Can i move to benidorm on a state pension

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.

Portugal has much more achievable entry requirements. 

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 

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

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

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.

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

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