Can i move to benidorm on a state pension - Brexit and the EU: living, holidaying and moving to Benidorm - Benidorm forum - Costa Blanca forum in the Alicante province of Spain
Expat Services
Gran Alacant Insurances
ASSSA Insurance
interior building work
Espana Dream Properties
Airport Service Taxi Mil Palmeras  Torre de la Horadada
Costa Blanca Building Specialists
Car Key Solutions
AA Free English TV
Thy Will Be Done
Gentlevan Removals
Blacktower Financial Management
James Spanish School
Jennifer Cunningham Insurances SL

Join the Benidorm forum

Join the Benidorm forumMy name's Alex and this is my website all about Benidorm in Spain. Register now for free to talk about Brexit and the EU: living, holidaying and moving to Benidorm and much more!

Can i move to benidorm on a state pension

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 3:17pm
12 replies840 views7 members subscribed
Linda1960

Posts: 1

Location: Villamartin

Joined: 22 Jul 2022

I want to buy a caravan and move to benidorm but i only have a state pension. Will i be allowed now that we are out of europe? 

Paolo51

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 3:26pm

Paolo51

Very helpful member

Posts: 514

533 helpful points

Location: Orihuela

Joined: 10 Nov 2017

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 3:26pm

Unfortunately no, the State Pension is not a sufficient amount, you would need to prove an income of approx £24000 to qualify. If you go on the gov.uk website there are some figures on there to clarify the exact requirements.

NigeF

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 3:41pm

NigeF

Helpful member

Posts: 189

206 helpful points

Location: Alicante City

Joined: 14 May 2020

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 3:41pm

Portugal has much more achievable entry requirements. 

tebo53

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 3:49pm

tebo53

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 4752

4939 helpful points

Location: Benidorm

Joined: 29 May 2018

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 3:49pm

The income figure has increased recently and for a single person it is around €28,000 per annum and an extra €6,500 for each additional person. 

If you want to live here in Benidorm as a retiree you will need to apply for a non lucrative visa from the Spanish consulate in the UK. 

You will need to meet the income and healthcare requirements. 

Have a look at this link:

How to apply for a Non-Lucrative visa (NLV)

Steve 

Kimmy11

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 4:14pm

Kimmy11

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 6861

12546 helpful points

Joined: 8 Aug 2017

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 4:14pm

Hi Linda and welcome to the forum.

If you receive the maximum UK State Retirement pension of around £9,630, that will not be sufficient on its own to move to Spain.  An individual has to prove income of €27,792.96 per annum to apply for a Non Lucrative Visa (NLV), but the Spanish consulates in the UK do have some discretion if you have other sources of finance, such as savings and investments, and property.  For example, if you currently have significant savings and/or own a property in the UK which you plan to sell, the proceeds from which you'll buy the caravan, but you have money left over of, say, €60,000, that may be sufficient.  The reason I mention €60,000 is because you need double the €27,792.96 for each of the two, 2-year renewals of the NLV, until you reach 5 years residency in Spain.

As NigeF has suggested, Portugal is a much easier option for retirees applying for its "D7 Passive Income visa", as the annual income required is only €8,460 per year.  I don't know whether you've considered Portugal as an alternative to Spain, but this website gives a detailed explanation of the visa and what's required for the application, although I have never personally used this company:

https://www.atlys.com/en-GB/country/portugal/national-type-d-7-visa

Kind regards,

Kim

Advertisement - posts continue below

Lefty

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 7:38pm

Lefty

Helpful member

Posts: 173

131 helpful points

Location: Benidorm

Joined: 11 May 2022

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 7:38pm

Another factor is if you have any pre existing medical conditions as you are required to purchase a comprehensive medical insurance without exclusions to cover a 12 month period, after 12 months I believe that you can pay into the state medical system but I’m not sure of costs, don’t forget prescriptions too if you are taking medication.

Don’t forget to factor in the change over fee and ground rent when buying a caravan and transport costs to get to the shops etc

DUI

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:03pm

DUI

Very helpful member

Posts: 375

580 helpful points

Location: Denia

Joined: 6 Nov 2021

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:03pm

Linda1960 wrote on Fri Jul 22, 2022 3:17pm:

I want to buy a caravan and move to benidorm but i only have a state pension. Will i be allowed now that we are out of europe? 

You can move to Spain and live on your state pension if you have an Irish or other EU Passport.Otherwise it is now very difficult for Brits.

Kimmy11

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 7:17am

Kimmy11

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 6861

12546 helpful points

Joined: 8 Aug 2017

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 7:17am

Lefty wrote on Fri Jul 22, 2022 7:38pm:

Another factor is if you have any pre existing medical conditions as you are required to purchase a comprehensive medical insurance without exclusions to cover a 12 month period, after 12 months I believe that you can pay into the state medical system but I’m not sure of costs, don’t forget p...

...rescriptions too if you are taking medication.

Don’t forget to factor in the change over fee and ground rent when buying a caravan and transport costs to get to the shops etc

It's no longer necessary for UK citizens applying for a NLV to have private health insurance if they qualify for an S1; as Linda's already drawing State pension., this will apply for her.  Good point about the cost of medications.

Kind regards, 

Kim

Jack58

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2022 2:44pm

Posts: 109

15 helpful points

Location: Benidorm

Joined: 26 Mar 2022

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2022 2:44pm

I own my apartment in Benidorm and was told by the estate agent that as long as I have an income of 400 euros a week I will be ok! With my UK State Pension and another Pension I will easily manage this  also I wll be 66yrs old in August 2024 and should have around 60,000 euros in my Spanish bank account, therefore I should not have any probelem, also I am an Irish citizen which works even better for me as the Irish are still part of the EU!

tebo53

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2022 4:50pm

tebo53

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 4752

4939 helpful points

Location: Benidorm

Joined: 29 May 2018

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2022 4:50pm

Jack58 wrote on Thu Oct 20, 2022 2:44pm:

I own my apartment in Benidorm and was told by the estate agent that as long as I have an income of 400 euros a week I will be ok! With my UK State Pension and another Pension I will easily manage this  also I wll be 66yrs old in August 2024 and should have around 60,000 euros in my Spanish ...

...bank account, therefore I should not have any probelem, also I am an Irish citizen which works even better for me as the Irish are still part of the EU!

Good luck in your venture Jack.

Steve 

Sign up for free or login to reply to this topic

Want to reply to this topic? Login or register for free to post your message:

Find more Brexit and the EU topics from a particular area:


Register for free!

Login to your account

Expat Services
Gran Alacant Insurances
ASSSA Insurance
interior building work
Espana Dream Properties
Airport Service Taxi Mil Palmeras  Torre de la Horadada
Costa Blanca Building Specialists
Car Key Solutions
AA Free English TV
Thy Will Be Done
Gentlevan Removals
Blacktower Financial Management
James Spanish School
Jennifer Cunningham Insurances SL
Advertise your business here
Advertise your property
Help with my computer