A 26-year-old Cuban resident in Galicia shared a warning on TikTok that few expect to hear before emigrating to Spain: the most valuable thing you can take does not fit in a suitcase or a bank account. In a video posted on Thursday, the content creator known as Estibito asserts that the key factor for surviving the first months in that country is having a trustworthy person who truly welcomes you.
"The first thing you need to have secured here is a trustworthy person, someone who won't throw you out on the street tomorrow, someone who will genuinely help you rise up," Estibito states in the recording.
The young man explains that the first months in Spain are especially vulnerable because the bureaucratic procedures—registration, enrollment in Social Security, obtaining the foreign identification number—take weeks before one can work legally.
In addition, obtaining a rental property is virtually impossible for those who have just arrived in the country: landlords typically require a year of employment history or at least two pay stubs as a guarantee, conditions that no newcomer can meet.
"Everyone promises you, 'Come here, I'll welcome you, I don't know what else,' but by the next month, they're kicking you out," warns Estibito, speaking from personal experience.
The content creator acknowledges that his worst moments in Spain did not stem from bureaucracy or the job market, but rather from other Cubans. "My worst experiences have mostly been because of Cubans... who have wanted to hurt me without me doing anything to them... some have even wished for me to end up on the street, with no home or anything," he recounts, although he clarifies that he does not want to generalize because he has also encountered compatriots who have genuinely helped him.
Estibito arrived in Spain with a clear determination: to never return to Cuba under any circumstances. "When one comes to this country, one comes to succeed both for oneself and for one's family, and when I made the decision to come here, I wasn't going to return to Cuba for anything," he emphasizes.
This testimony is part of a series of experiences that the young man has shared on his profile. In June, he recounted how he landed his first job in modular construction in less than ten days due to his honesty during the interview, and earlier this month he warned about a scam involving fake messages that left his bank account completely empty.
The context surrounding these testimonies is extensive. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics of Spain published in February 2026, at least 35,200 Cubans emigrated to that country during 2025, raising the total community to approximately 287,490 registered individuals. Spain is the second structural destination for Cuban emigration, after the United States.
New arrivals also face an unemployment rate of 17.23% among immigrants and a rental market where prices in large cities range from 900 to 1,638 euros per month, compared to a Minimum Interprofessional Wage (SMI) of 1,424.50 euros gross per month, if paid in 12 installments.
Estibito concludes his message with a phrase that encapsulates his view on the migration process: "Emigrating is not an easy task, but it is not impossible either."
Filed under: