Llombo

I assume that you are a UK passport holder. 

Have you looked into the requirements for moving to Spain. 

Income and healthcare requirements are needed to be able to apply for a visa. 

Are you going to apply for a non lucrative visa? 

Steve 

Hi Steve,  thank you for your information.   We will be going for a non lucrative visa and have spoken to an FSA guy.  My plan this week, is to call a lawyer and ask questions. In Sept, we are going to stay in Itea and get a car to drive around to different areas, starting with Valencia.  You are my first contact, so thank you. We plan to rent next yr for 4 mths, before we buy.  I welcome any feedback from you or anyone else, re pitfalls.  Do you mind me asking where you are based?

Hi gina55

We decided to purchase a property in Ontinyent following a 3year search of the inland Northern Costa Blanca area. We became residents in June 2021 and I can highly recommend the town.

Yes, there is a very good tennis club in Ontinyent, not that we play, but we can see the floodlights every night in Winter so it must be popular and we cycle past it on a regular basis. 

We've not had to empty our septic rank yet so can't answer your question on that subject, but if I can assist with any other queries then please ask.

Cheers, Rob

Hi Gina,

I have lived in Benidorm since retirement 8 years ago. My wife and I have enjoyed and are still enjoying every moment. Of course it was far easier for us to move over here all those years ago and now it is so much more difficult. 

You will need to apply for a non lucrative visa from the Spanish consulate in London, Manchester or Edinburgh. You will need to meet the income and healthcare requirements. 

The income requirements for a couple adds up to around €34,000 per annum made up of reliable income such as from pension funds and income from other investments etc Some areas will accept a lower annual income if there is a large bank balance. 

You will both need full private healthcare paid for a full year after which you can apply for the S1 healthcare scheme which is paid for by the UK government. 

There will be some other documents to submit but easily done. Some documents will need to be translated into Spanish. 

That is basically the route forward to gaining the non lucrative visa. 

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

Stick at it and you will be OK.

If I can help you in any way you can post on here or send a private message. 

Steve 

Thanks so much Steve.  We were told our state pension, if it goes up in England, we won't get the increase living aboard, do you know if that is true?  Also, would they transfer our heating allowance from the UK to Spain?

Gina

Hi Gina,

Yes you will definitely receive the annual increase on your uk state pension, I have received the same amount of rise as the people in the UK.

You will not get the uk heating allowance transfered here in Spain. Ian Duncan Smith stopped the heating allowance for Expats about 8 or 9 years ago. I will say though, it gets very, very cold here on Costa Blanca mid winter. 

Steve 

Tks Steve, surely not as cold as the UK?

You will be surprised how cold it can get, I've had discussions with other posters who have had ice on the inside of windows!!

Even here in Benidorm we occasionally use a super sir gas heater in the months of Jan, Feb and March.

But you are correct, not as bad as the UK as we do get some nice blue skies.

It's quite nice though, to see the snow capped mountains from our back windows. 

Steve 

In someways it’s actually colder than the U.K. especially indoors. Spanish homes are  not made to retain heat, so in the winter months, it can be a beautiful sunny day outside with temperatures  in the low to mid 20’s 

Go indoors and the temperatures can be as low as 10C. Pop the heating on and as soon as you switch it off the room goes cold again.   All those tiled floors make the room feel even colder, so you need lots of rugs, especially for when you get out of bed of a morning.  Central heating  is a rare luxury over here.

You’ll spend your first winter buying thermal vests, flannelette bedding, slippers, fluffy socks and fleecy throws. Make sure your property gets some winter sunshine, as Jan-Mar you’ll need to spend as much time outside as possible. Sounds crazy but ometimes when we’ve been out shopping we’ll sit in the car as long as possible, soaking in the warmth coming in through the windscreen. 

But hey ho in May someone flicks the switch and there’s nothing better than waking up to blue skies and hot temperatures. 

Lynn