Moving to spain

hi we are moving to Spain soon ,we are going to buy a property and have saveings for 4years ,then we will be 67 what will we need?do we have to have insurance as we will be pensioners soon hope anyone can help us ,(can we get a nie number before we buy a house in England 

Hi

Yes you can get an NIE from the Spanish embassy in london but it does take time.

Some companies offer this online but I am not sure how real they are be very very careful and not recommended

IMO the best and easiest way to get an NIE is to come over to Spain for a visit and get your NIE then.

There are plenty of people locally who can help (for a fee) and it only takes a few days and many people get their NIE during the buying process. If you are buying property your solicitor may help etc.

You will need medical insurance as the S1 will not cover you until at least one of you is of pension age, suggest you contact Newcastle office and discuss directly with them on 0191 218 7777

Remember EHIC is only for emergency and tarvel

Check out the website

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/movingabroad/Pages/Introduction.aspx

(I was writing this at the same time as Tadd, but posted just after him)

IF you move to Spain then you immediately have to register in the EU Citizens Register (often wrongly called Residencia).  However, if you come to see what it’s like, you can stay for 3 months.  If you stay permanently for 3 months then you must register.

If you do not need to register  on the EU Citizens Register, to you can apply for an NIE at the National Police Station for the area where you are staying, albeit, that might be just a temporary place, hotel, hostel etc.  For that you will just need to complete the application form (showing you intend opening a bank account, buy a property etc)  produce your original passport and a copy of it, and the form from a bank (intitially obtained from the police) to show you have paid the fee of 10.60€ or thereabouts.

To register on  EU Citizens Register you will need to go to the National Police Station, as above, and apply.  You will need to prove you have sufficient income monthly, or capital on which to live.  You will also need medical cover. If you are under UK pension age and not on Invalidly Benefit or similar then you will need to have private medical insurance (written in Spanish) which covers all eventualities.  When either of you are in receipt of an OAP  you can get a form from  DWP  and both of you can transfer to the medical system  (NHS) in Spain.

Not sure what you meant by :    “can we get a nie number before we buy a house in England”.  Should that have been Spain ?   If so, see above.

If you use a reputable estate agent they will advise you on how to get a NIE basically without one you cannot buy a property or open a bank account you will need a NIE before you become a resident as I said the estate agent that we used arrange everything for us even.told us how to how to transfer the money over from our UK bank to the new Spanish bank the HSBC wanted £4,200 to do the transfer we were advised to use Moneycorp cost £600  to give you some idea we went over to Spain and bought a villa on Camposol put a small holding deposit at week one signed all the appropriate papers flew back six week later paid the outstanding money the estate agents even sorted out the water and electric contracts for us.

Please take note if you are getting on in years you mite want to consider the  safety of a  expat community unless you can speak Spanish things can get difficult from time to time  also consider renting before you buy that way you have time to think good luck.

Thanks for the advice we hope to move to la marina Alicante ,didn't know it cost money to move money over to spain

but have private pensions as well will I be able to have them sent every month to the Spanish bank and will I lose on the exchange rate when it's transferred to Spain ,thanks for your advice it's very helpful (we will be moving near ex pats 

Yes you will be charged for the transfer of youi pension funds you will also pay tax on any income that you have from the UK .

Our pension is paid into our Spanish bank at the current business rate and the private company charges us £2.40 a month. The state pension would be paid with no charges.

Our Spanish bank does not charge us for receiving the pension. On the contrary, they give us free banking and a discount on utility direct debits.

We also don't pay any income tax in Spain due to the allowances given. (This will probably change this year as our government pension will be taken into account for the allowances but the UK tax paid will be taken intoaccount).

An NIE , not an NIE ‘number’.    Just being correct, or pedantic depending on one’s view.  The NIE is a non-Spaniard’s  ID NUMBER (número de identificación de extranjero) so saying ‘number is saying ‘ an ID number number’.  People often do the same when talking about a PIN (Personal Identification Number ‘number’).

Just to clarify, as I said at 10.32,   you will need an NIE to open a bank account, buy a property etc. However, if you MOVE to Spain you will as I said, have to register on the EU Citizen’s Register immediately, when you do that if you already have an NIE you retained that existing number, if you did not have one then the registration provides one.

Obtaining the NIE or Registering is very simple, and if when the time comes you send me a PM, I will send you the current info, and tell how to complete the single sheet form. It is very simple. No need to pay anyone to do it for you.

I have an OAP, which I have paid directly to my Spanish bank account, no charged best exchange rate etc.  I also have a Gov. Employee pension, which I have paid into Nationwide in UK.  I also have a visa card on Nationwide, which I use for weekly shopping, petrol etc. in Spain.    I pay in EUROS  There is no charge either end and Nationwide give an exchange rate which is just a smidgen below the inter-bank rate. (If you pay in GBP there is a charger and an awful exchange rate) .

At present (it may change)  you can only open a bank account in UK if you live there, but if you have an account you can keep it when you move to say Spain. The bank will change your address to your Spainish one.  So open any accounts you may need before you leave.

Occasionally, for a couple of months,  I have my Gov pension paid direct to my Spanish bank account to top it up. I do that by sending an email instruction. It is transferred with no charges either end and, just like the OAP,  at the highest exchange rate.

I believe it is usual practice in Spain for banks not to charge to maintain a bank account if you have a pension paid directly into the bank. Although you may have to pay a fee if you have a credit card on that account.  That is why I cancelled my Spanish card and use my Nationwide Visa card, no charge at all.

Thanks for all your help ,hope it goes ok for us we are still looking for that town house in la marina hope ther are some ex pats there 😀

We will be 62 60 when we come to live in Spain ,medical cover is it cheaper and better in Spain or do I get it from England 

when we get to pension age do we go onto the Spanish health system automatic and do we cancel our private healthcare  it's a mine field for us Brits but anyone els it's seems to be easy 

Goodones when we get to pension age do we go onto the Spanish health system automatic

I did say "When either of you are in receipt of an OAP  you can get a form from  DWP  and both of you can transfer to the medical system  (NHS) in Spain."  I believe the form is now an S1.

You will need yo shop around to find which private medical insurance is best value for you.

It's a mine field for us Brits  Only if you do not do what is required. Many prefer to try  to do it 'their way' and run into problems.   Otherwise,  it is very straightforward.

When you reach state pension age, you will be sent a letter with how much you are getting plus the S1 forms and an application form for a EHIC valid outside Spain (the ones you have already got are not valid in UK). You have to apply for your state pension and, if you give an address outside UK,  the health forms are automatically included.

I should imagine the rigmarole is the same for all EU nationalities, not just Brits.

Our GP allows you to register with them on the strength of the EHIC and the local town hall issues temporary healthcards for those under retirement age provided you sign on the padron (equivalent to the electoral roll).

To be honest, getting healthcare was the easiest part of moving over.

And I should imagine you would be able to seek out a few expats in La Marina as about 75% of the population is expat (urbanisationLa Marina - not to be confused with the coastal village of La Marina).

I should imagine the rigmarole is the same for all EU nationalities, not just Brits.

Yes it is the same.

For NIE :  Original passport plus a copy, the one page application form  and the receipt from the bank that the fee has been paid.

For EU Citizen registration:    Passport, plus a copy, proof of income, proof of medical  cover and the receipt from the bank that the fee has been paid.

Yes a very difficult rigmarole ! 

Having assisted hundreds of people,  doing it in the past 17+ years,    I really do know 'just how difficult  opps,  simple' it is.