Applying for a NLV advice

Think long and hard about your move. Life in Spain is not the paradise the tv shows lead you to believe, you will be exchanging one set of things you hate for a different set.

Working in Spain is a far harder experience than in the UK, longer hours for lower pay and quite often needing to work two jobs to survive, this presumes you can get a job in the first place. The unemployment level in Spain is one of the highest in Europe.

As per your NLV you need to contact your nearest Spanish Consulate to start things moving, the application can only be done in person. You can buy a property with or without the NLV, without the NLV there are more restrictions on the time you can spend here.

Integrating with the local population is a rare occurrence, in my experience you will always be an outsider.

It is cheaper to live here and it is milder in winter (it still feels cold though) although the summers can be uncomfortably hot.

Bear in mind the old adage ‘the grass always looks greener’

I wish you good luck with whatever you decide to do.

I read recently that it is now impossible to get an NLV Visa if you are not retired or nearing retirement age.

Bee

Where did you read that utter nonsense?

Hi Joe7 and welcome to the forum.

Do you and your family all hold UK passports, or EU (including Ireland)?

As a UK passport holder, the finances required for the Non Lucrative Visa are based on Spain's IPREM (2024 is €7,200).  For the first applicant the amount required per year is 4 x IPREM, i.e. €28,800, and 1 x IPREM for each dependent, so an additional annual amount of €7,200 for each of your partner and child, i.e. €14,400, totalling €43,200 per year for the family.  The figure for 2025 has yet to be published, but forecasts suggest that the 2024 figure is likely to increase by around 1.5%.

Once you have obtained the NLV, you move to Spain, ensuring you obtain passport stamps to prove your date of entry, and then you have 3 months to apply for the Spanish residency card, called the TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero, or foreigners ID card).

After your first year in Spain, if you should decide to continue with the NLV, the applications for Years 2 and 3, and then Years 4 and 5, each require double the required finances, i.e. €86,400.

There is no advantage to you using a Spanish lawyer to apply for the Non Lucrative Visa.  The visa has to be applied for in the UK, so using a Spanish lawyer will be expensive for this part of the process.  If you don't want to do it yourself, you could use the company recommended by the UK Government instead:

https://uk.blsspainvisa.com/london/

It is possible to switch Visa types, but you would need to meet the requirements, which are also detailed on BLS´s website.

Similarly, using a Spanish lawyer to obtain your TIE cards would also be an expensive way of doing it - better to use a "gestor" for which you can obtain recommendations on this forum.

Unless you or your partner are in receipt of the UK State Pension (or another Exportable benefit), you will also need Private Health Insurance for the family.  After the first year, you can apply to join the Covenio Especial, which will allow you access to Spanish State healthcare at a cost of €60 per person, per month (rising to €157 per per, per month, at age 65).  The advantage of the Convenio Especial over Private Health Insurance is that the C.E. doesn´t exclude pre-existing conditions, whereas PHI may do so.  In both cases, you would have to pay for prescriptions.  At UK State retirement age, if you qualify, you can apply for an S1 which would entitle you to Spanish State healthcare, funded by the UK. 

I could go into a lot more detail, but from what you've said, I think your biggest challenge is going to be meeting the financial requirements.  It's important to note that, for an NLV application, your income must be passive, so you would not be able to return to the UK for paid work and if you manage your own rental property, that doesn't count as passive income either - it would only qualify if you are paying for a letting agent to manage it on your behalf.

EDIT:  Yes, you can buy a property when you´re here on a Visa, but you would need to ensure that you can still meet the financial requirements of the Visa renewal applications.  Once you've been continuously resident here for 5 years, you can apply for permanent residency and will no longer need to renew your Visas.

You probably understand by now why my first question was which passports do you hold - since Brexit, it is extremely difficult for British citizens to move to Spain, especially if they also want to work here, but if one of you has an Irish passport, or could qualify for one by way of Irish ancestry, then it's so much easier.

Kind regards,

Kim

Going back to UK to work would not be possible as you have to show you are no longer employed (with a P45 or whatever) or a tax office statement i self employed that you no longer pay tax in UK due to retirement. 

Your partner. If not married you have to show a civil partnership or a certificate of cohabitation proved by, for example, joint wills, life insurance policy, council tax bills showing you have both been at the same address and so on.

You can buy a house in Spain as a non resident, you don't have to be a resident to do so.

You can get your own solicitor, either UK or Spanish, to help you but you must attend the interview in UK in person. The solicitor must apply through BLS Spain Visa UK who now conduct the process for all visas. 

From this year, the annual income shown for a couple with one child would be 30,000 euro for the first applicant and 7.500 for each dependant. All types of income count but must be shown to be regular however, fixed assets such as property in UK do not count so only you rental income of £16,800 a year (around 20,000 euro) would not be enough. Your joint savings would be sufficient for the first year but would not be enough for the 2 years of income you must show at the 1st and 2nd renewals. You would also need private healthcare insurance for both adults to cover you for at least the first year. You can then use the convenio especial at 65 euro a month each which does not include prescription costs. Children under 18 have full cover.

Changing to a work visa is possible after the first year but you must have a fully legal and contracted offer of work to do so. You can't, for example, apply for a work visa and then look for work.

You are restricted to leaving Spain for more than 10 months in the first 5 years whilst it is classed as temporary residence. 

Children can, and must, enrol for school in Spain. You must show all medical, vaccinations and so on are up to date and will probably find your daughter is put down a class for the first year to catch up in Spanish. There are international schools where English is used by they are private and you have to pay fees.

All documents produced, such as proof of cohabitation, medical and police record checks, must be provided translated to Spanish and officially translated.

Best of luck but it is now quite difficult for someone at your time of life to move to Spain especially to work. Perhaps try Portugal where the requirements are not so high. 

You don't need a solicitor if you have the patience and commonsense to follow the checklist that is provided with your application. If you do choose to use a solicitor they will charge you quite a bit of money and you will be doing most of the work yourself anyway. 

It  would  also  help when  visa   get  sorted  if  you  could  speak  Spanish  fairly  good,  it  would  also  help  with  finding  employment,  but  as  said   already,  

Far  away  fields are always  greener,  Life here  in  Torrevieja  is  like  the  pavement   very  uneven ,  it  has  plenty  of up  and  downs 

Best  of  luck 👍   with your  lifestyle  choices 

If you have an oportunity, try Australia. Do you speak spanish? Magic is not happening in Spain, unless you have money. What is so bad in UK, that young people have to escape? Spanish working life is harder. Unemployment is very high. Taxes are more shocking than in UK. You will pay taxes in Spain on your rental income in UK... Is your child learning Spanish? Have you visited place where you want to live in different times of year?What about moving in different part of UK? I am trying to put myself in your shoes and I'm very anxious. Do your research thoroughly. I, personally, find life in UK easier for young people with a child, than in Spain. Anyway a  good luck to you in your future. 

Hello everyone and thanks for the messages some good points made I need to think over , I see these as minor speedbumps though and nothing too much to handle.

We speak very basic Spanish but are learning it , 

I can’t get a Irish passport as it was my great grandparents who was Irish so I missed that by a generation I even tried the German passport option as it’s the eu as my dads mother came during the war to the UK but even after months of searching for the required documents I needed I had no luck. 

The work visa is hard to get right away without being there so the NLV and a year off would suit me fine. 

I’ll have a income to live on from rentals I have and once I sell my house I currently live in will be fine with money in the bank , I was hoping to buy a bit of a fixer upper property in Spain keep me busy and also add some value as I’ve done this a few times in the UK.

The UK isn’t the place it once was , not only is the weather bad 9 months of the year. It’s going worse than ever , I live in the north west , I’ve lived in the south west too but still didn’t cut it for me. I want my daughter to be able to go to the beach at a weekend , have an outdoors life rather than coming home and staring at the iPad because it’s dark outside at 4pm , raining and most importantly unsafe.

I’d rather be worse off somewhere I like and happy than have the pretty easy life I have in England being miserable.  

Do any of you know of anyone who’s come on a nlv then changed to a work visa after a year ? I work in construction and maintenance mostly on hotels and my partner is a teacher so I’m hoping we can find something , also about coming back to work in the UK I’ve just had a email from my solicitor saying you can for short periods obviously I’ll have to go into more detail with this but I’m self employed and file a tax return yearly so wouldn’t get a p45 as I don’t have a employer in the uk.

anyway thank you for the help it’s really appreciated and brought a few points to light I don’t think of. Very helpful website 👍🏻