About Your Mate Pat
More than a directory. A mate who's been there.
Moving to a new country is exciting. It's also, if we're honest, really hard work — especially when you're trying to build a life somewhere the language, the bureaucracy, and the systems are all completely different to what you know.
Your Mate Pat exists because we've lived that experience firsthand.
Why we built this
Pat moved from London to Palma, Mallorca in 2021. The move itself was a dream. What followed was several weeks of bureaucratic reality.
Getting an NIE — the identification number every foreigner in Spain needs — turned into a saga. Appointments were nearly impossible to find. When one finally came through, it fell apart because a single word was missing from one document. Back to square one, back to waiting.
Finding an accountant as a newly registered autónomo seemed straightforward enough. It wasn't. The one Pat found implied he spoke English. He didn't, not really. Three months of Google Translate, unclear emails, and mounting frustration later, it was time to start again.
Then there was the dentist search. A week of ringing practices found on Google Maps, asking the same question — do you speak English? — and getting the same vague answer: a little bit. Not exactly reassuring when you're about to sit in the chair.
None of these problems were unique. Every expat we've spoken to has a version of the same story. And every one of them said the same thing: I wish there had been somewhere I could just go to find people I could actually talk to.
That's what Your Mate Pat is. A directory of English-speaking professionals — lawyers, accountants, gestors, doctors, dentists, therapists — built by someone who needed it and couldn't find it.
What we believe
Spain is an incredible place to live, and we want to help more people settle here with less stress. We also believe that making the practical side of life easier doesn't mean switching off from Spanish culture — quite the opposite. When you're not spending a week chasing dentists or deciphering tax emails through Google Translate, you've got more time and energy to actually learn the language, explore the country, and become part of your community.
We're not here to create a bubble. We're here to help you get your footing.
What we're building
Right now, Your Mate Pat is a directory covering six professional categories across ten regions of Spain, with over 750 listed professionals. We're focused on making it the most useful, most trusted resource for English-speaking expats navigating professional services in Spain.
We're growing the platform, improving the listings, and building something that goes beyond a directory — a genuine resource for expats at every stage of life in Spain, whether you arrived last month or last decade.
If you're a professional offering services in English, we'd love to have you listed. And if you're an expat looking for help — welcome. You've found the right place.