Hello

Hi. My husband, my son and I will be moving to Spain at easter time and I was hoping for some advice on where is best for rentals. We want to be within a community of both Spanish and English where there are some children for my son to meet. He is 11 and we will also need to be close to a school. I would be grateful for any recommendations. Thank you

blackpool.

Have you done any research on Spain yourself? Spain is a lot bigger than the UK, so surely you have some idea of what part of Spain you are going to i.e. North, South, Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Inland area. When you have posted the area of choice people may be able to advise.

Blackpool have you put any thought ..into how you will fund your new life  in a Spain ...if a family of 3 are renting  ...you will need around €2,000 per month coming in to pay the rent/bills and so forth ...your 11 year old son ..if he does not speak Spanish will be like a fish out water in a state school...you stated that you are going to move over to Spain by Easter.. Easter is only a few weeks away are you sure.

Jarvi - Thank you for your reply. We have been researching the Murcia area.

windtalker - we have been arranging the move for over a year and, with all due respect, you have no knowledge of my finances and nor do I wish to share that information. As usual, your response is both patronising and unhelpful.

blackpool.

We have a place in Sucina, Murcia. It is village with approx 2000 residents about 12 miles from the coast. We love it, the locals are very friendly and it takes me back to the sixties in the UK where strangers say hello to you when passing them in the street. At a guess I would think there are around 300 ex-pats who live there all year round, and many who have holiday homes there. My main concern for you would be your son being 11 would find it extremely difficult in the Spanish mainstream education system unless he speaks very good spanish. 

Blackpool my post was not patronizing at all ...the UK winter blues  nut case's that we have to put up with on EOS on a daily basis would have found my reply to your post very informative... Your post comes across as a nut case's answer to a cure for all the problems that they are having in the UK.

"As usual, your response is both patronising and unhelpful." Not that I'm a big fan of the accused, but based purely on your (very first) post here, which was to be fair extremely vague, I have to say that you are more likely to receive more questions than answers. Easter is barely five weeks away, and yet you haven't decided on an exact area or school yet? Perhaps if you shared a bit more of your plans which you say have been taking shape for a year already, others may be able to help a bit more? Just a suggestion.

Hi, I have a holiday home in la Puebla Cartagena . It’s a little country village . The nearest beach to us is the mar menor in Los Alcazares. It’s a beautiful place . They have a few schools there, primary and secondary and it’s in the Murcia region . At the moment you can fly into san jaguar airport which is only 10 minutes drive to Los Alcazares. It’s a beautiful place and there are a lot of British and Irish people living there all year round . You have lots of beautiful illages up along the coast . The beach has so much to offer for everyone of all ages . I hope you visit there and see the beauty . Do your research on the schools there as I would have no knowledge about them as my family are grow up . 

Exciting times ahead for your family . Hope everything goes your way and that you have a really happy time in Spain 🇪🇸 

Sorry about the incorrect spelling of the airport , auto correct 🤭.its San Javiar airport, Murcia 😃

I would also like to add it has a fab cafe culture really good restaurants a hospital and there is also lots of supermarkets including Lidl. There is a really good chemist in Los Nojoras which is only a few streets down and the owner is Pepe and speaks English and I have seen lots of English people go there for advice prescription etc . There are markets locally also of local products and house hold goods etc . There is a central square where everyone meets for coffee etc and if you listen you will hear more English spoken than Spanish 😊 Enjoy .

Housename, thankyou for your reply, this is the kind of help I wanted, I will check it out, it certainly seems to be the kind of place we are looking for

Your welcome ,if you have any questions I will try and answer them for you 😊

Looking for cost of NIE on line is confusing, does it depend on the area?

The fee for an NIE is about €10 (give or take a little). Those costs you see online are to pay someone to do it on your behalf and, yes, the costs do vary. You can do it yourself but it means making an appointment online with your nearest National Police station (in some areas a foreigners' office with a link to the National Police). You can download the application form and this site Citizens Advice has the application form and the instructions in English (you can only use the Spanish form for applying).

Doing it yourself will mean a couple of trips to collect the forms and pay the fee at a bank. Then make the appointment online and go along and sit and wait. Some offices will not speak English and will expect you to bring and interpreter whilst others are a bit more helpful.

You can also use the consulate service in UK (London and Edinburgh I think) but not if you are intending to move to Spain permanently as you have to register with the authorities in your area.

Some agents/solicitors/gestors can charge anything from 50 to over 100 euro to do this for you which is quite expensive if you are a family.

We employ a solicitor in san Javiar to do all our legal dealings . Yes it costs more but when you are dealing with the Spanish system they could have you running round in loops before you get to the finish line .

I liked your complete and comprehensive answer Marie!

Just in case anyone thinks you liked your own post !

Thank you for the advice, very helpful. 

Have you had a look at Alberic (Valencia)? Someone else with kids similar age to yours has just posted, saying they're thinking of moving there. Must be a reason, maybe get in touch with them to compare notes!

And same question I just asked them (out of pure curiosity): Why have you decided to move to Spain?

Roberto, thankyou, I have just been reading their post, we will indeed have to compare notes. My reasons for moving to Spain are numerous and I have done a lot of research over the past 12 months, I know it isn't an easy option but one I would like to try.