Working from Mallorca: coworking, internet and time zones

Time zones: an easy fit for most of Europe

Mallorca, like mainland Spain, runs on Central European Time, an hour ahead of GMT, and moves to summer time on the same dates as the rest of the EU: the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October. Spain moved to this zone in 1940 as a wartime measure and never moved back.

For anyone working with the UK, a 9am meeting in London is 10am on the island. Calls with the US East Coast fall in the afternoon and early evening. The US changes its clocks on different dates from Europe, so for a few weeks in March and in late October or early November the gap is one hour smaller.

Internet at home: check the address

Fibre is common in Palma and the larger towns, but coverage can stop at the edge of a village. An isolated finca or a house in the mountains may have no fixed line at all, even when the village below does. Where there is no fibre, the usual alternatives are fixed wireless links, mobile-data routers and satellite services.

Don’t rely on an advert that says the house has internet. Ask the seller which provider they use and what speed they actually get, and check the exact address with two or three providers before you sign. The Spanish government publishes a yearly broadband coverage report, built from operators’ data address by address, which gives a first idea of what reaches a street.

Mobile signal in the mountains

The Serra de Tramuntana has gaps in mobile coverage, and in busy moments the network can struggle: the mayor of Escorca has complained that on snowy days, when crowds drive up to Lluc, residents lose phone and data coverage and some people can only reach the 112 emergency number. A call to 112 can use any operator’s network, not only your own.

If you look at a house in the mountains, check signal for your own network at the house, on the drive in and, if you can, on a busy weekend.

Coworking in and around Palma

Palma has a number of private coworking spaces used by freelancers and remote workers. Terms vary, so compare what is on offer near the area you are considering.

• PalmaActiva, the city council’s business agency, has a business centre with a coworking area for entrepreneurs, with places allocated by application.
• ParcBit, the Balearic technology park on the edge of Palma beside the university, has offices and shared workspace for technology and innovation businesses. Since July 2025 it has had its own station at the end of metro line M1.
• Outside Palma, shared workspaces are fewer, so check what exists near the area you are considering before you count on one.

Visas, residence and tax

EU citizens can live and work in Spain freely. Others, including British and American buyers, need a visa or residence permit to stay longer than a short visit. Spain’s international teleworking visa, created by Law 28/2022, is meant for people working remotely for employers or clients abroad. The visa lasts up to a year, and holders can then apply for a residence authorisation of up to three years.

Working from here also has tax consequences. Under Spanish income tax law you are normally tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, or if your main economic interests are here. Get advice before you start splitting your working year between two countries. Our guides to moving to Mallorca and taxes for owners explain more.

Areas in this post

Palma