Doris Kirch Seeks Successor: Mallorca's Emigration Fairy Considers Handover

Doris Kirch Seeks Successor: Mallorca's Emigration Fairy Considers Handover

On the Passeig Mallorca in the morning the usual murmur can be heard: suppliers reach the cafés, older residents sit with newspapers, and at the corner two women converse in German about dealings with the authorities. This everyday life has been the backdrop of Doris Kirch's work for decades. The 62-year-old, who has helped many Germans get started on the island, is now reaching out for a successor.

Doris Kirch has run her emigration service for more than 20 years. In that time, she says, she has accompanied tens of thousands of applications for NIE numbers and residencias and has freed many newcomers from the paperwork battle with forms, translations and appointments. Her business is currently doing well — there has been a boom in demand for help with administrative procedures since the pandemic — and that is precisely why she now wants to initiate a transition while the company is still strong.

What matters to her is that a quick sale is not on the agenda. 'I'm not in a hurry,' she says. Rather, it is about asking, exploring and checking who can continue the work with respect and reliability. Customers should not be left behind; the business will run 'as usual' for the time being, she emphasizes. She has a concrete buyout sum in mind: fair for buyer and seller.

The reason for the decision is also personal. Five years have passed since her breast cancer — a milestone that has made her reassess many things. 'I love my work, but I also know: life is finite,' she says. The prospect of having more time for family, friends and travel contributed to her decision.

Anyone starting anew on Mallorca sooner or later faces the question: Who will accompany me to the offices? Emigrants on the Island: Two Couples Start Anew – How Mallorca Benefits is one recent account of people making that first step and the support they need. In Palma's streets you can see it every day: people with folders in front of the foreigners' office, unsure couples in offices, phone calls about required original documents. Such scenes are the daily routine of service providers who help with residencia, social security numbers or when buying a house. That an experienced provider like Kirch is aiming for an orderly handover is a reassurance for many newcomers.

This has implications for the island: continuity in German-language advisory services eases integration and prevents people from getting stuck because of bureaucratic hurdles. An orderly change of ownership could also create room for younger colleagues who bring modern digital processes and new service formats — provided they respect the values of the previous work.

Concrete interested parties can contact the advisor directly; she announced the search on social networks and is open to talks. Until a successor is found, she continues to run her company and accompanies ongoing cases. For clients this means: reliability remains intact.

The story of this handover is also a small reminder of everyday life on Mallorca: often a network of services that makes life easier grows out of personal relationships. A café on the Plaça Major, a phone call with a caseworker, the helpfulness of a sole trader — all of that is part of it; personal stories like "In Germany I was often alone": Why Sali swapped Düsseldorf for Mallorca reflect how individual moves and local assistance connect.

For the island this is good news: those who work professionally and humanely find successors, and those who move to Mallorca can hope that experienced contacts will guide the first steps. For Doris Kirch herself there remains the confidence that her life's work will end up in 'good hands' — and the prospect of spending mornings more often in peace with a café con leche.

Outlook: The search for a successor is proceeding carefully. Applicants should have experience with Spanish authorities, speak German and value personal support. For Mallorca the planned handover means continuity in an important service area — and the reassuring news that a familiar address on the island will not simply disappear, but will be continued.