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Getting on the padron, like everything else appears to be in Spain, seems to depend on your local town hall.  In Torrevieja, depending on where you live, you have to register in Torrevieja, Playa Flamenca or even Orihuela.  I assume (but don't quote me on this) that your office would be in Alcalali or Jalon.  Playa Flamenca has its own foreign office which deals with expats.   There, you need your NIE, photos, passport, deeds to your property and recent utility bills.  Other offices don't require the deeds but do need the utitily bills (paid, of course).  As you have to attend in person, this includes kids, I don't think you can register before you move over but if you visit on holiday (and have all the necessary bits and pieces) you can do it then.  They are checking on whether this is your permanent address so you have to prove you are living in the property (albeit just for visits) for a considerable amount of time within the year, or at least paying taxes on living there.  This can be a bit of a bind if you are on builders supply for water and electric for some time as it will be virtually impossible to register on the padron.  Use your EHIC for emergency treatment until you get it even though this should only be valid for 3 months.

The rules on granting power of attorney to a solicitor have recently been changed and I don't think you can do this when applying for empadronamiento especially as the sign on the door says each member of the family must personally attend for the application procedure.  Getting our NIE was easy, we turned up one morning and waited about an hour.  Then had to go back after 5 weeks (we actually went away for 8 weeks) and just collected the NIE then, but we did have to wait all morning that time as the place was full of Romanians (this was January just gone when the new states entered the EU).  We turned up at 9:00 am and sat there for nearly 4 hours just to collect the certificates.  I'm told that the Torrevieja office has speeded up its procedures and have three people processing the forms for NIE and padron but (I'm also told) sometimes only one person turns up so you either have a 30 minute wait or a 3 hour wait.  Each of these offices issues tickets and stop when they get to a certain number.  Once you have your NIE and padron (and E121 from UK) getting a SIP card is relatively simple as most GPs are well used to the procedure now but some still don't appear to know the rules.  If you have problems with one GP, go to another one as you are not limited to an area like you are in UK (but, obviously, you will want to register with one close by).

Best of Luck .....

Hi

Been reading through all this and sounds very interesting and very useful. Can i just clarify something with you (whoever is reading)? I have not paid NI consistently as ive been a stay at home mum. However i have had the yearly statements with what i owe  regarding NI and have been told i dont have to pay it. So if i decide to catch up and pay the NI here i could be entitled to free healthcare in Spain?. My husband will be paying his tax in the UK and kids will be free as at spanish school so just me that needs cover. After reading alannahs post if i could do this i might as ive heard nothing but great things about the state spanish healthcare.

Gracias

Thanks Miket

so much to do , health, school, car ......................... stress!! im still yet to find a private health insurer that im happy with. Had a few reasonable quotes but the service has been a bit shoddy. Got a quote of one, then went back to ask some questions and never heard again etc not the sort of service i want if im in a crisis!! Will keep trying!

Thanks

Hi

Does an E111 give you automatic right to healthcare am very confused by this issue,

sorry ... can i just have a bit of a senior moment here and ask .... when you say "then you either pay NI equivelant in spain or you take private Insurance out"  do you mean AFTER the 2 years free or do you have to do that at the same time to cover the bits that aren't covered with by the "free" system?

Sorry if thats a daft question ... just trying to get my head around it

thanks

AuntieEm x

Auntie Em, look at this & it may become clearer (as mud !)

http://www.costablanca-news.com/services/Care%20and%20Welfare%20Guide%202007.pdf   (page 11 is Healthcare )

thanks Morerosado x

I wish i had you knowledge and PATIENCE !

Auntie Em

Auntie Em & bmg, just about all your questions have been asnswered at one time or another on this thread or other similar ones. There's a lot to trawl through though, so my recomendation is to skip through most of the posts and concentrate on those by Bobaol - he's the expert here on healthcare issues.

Just quickly though, the EHIC is only for emergency treatment when on holiday. When you become resident in Spain you will (assuming you have the correct paperwork) be entitled to UP TO 2 years full public health care, that is the rest of the existing calendar year, plus the following year. In other words, depending on when you move it could be 24 months, or only 13. Once you are contributing to the Spanish Social Security, you will be entitled to full national health care just as any Spanish citizen. You may choose to take out private health cover as well, but that's up to you. It almost certainly won't cover any medication, but if you are not entitled to public health care, it may be your only option.

Hi Roberto

thanks for your clarifying post. 

I am a nurse "to trade" so i suppose i could do a little medical DIY!

AuntieEm (and others).

You mention you will be visiting for a few months at a time to start with.  You need a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which has replaced the E111.  This will give you 3 months EMERGENCY health cover in Spain each time you visit.  Each person needs their own card and you can apply for it here: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Policyandguidance/Healthadvicefortravellers/DH_4135688

If you look at previous posts (especially an excellent one by JeanSis (if it's still there) linking to the Costa Blanca News) you will see that it depends where in Spain you are going to live for what cover you get but the region you're going to provides free health cover for expats.

As you are going to live in the Torrevieja area (Comunitat Valencia) I will concentrate on that.

If you are going to live, but not work, you need an E106 from the Prescription Pricing Authority (look up PPA Health on Google) which will cover you in Spain for UP TO 2 years (the year you move plus the next year, NOT 2 complete years),

If you are of pensionable age (65 for men and 60 for women) you need an E121.

If you take up work in Spain, these no longer apply and you need to pay into the Spanish system.

Now, here's the good bit.  When you move to Spain (Valencia region) for good, you will already have an NIE (Foreigners ID Number) and you need to register on the Padron which allows you voting rights and will enable the council to claim you as living there.  You can then apply for residency by showing your NIE, Padron, Title Deeds, Passport, utility bills (and whatever else your particular council office requires).  You then get a certificate of residency and you can go to a GP and ask for a SIP card (peculiar to the Costa Blanca).  The SIP card entitles you to FREE Health Service regardless of how old you are.  Bear in mind that every member of your household needs to apply for Padron/Residency/SIP, you can't get blanket cover.

There you go, easy huh?

Many expats also opt for private insurance to top this up.  This is a lot cheaper in Spain than UK and, the same as NHS vs BUPA, may get you quicker treatment at a private hospital.

Slight fly in the ointment, you may need to speak good Spanish or take an interpreter with you.  Alicante, I'm told, has got cheesed off with all the expats and automatically provide an interpreter at €40.

Another slight fly in the ointment.  UK will kick you off its books after 3 months.  Spain requires you to be there for 6 months.  So keep your EHIC and/or E106 to start with.

Best of Health.

Hi Bobaol

Thanks for all that ... you must have blisters on your fingers from typing!  I have printed it all out and it is safely in our "important information" folder.

I appreciate you taking the time to reply so fully x

"If you look at previous posts (especially an excellent one by JeanSis"

 Bob, I posted the link  19 Jul 2007 12:14 PM here

Location: Guardamar, CB Posts: 510 Send private message

Auntie Em, look at this & it may become clearer (as mud !) http://www.costablanca-news.com/services/Care%20and%20Welfare%20Guide%202007.pdf   (page 11 is Healthcare )

i have that printed too!!  So much for saving the rainforests!

Does anyone know if our 8 year old daughter can get a sip card without an nie number.Iberian international failed to mention that she needs her own number and when we went for our nie,s a lady from another company asked why she was not with us.I suppose iberian didnt care as it was not her buying property but us.

 Found this on another forum tonight. Can't vouch for it's authenticity - I haven't seen the newspaper article in question.

Taken from todays Spanish newspaper. In the light of the announcement of the withdrawal of health benefits to 100,000 expats in France it might be of general interest.

3,169 HEALTH CARDS RECALLED

The Town Halls of the Valencian Community are quite understandably cautious about undertaking healthcare to foreigners who have not bothered to register with them. As a result, it would seem that some three thousand health cards issued for foreigners in the Marina Alta area of Alicante Province have been withdrawn because their prospective holders are not registered in the local census. The foreign population in the Marina Alta area is growing steadily, and yet many fail to subscribe to the E121 system under which part of the costs can be reclaimed from their country of origin