Financial requirements for residency.

I have spoken to different abogadas ( solicitors) and they have said different things regarding funds in the bank. The best information can be found in Jim's guides ( link at top of this page) Good luck!

I only had to prove 3 months of regular pension income into my Spanish bank account to achieve residency but that was in 2014 so maybe requirements have changed.

Steve 

Most recent feedback from people who've applied for residency indicates a monthly credit to a Spanish bank account of €900, or a balance of €7000, per person, maintained for three months.

If you don't apply for residency until after the end of the transition period then, as things stand at present, the figures will be a monthly ~€2000 or balance €30000.

Once you've got residency, you don't need to maintain those funds, so there's the possibility of borrowing from friends and family so you can meet the requirements.

We don't yet know what, if any, proof of funds will be required after the end of the Brexit transition period in order to transfer to a residencia card.

In normal times, and as the previous poster has said, 3 months worth of pension transfers and proof of pension by production of the latest DWP notification of your award for the current year was sufficient and was as recently as late 2018 when we got our residencias in Orihuela, no proof of savings or money in the bank was called for or offered although we had it if it had been. 

Personally I've never heard of 12 months worth of pension transfers being required and if you think about it it's a perverse demand because it would be tantamount to confessing that you'd been living in Spain illegally for at least 9 months else why would you need to be transferring that money every month?

Bear in mind also that if you attend a residencia interview and voluntatily offer 12 months worth of proof of pension transfers and savings then it's unlikely to be questioned but that does not mean that that was what they were asking for so it suggests that it's something your lawyers have made up themselves and the fact that no two lawyers seem to be able to agree on the point further suggests that it may be the norm.

I think a large part of the problem is that the income requirement is probably not laid down in law anywhere as a defined Euro amount and that's because at the end of the day what's actually required is proof of sufficient income or resources so as to not become a burden on the state. That amount is typically referenced to the minimum social security income so if you can demonstrate in excess of that then that box should get automatically ticked.

As I’ve said before we got our Residentia at the end of last year and had to show previous 3 month bank statements with at least €7000 each on them, 12 months private health care paid in advance, pardons, NIE’s, passports and passport size photos. We were in and out of our appointment in the Alicante office for all U.K. applications in 10 mins.

So there's two different opinions straight away, €7000 and €9000.

Obviously they can't both be right which then begs the question is either and also where these numbers are coming from, not from the authorities I'd say.

If they've taken the unprecedented step of establishing a special office for Brit residencia applications would it be too much to expect the staff running it to be singing from the same hymn sheet?

I honestly don't know if there is a minimum cash balance required or not but assuming there is I repeat what I've already said which is if what an applicant is showing is in excess off that amount then logically it would be accepted without question but that does not make it a benchmark for the next person or anyone else.

It's also possible that cash in the bank is only really relevant to early retirees (like Graham above) who are not in receipt of state pensions which are an expression of guaranteed monthly incomes. Savings can be spent, or could even have been borrowed for the express purpose of an application and paid back.

I think the only way this will be nailed down is by direct personal inquiry to the office in Alicante.

Why enquire only at Alicante?

I think the difference stems from the source. The online system only offers appointments at Alicante, and most feedback has been from there.

However, prior to lockdown, Orihuela and Playa Flamenca were still taking residency applications, as was Elche.

Elche even went as far as posting the requirements on the wall, and this is where I first saw the €7K figure.

Given where Uma is based, I'd guess that the figures given by her (thanks Grahame) are for Orihuela and Playa Flamenca.

There's no point in anyone arguing the toss - it is what it is.

If every member of this forum who has got residency in recent months had reported back, then others could be more confident about what requirements they had to meet.

Thankyou all for your for your Quick response to my post much appreciated.

Jim, my experience trying to get residencia at Alicante which at this time, is the only office accepting applications.