Advice on moving to Rojales for 4months with family

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 11:28am

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Joined: 22 Apr 2019

Hi, I'm Leelee. My husband and I plan to spend about four months in Rojales this time next year with our 11 year old (by then almost 12) son and our new baby. The plan is for our son and us to learn Spanish and have an adventure exploring Spanish culture and lifestyle. We are EU citizens and will have somewhere to live and a car. But we have questions which may be best answered by locals.

What is the procedure for obtaining and NIE number, and what is it?

How do we obtain a residencia?

What is a padron and how do we get it?

What school in Rojales or Quesada will take a boy in final year of primary (with limited Spanish), in the middle of term?

If school is not possible, is it legal to homeschool in Spain? And are there any homeschooling groups locally?

Are there any chess clubs or music clubs or sports clubs locally for children?

Will we be eligible to avail of Spanish healthcare or will we need particular insurance?

What is the best broadband internet provider in the area, as husband will be working from home?

Is there anything else we should be thinking before making a move?

Thanks in advance for your help,

Leelee

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Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 3:15pm

Movingon

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Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 3:15pm

If "EU citizens" means British then best wait until Brexit is over and done with as it could render your plan all but undoable !

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Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 3:57pm

Leelee85

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Location: Rojales

Joined: 22 Apr 2019

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 3:57pm

No, we are Irish. I imagine there is great uncertainty for British ex-pats in Spain at the moment!

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Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 4:09pm

Cheryl

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Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 4:09pm

You will be limited to a maximum of 90 days without applying for temporary residency status unless you choose to be an illegal immigrant and you cannot be on the Padron unless a full resident. An NIE is just like a National Insurance number in UK and you will need it for a variety of things here, such as getting a mobile phone, internet, hiring a car, renting property, basically anything linked to the tax system.
Quite how much Spanish culture and lifestyle you will find in this area is debatable as foreigners outweigh locals by some distance.
Homeschooling is legal in Spain but not popular so very doubtful there would be groups and home-schooling would immediately isolate your son. The largest age group will be pensioners or early retirees.
You could access Spanish healthcare under the EHIC for as long as it exists (If not a Brit, this doesn't apply) but don't expect them to speak English, or if they do, they may well choose not to as mis-translations could be dangerous in a medical situation and this is also limited to 90 days. Travel insurance including repatriation should be seriously considered.
Your son would miss SATS and would join a foreign school for just 2 months as schools break up here in June and would not be following the same curriculum as he is used to. For all the upheaval, I think you would get more experience of Spanish lifestyle and culture if you spent the summer holidays here in a Spanish (not ex-pat) area and then your son's education will not be disrupted.
Search this site for Jim's guides under Everywhere for accurate and extensive coverage of all subjects such as NIE, Padron, Residency etc.