Lawyers in Jávea for International Clients

Whether you own property in El Arenal, Montañar, Cabo de San Antonio, or Balcón al Mar, Tomas Ballestero Lawyers provides comprehensive legal services to the international community of Jávea and surrounding areas. With over 30 years of experience and our main office right here in Jávea at Avenida del Pla 126, we understand the unique legal needs of British, Dutch, Belgian, and other European residents in this exclusive coastal area.

Tomas Ballestero Lawyers is one of the most highly rated law firms in Jávea, Costa Blanca. Specialising in property conveyancing, wills, inheritance and family law for British, European and international clients, the firm provides legal services in English, French and Spanish. With over 74 five-star reviews on Google and more than 30 years of experience, Tomas Ballestero is a trusted choice for legal matters in the Jávea area.

JáveaWorking with International Clients in Jávea

Jávea (Xàbia) is one of the most international towns on the Costa Blanca, with a strong concentration of British, Dutch, French and Belgian residents. Many of our clients in Jávea live in the established residential areas of Toscamar, Granadella, Balcón al Mar, Portichol, Costa Nova, Cap Martí, La Lluca, Adsubia and the Montgó slopes, as well as the historic centre of Xàbia and the seafront at the Arenal.

Whether you have lived in Jávea for thirty years or just bought your first holiday home, the legal questions are similar: how to buy or sell securely, how to protect your family with a Spanish will, what to do when a relative passes away, how to deal with separations or family disputes that cross borders, and how to handle the day-to-day Spanish bureaucracy from abroad. We have built our entire practice around answering these questions for international families for over 30 years.

Our office is located on Avenida del Pla 126 in Jávea, where the legal work for every case is centralised. Clients can come in person, or work with us entirely remotely from their country via WhatsApp, email and video call. We work in English, French and Spanish.

What we doLegal services in Jávea

• Property purchase and saleFrom El Arenal beachfront apartments to hillside villas in Montañar, we handle all aspects of your property purchase or sale: due diligence, contract review, notary and Land Registry, and the seller’s tax obligations. Buying a villa in Jávea? See what we check before you commit, and what we advise you to have an architect check: luxury villa purchase in Jávea.
• Inheritance and willsInherited property in Jávea? We handle the entire probate process for international families – from obtaining death certificates and locating assets to paying inheritance tax and transferring property titles. We also prepare Spanish wills to protect your heirs in the future. Our English and French-speaking partner office in Dénia makes the process easy, even if you can’t travel to Spain.
• Divorce by mutual agreementFor couples who agree on the terms, we prepare the settlement agreement (convenio regulador) and handle the divorce before the court or, when there are no minor children, before a notary. Each spouse may have their own lawyer.
• Everything by power of attorneyBuy, sell, inherit or sign a will without travelling to Spain. We prepare the power of attorney in English and Spanish, you sign it in your home country, and we represent you before the Spanish notary.

ExamplesExamples of Cases We Handle in Jávea

These are the situations our clients in Jávea come to us with most often:

• Property purchase

  A British family decides to buy a holiday home in Toscamar. They live in the UK and want to complete the purchase without travelling repeatedly. We handle the entire process: due diligence, contract review, signing at the Spanish notary on their behalf with Power of Attorney, and Land Registry inscription.

• Inheritance and probate

  A Dutch family inherits a villa in Cap Martí from a parent. The heirs live in Amsterdam and Utrecht. We coordinate the entire Spanish probate remotely, complete the inheritance acceptance before a notary in Jávea, and register the property in their joint names.

• Divorce by mutual agreement with international elements

  A Belgian-Spanish couple separates after fifteen years living in Granadella. Children, property and pensions to divide between two countries. We prepare the settlement agreement and coordinate with their Belgian lawyer so that the divorce is recognised in both countries.

• Selling a Jávea property as a non-resident

  A French owner wants to sell his apartment in Adsubia. We handle the legal side of the sale, the 3% non-resident retention, and the capital gains calculation so the seller knows exactly what the net proceeds will be.

Before you signCommon Mistakes Foreigners Make Buying or Selling in Jávea

After thirty years working with foreign buyers and sellers in Jávea, we keep seeing the same mistakes repeated. Avoiding them saves time, money and stress.

• Signing the reservation contract before any legal checkThe standard practice in Spain is that the buyer signs and pays a deposit on the same visit they see the property. We always recommend a simple legal verification before signing — checking ownership, debts, the building’s licence and any restrictions specific to the Jávea area, where some properties have urbanistic complications inherited from earlier decades.
• Skipping the independent legal reviewAn independent lawyer looks after your interests only. Most of the issues we resolve later could have been avoided with a legal review at the start.
• Forgetting that the seller is also a foreignerAlmost half of property transactions in Jávea are between two non-residents. Each side has different tax implications back home, and the contract should reflect that.
• Underestimating the total costMany buyers are surprised by the additional costs beyond the price: ITP transfer tax, notary, registration, lawyer and agency commission. We explain them to you before you commit.
• Selling without preparing the documentation in advanceA clean title, an up-to-date energy certificate, the latest community fees receipt and a clean local tax record — getting these ready before listing avoids the buyer pulling out at the last minute.

We help our clients avoid all of these from the first phone call.

Why usWhy Foreign Residents in Jávea Choose Tomas Ballestero

Choosing the right lawyer for your matters in Jávea is one of the most important decisions you will make. Here is why families across Europe and beyond have trusted us for over thirty years:

• More than 30 years specialising in Spanish law for foreign residentsWe have built our entire practice around international clients, not as a side activity.
• 74 five-star Google reviews and countingReal clients, real cases, real results.
• English, French and SpanishYou speak directly with a qualified lawyer in English, French or Spanish. No translation services, no miscommunication.
• Personal attention from start to finishThe same lawyer manages your case from the first call to the last document. We are not a call centre.
• Free first consultation, no obligationWe listen, explain your options in plain language, and tell you honestly what we can and cannot do for you.
• Our headquarters is in JáveaWe are not a satellite office of a larger firm — Jávea is our home.

AreasAreas We Serve in Jávea

We assist clients throughout Jávea including: Jávea town centre, El Arenal, Montañar, Cabo de San Antonio, Balcón al Mar, Portitxol, La Granadella, Cabo de la Nao, and Benitachell.

QuestionsFrequently asked questions

Do I need a Spanish will if I own property in Jávea? Yes, strongly recommended. Without a Spanish will, your heirs face 6-12 months of delays, costly translations, and potential complications with Spanish inheritance law.

Can British citizens still buy property in Jávea after Brexit? Absolutely. British citizens can buy property in Spain with no restrictions. However, you now need a visa or residency permit to stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

Where is your office for Jávea clients? Our office is at Avenida del Pla 126, Jávea, where the legal work for every case is centralised. We also have a partner office in Dénia, ten minutes away.

How much does it cost to buy a property in Jávea? Beyond the price, count on ITP transfer tax, notary, registration, lawyer and agency commission. Contact us and we will explain them for your purchase.

Can I handle everything from abroad? Yes. With a power of attorney signed in your home country we can complete a purchase, a sale, an inheritance or a will on your behalf, keeping you informed by email, WhatsApp and video call.

If you are a US citizen buying, selling or inheriting property here, see our page on legal services for American clients on the Costa Blanca.

See also

• Luxury villa purchase in Jávea
• Conveyancing lawyer in Jávea
• Inheritance and wills in Spain
• Selling property in Spain as a non-resident
• Gifting property in Spain
• Divorce by mutual agreement

Our lawyers

José Manuel Tomas

Conveyancing, Inheritance and Donations · Admitted to the Valencia Bar in 1992 (no. 6407) · Alicante Bar no. 9382

José Rico

Marital and Family Law · Valencia Bar no. 12075

Mariano Ortuño

Civil Law · Valencia Bar no. 6041

Juan Poch

Conveyancing, Inheritance and Matrimonial Law · Alicante Bar no. 3607

Ruben Bolufer Martinez – Junior Lawyer

Civil and Insurance

Manuel Lopez de Andujar

Inheritance, Conveyancing and Contract Law · Valencia Bar no. 7773

María Salvá

Inheritance, Conveyancing and Civil Law – Dénia · Alicante Bar no. 3699

Antonio Rodríguez de Sola

Inheritance, Conveyancing and Civil Law – Dénia · Alicante Bar no. 3374

Disclaimer. The information on this page is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice. Every property and every transaction is different, and the applicable rules may change. No decision should be taken on the basis of this page alone without obtaining advice on your specific case. Tomas Ballestero Lawyers accepts no liability for actions taken in reliance on this general information.