About | Relocation Support Malaga

About Us

About Malaga Expat

Malaga Expat Consulting was founded by Irina Saltmarsh with the aim of providing help and assistance to all expats living or moving to Spain, to the area of Malaga and the Costa del Sol. Being herself an “expat with experience” Irina understands all too well how one feels moving yours and your family’s life to a foreign country, no matter how friendly and open this country might be.

Call us anytime +34 687 73 37 43

About Irina

Coming originally from Russia Irina studied Philology and Law in the St. Petersburg State University and graduated with two Master degrees in the above specialities. She first joined the world expat community in 2002 when she moved from Russia to Sweden following work commitments. Since then she has navigated at least four additional relocations and lived in several different countries including Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and Spain. She met her husband Rick in Switzerland and has been happily married since 2004, giving birth to her amazing daughter in 2015 and now living in Spain with her happy and very international family combining four different nationalities (Spanish, English, Russian and Swiss).

Initially, Irina worked as a professional in a large multinational corporation making a successful business career within sales and management. When, in 2009, she and her husband both decided to leave their brilliant careers and highly paid, but stressful jobs, to build a new happier and more relaxed life in Spain. Initially moving to Tenerife, together they built an estate agency, from scratch, making it into a market leader, then successfully selling it several years later (only to move once again!) to the beautiful province of Malaga where they are living now, and truly loving it!

During her years in Spain Irina not only learned Spanish to add to her list of spoken languages, which also includes English, German and Russian, but she also got very familiar with Spanish legislation and local customs involving administration and paperwork procedures, specifically for expats deciding to live and run businesses in Spain.

With numerous relocations behind her and a diverse expat experience of living and working in different countries, both employed and as a small business owner, Irina understands better than anyone what one goes through moving and settling down in a new country. There are a vast array of matters to consider, prepare and later to deal with. Especially if you do not understand the local language and legislation, and have no one to go to for advice. Irina can be your trusted consultant and a point of contact in any matters, big or small, if you require help, assistance or a simple advice related to your life in Malaga. It is only natural to feel worried or disconcerted about your move, but these things can be easily managed if you have a professional “helping hand” like the one offered by Malaga Expat Consulting.

We see ourselves as your trusted consultant and a point of contact in any matters, big or small, requiring help, assistance or a simple advice related to your life in Malaga. Don’t feel discouraged or lost and turn for help to us who have been in yours or similar situation many times before.

Business Goal

Why choose Irina

Honest Advice

Clear, transparent guidance at every stage.

Personal Commitment

Dedicated support tailored to your family's needs.

Extensive Experience

Helping clients relocate to Málaga and the Costa del Sol since 2017.

Problem-Solving Approach

Practical solutions for relocation challenges.

End-to-End Support

Guidance from planning your move to settling into life in Spain

Trusted Referrals

Strong network of trusted professionals across the Costa del Sol.

    
 
 
       Posted on Google  
   
   Daniel Dreger 
 May 29, 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I highly recommend Irina.  Our family's housing search encountered a number of unusual complications beyond our control and, through it all, Irina's patience and perseverance kept us moving forward and successfully brought us over the finish line.  Her diligence and good advice will be invaluable to you.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Denisa G. 
 April 13, 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. The services Irina offers are beyond worth it. She made our move a hundred times easier, way beyond our expectations. A true professional, very nice and kind, efficient and very knowlegeable. We also brought our cat to sunny Málaga, I have no idea how we would've found an apartment without Irina. In less than a month we were fully moved into a beautiful apartment and already feeling like home. We have Irina to thank for playing such a major part of making our dream come true.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Manuel Klein 
 March 9, 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Irina is the best! In the process of moving to Málaga, Irina helped me get my NIE appointment (and her husband even joined at the local office to make sure everything works), my Spanish bank account, health insurance and sense-checked my rental contract. She offers full-package deals as well as more customized deals. My experience with Irina was always beyond expectation: she replies super fast, always helpful, to the point and friendly. Definitely recommend for a smooth landing in a place where everything is new at first. Muchísimas gracias!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Delia Nuesch-Olver 
 January 28, 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We are two resourceful global souls who found Malaga Expat Consulting in the process of researching a move to Spain. We had assumed we would figure things out by ourselves but out of curiosity explored the idea of hiring a relocation specialist. We took Malaga Expat Consulting’s offer of a free initial one-hour Zoom consultation and by the end we realized that while this could be a DIY project why would we when we could hire an expert like Irina Saltmarsh. She was highly professional, accesible, knowledgeable, focused, and all around fabulous in guiding us each step of the way. Her thoughtful and timely responses made us feel as we were her only costumers, which we know we are not. Now that we live in Malaga we realize that Irina’s honest responses regarding some ideas we had saved us money, time, and headaches. Each situation is different, of course, but less than three months after arriving in Spain both my husband and I had our Spanish Residence in a process that was straight forward and stressless. We also hired Irina to coach us in the process of finding housing in Malaga. We had done months and months of online research which we presented to her. Irina was very knowledgeable of neighborhood vibes and social contexts. For instance, her feedback on an apartment we liked online was along the lines of “there is a school nearby and it gets noisy at certain times.” Or, “I know that apartment and it is great but that’s a party part of town and gets very noisy at night”. Thanks to Irina, we are now happily living in Malaga enjoying our new life in a lovely apartment with a good landlord, in a great neighborhood not far from the Mediterranean. We have no hesitation in recommending  Malaga Expat Consulting and Irina Saltmarsh for anything she says she will do.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Anna 
 January 13, 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I moved here a month ago and couldn't have done all the bureaucracy work without Irina. She scheduled appointments for me and handled all the paperwork due to my limited Spanish speaking skills. I appreciate her so much and can highly recommend!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Gary Okeson 
 December 27, 2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I have had a great experience with Malaga Expat to get my initial residency card andy year 2/3 renewal. I was given clear expectations of what I needed, my questions were always answered right away and they went with us for the processing down town. We received our appointments very quickly, faster than our friends who came 2 months before us. I will use them again for the year 4/5 renewal. I highly recommend them.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   James Gonzalez 
 December 23, 2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Irina was amazing! She took the time out of her busy weekend to send 3 qoutes for Sanitas health coverage. Everything was clearly explained and most of all in English with my Spanish only being A1 level, this was tremendously helpful in helping us make a more informed decision on which Sanitas plan was going to be the most comprehensive coverage for our family. If you have any doubts you can lay those to rest and know that you are in good hands with Irina.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Tom Mickiewicz 
 December 18, 2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We are a family of four who moved from London to Malaga after 22 years in London. We moved as European Union citizens. Irina offered us a comprehensive service, from obtaining a NIE number, helping set up a bank account, finding our first flat, and drafting the initial contract with the landlord, to finding a school for our son, communicating with the school, and obtaining residence permits for all four of us. We are very happy with the service. Irina clearly communicated the next steps and required documents, and she organized meetings. Everything went smoothly and with great care. I recommend Irina to anyone seeking help with the legal side of moving to Malaga.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Exploring 
 December 6, 2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. What should I say, absolutely top notch service, very professional and friendly! We came to Spain last August 2024 and did all our paperwork with Irina, everything went smoothly. She also recommended an accountant/tax advisor whom I still work with today. My partner and I are planning to get married, and once again we asked her for guidance, and she didn’t let us down. I would definitely recommend working with her. Thank you for everything (:
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Kim Unaweka 
 December 1, 2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Irina helped us with our residency and padron. She was really helpful and friendly and everything went very smooth. I would highly recommend Irina. Reasonable price and fast/good service! :)