The clocks change
Daylight savings time comes into force as the clocks are moved forward by one hour in the early hours of March 29-30th. This means that when the clock strikes 2am on March 30th, it will jump one hour ahead to 3am. This means longer and lighter evenings heading into the warmer part of the year.
Spring officially begins
Spring officially starts in March. This year it will fall on March 20th, which is the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere.
Spring, along with autumn is typically one of the wettest months in Spain, even though much of the country experienced a severe drought last year and the year before. This time of year in Spain is also becoming shorter and shorter as the hot weather begins earlier. In the past 70 years, summer higher temperatures have been seen between 20 and 40 days earlier than they should. According to Spain’s state meteorological agency Aemet, summer is now 40 days longer now than it was in the 1980s.
Carnival celebrations
This year carnival runs from Thursday February 28th to Wednesday March 5th and places all over Spain will be gearing up to celebrate the period before the start of Lent. While the traditional carnival involves people dressing up and parading through the streets, towns and cities around the country celebrate in so many weird and wonderful ways.
In Tenerife goes all Rio de Janeiro style with glitzy elaborate costumes and in Cádiz there are lots of jokes and plenty songs, while the town of Laza in Galicia celebrates with creepy masks and mud fights. Learn more about some of Spain’s wackier carnival celebrations here.
Partial solar eclipse
A partial solar eclipse will be visible from Spain in the morning of March 29th. A partial eclipse is when the moon comes between the sun and Earth, but only partially covers the sun. It will be seen best in the northwestern part of the country, as well as the Canary Islands, but you will also be able to see it in the eastern parts as well as the Balearics. Remember to view it safely with eclipse glasses or by watching the projection and never look directly at the sun.
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EU citizens can apply for the ETA to visit the UK
Electronic Travel Authorisations or ETAs needed to enter the UK have been in force for citizens of some countries from January 8th, but from March 5th those from EU and EFTA (European Free Trade Association) countries will be able to apply for it too. It will officially be required for citizens of those countries from April 2nd 2025.
It valid two years and allows multiple entries to the UK while it is valid. It’s similar USA’s ESTA visa waiver, and is required for all types of travel including tourism, short stays and family holidays.
Rental contracts that are revised in March can go up in price
Rental contracts in Spain which are due to be renewed in March could be subjected to the new reference price index, as set by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
This applies to contracts signed after Spain’s Housing Law, which came into force on May 25th, 2023.
This means that said rentals could rise by 2.19 percent in price. The Law for the Right to Housing establishes that the INE will be in charge of defining a reference index for the annual update of contracts, in order to avoid disproportionate increases.
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Self-driving buses to launch in Barcelona
An automated bus, designed to operate without a driver is expected to launch sometime in March. The bus has already begun to run in testing phase with a driver to oversee that it doesn’t make any mistakes en route. According to Catalan news channel ‘Betevé’, authorities want it to be operation in time for Mobile World Congress from March 3rd to 6th, but it still has to be signed off by the City Council first.
Deadline for declaring world assets and crypto assets
By March 31st, anyone who is a resident in Spain and owns assets or money abroad which exceeds €50,000 will have to declare it to the Spanish tax authorities via Modelo 720. This includes properties, private pension funds and bank accounts which were worth that amount or more on December 31st 2024. You are not required to do this every year but must do it again if your assets have changed such as purchasing or selling a property abroad or if money in your accounts has increased by €20,000.
Those who own crypto currency assets abroad must also declare these by March 31st if they were worth €50,000 or above on December 31st 2024. This is for crypto held in exchanges abroad, if you have it in a wallet on your computer, then it’s not considered to be abroad and therefore you don’t have to declare it. This must be done via Modelo 721.
Modelo 721 explained: Spain’s new form for declaring crypto assets
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Valencia’s Las Fallas and other events taking place
Valencia’s fire-cracking Las Fallas festival takes place in March. The festival begins on March 2nd, but the best and most important part runs from March 16th to 19th. During the event ginormous paper mâché sculptures called fallas are set up across the city and on the last night, they are burned in a crazy fire ceremony.
There are also smaller Fallas events taking place in towns such as Alzira and Sagunto. Other events taking place in Spain in March include the historic festival of the Fiesta de la Arribada de la Carabela La Pinta de Baiona from February 28th – March 2nd and the Reconquista da Vila de Vigo on March 28th.
Last month to apply for Spain’s golden visa
The official deadline for the end of the golden visa has been set for April 3rd, meaning realistically March is the last month you can apply for it, as there won’t be enough time to organise the necessary paperwork any later than this. The golden visa grants residency to non-EU citizens who purchase a property worth over €500,000 or invest large sums of money in Spanish companies or bank accounts. If you want to still take advantage of it you really need to be putting offers on homes now so you can get the deposit known as the contrato de arras signed before mid-March and then wait around 20 days for the outcome of your visa application.
Spain’s golden visa deadline: How to apply before buying a property
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New flights in March: Gran Canaria-Southend and Seville-Copenhagen
There are several new flight routes to and from Spain that will take off in March. Scandinavian Airlines will begin operating a second weekly flight between Seville and Copenhagen from March 1st. EasyJet will be operating a new route between Gran Canaria and Southend from March 30th.
LISTED: The new flight routes to and from Spain in 2025
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day takes place on March 8th and Spain focuses on issues to do with gender violence and women’s rights. Protests and marches typically occur throughout the country.
Spanish Father’s Day
Spanish Father’s Day takes place on March 19th and coincides with the festival of San José or Saint Joseph who was a father figure to Jesus. Children typically make handmade presents at school to bring home and shops sell specialised Father’s Day gifts such as mugs, t-shirts and cards.
READ ALSO: How a female teacher campaigned for Spain to have a Father’s Day
