If you own property in La Zenia, Orihuela Costa, a Spanish will is the single most important legal document you can have. It costs approximately €50-80 to make at a notary and can save your heirs months of delays and thousands of euros in unnecessary legal costs. Bufete Padilla has been drafting Spanish wills for expatriates since 1976, ensuring your assets pass to your chosen beneficiaries with minimum tax and maximum efficiency.
Local property market: La Zenia combines beachfront apartments (Cala Capitán, Playa Flamenca) with newer high-spec developments behind Zenia Boulevard. Demand is intense year-round; a 2-bed apartment with sea views rarely stays on the market more than 45 days, priced between €200,000 and €420,000.
Urban-planning notes: The coastal strip falls partly within the Ley de Costas servitude (the first 100 m from the sea), so we always pull the deslinde certificate from the Demarcación de Costas before purchase — vital for any beachfront property.
Recent case in the zone: In 2024 we successfully challenged a Hacienda valor de referencia overestimation on a La Zenia sea-view flat, recovering €4,300 of ITP for a Dutch buyer through a tasación pericial contradictoria.
Distance to our office: La Zenia is 15 minutes from our Torrevieja office. We often meet new clients at the cafeterías inside Zenia Boulevard for an informal first consultation.
A Spanish will is essential because:
Important: A Spanish will should be coordinated with your existing will in your home country to avoid conflicts. Our team reviews both documents to ensure consistency.
We draft several types of wills depending on your circumstances:
Simple Spanish will (testamento abierto): The most common. Signed before a notary in La Zenia or nearby. Covers all your Spanish assets. From €50-80.
Mirror wills for couples: Both partners make matching wills, typically leaving everything to the surviving spouse with children as secondary beneficiaries. Coordinated with UK/home country mirror wills.
Wills with usufruct: The surviving spouse receives lifetime use of the property while ownership passes to children. Common for tax optimisation.
Wills choosing applicable law (professio iuris): Under EU Regulation 650/2012, EU nationals can choose their national law. We advise whether this is beneficial for your situation.
All wills are registered with the Spanish Central Registry of Last Wills (Registro General de Actos de Última Voluntad), ensuring they can be located when needed.
The notary fee for a simple Spanish will is approximately €50-80. Our legal fees for drafting and advising on the will content are separate and depend on complexity — from straightforward single-asset wills to complex multi-country estate plans. Contact us for a personalised quote.
No. A Spanish will should cover only your Spanish assets. Your UK will covers your UK assets. We carefully draft the Spanish will to ensure it doesn't accidentally revoke your UK will — a common mistake that can cause serious problems.
A Spanish will must be signed in person before a notary. However, we can prepare everything in advance so that when you visit, the notary appointment takes just 15-20 minutes. We also have offices in Torrevieja and Moraira for your convenience.