of time. And go early – eg, from 8.30 am – before they nip off for their desayuno.

And another thing - despite having very sophisticated computer databases, records and software, they still like lots of paperwork to file away (or lose!). Talk about the "belt and braces" approach ...

Take a look at this amusing film about the subject. It’s in Spanish, with English subtitles, but it’s pretty obvious what’s going on:

www.youtube.com/watch

© Paul Whitelock

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