Sending money from Spain
You are paid in euros and the CFA franc is pegged to the euro: 1 euro is always worth 655.957 FCFA. So no exchange rate surprise between the day you set your budget and the day you pay the mason. What varies is the fees and the rate actually applied by the service you use.
Senegal is outside the SEPA area: a transfer from your Spanish bank to a Senegalese bank is international. Transfer agencies and apps are often faster, but always compare the amount that arrives in CFA francs. And keep every receipt: you will need them at the notary's and with the Spanish tax office.
If you are a tax resident in Spain, assets abroad (property, accounts) above a certain amount are declared on form 720 (threshold of 50,000 euros per category (to be checked)). Your gestor or tax adviser will tell you whether it applies to you, before the purchase.
Power of attorney at the Senegalese consulate in Spain
A poder signed before a Spanish notary is written in Spanish: in Senegal, it will usually need an official French translation and a legalisation (to be checked). The simplest route is often to sign a power of attorney in French at the Senegalese consulate: Madrid, and other cities depending on your region, including the Canary Islands (to be checked).
Keep it short and precise: the person's name, the property, the acts allowed, an end date. First ask the Senegalese notary which wording they accept, then ask the consulate about documents and appointments.
The time difference: none in the Canary Islands in winter
On the mainland and in the Balearic Islands, you are one hour ahead of Dakar in winter and two in summer. In the Canary Islands, you are on the same time as Dakar in winter, and one hour ahead in summer. Either way, the working day on site falls during yours: a video call from the site at your break is doable.
A video call is still a call: the person chooses what they film. For the stages that matter (foundations, the slab's steel bars, the roof), ask for dated and geotagged photos, and a visit from a technician who answers neither to the builder nor to the family.
The documents to prepare
- Your Senegalese ID or passport. Spanish documents often show two surnames: check that the name on the deed matches the one on your ID.
- For the plot: land title, lease or council allocation, a recent statement of rights, the boundary survey plan.
- The Spanish documents needed for the file, with a French translation (to be checked).
- The plans, the building permit filed on TELEDAC, the contract with the builder and every receipt.
The scams to know about
- Payment by Bizum to a Spanish number « to save time »: you are paying a person in Spain, with no link to a notary in Senegal.
- The plot sold off-plan in a subdivision « soon to be serviced », with no parent land title that can be checked.
- Land from the national domain presented as owned property: a council allocation is not a land title.
- The build paid in advance « to get a good price », then stopped.
From plot to keys: the steps
- Total budget and choice of area, from Spain.
- Land check: documents at the land office, visit on site.
- Purchase at the notary's, in person or through a power of attorney, then transfer into your name.
- Plans, a file signed by an architect, building permit on TELEDAC.
- Contract with the builder, itemised quote, payments by stages.
- Works, each stage checked before the next payment.
- Handover, connections, keys, and someone to watch the house if it stays empty.
Where SEETLU fits
SEETLU observes and proves. We do not build, we do not manage the works, we do not sell materials and we never touch your money: you pay the notary, the builder and the State directly.
- Land check: from 75,000 FCFA, with sealed photos and a written report.
- House plans: from 150,000 FCFA; the file is signed by our partner architect.
- Building permit: we prepare and follow up your file, from 450,000 FCFA, State fees on top.
- Before you build package (land, plan, permit): 650,000 FCFA, State fees on top.
- Site monitoring: from 39,000 FCFA a month, a report within 24 hours in your client area.
- Pre-purchase inspection, if you buy a house that is already built: 125,000 FCFA for the first day.
Building from abroad?
Tell us where your project stands: land, plans, permit or a build under way. Your quote arrives the same day.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to declare my plot in Senegal to the Spanish tax office?
If you are a tax resident in Spain and your assets abroad exceed the form 720 threshold, yes. Your gestor will confirm it for your situation.
Is a poder signed before a Spanish notary enough?
It usually needs a translation and a legalisation. A power of attorney signed in French at the Senegalese consulate avoids those steps. Ask the Senegalese notary what they accept.
How much does site monitoring in Senegal cost?
At SEETLU, from 39,000 FCFA a month for one visit a month, with a report within 24 hours in your client area. Your quote arrives the same day.
Read also: the 7 signs of a construction scam and all our guides.