Medical care for over 60’s

Hi Linda, it’s a good question to ask as there is such confusing information at the moment. You will also get some different replies!
A good way to find the info is to go to the official information sites like www.gov.uk and look up “Healthcare for UK nationals living in Spain”.You can also get the latest info emailed to you regarding living in Spain, as events change. Another good site is the Citizens Advice Bureau (Spain) at www.citizensadvice.org.es.
Hope all goes well for you. We are in our early 60’s and have lived in Spain for a year now and love it. Best wishes.

Hi Gill and thank you so much for replying. I really appreciate the information and will definitely make some more enquiries.
We really wish we had decided to move much sooner but cannot wait to get out to Almeria and begin our new life! 

Thanks once again and take care. 

"... my husband and and I are really excited to be moving to Spain in the next few months (Covid 19 restrictions permitting) and starting a new life in the Almeria area. We are however confused about medical care for pensioners. The Gov.uk website says that care is currently free for pensioners but there are no guarantees after Brexit unless you are already registered as a resident of the country before December 31st 2020...."

Linda
Just two points:
1. In Spain health care is free for UK state pensioners. If one partner is a state pensioner but the other isn't, the DWP will cover both of you. Basically, you need to contact DWP in Newcastle before you leave the UK, tell them your Spanish address and they will send a Form S1 to that address for each of you. Once you have obtained residency/TIE status, you go to the INSS in your local area to register the S1 and are allocated a local health centre. A Tarjeta Sanitaria card will be sent to your address. You use this at the pharmacy for reduced prescriptions and each time you attend at the health centre.

2. The above only applies if you arrive - and obtain proof that you have arrived - before 31 December. The best proof is to obtain a padron certificate from the local town hall but don't leave it too late ...

Good luck
Chris

Hi Linda,

Spain is a wonderful place to live and I would.not want to discourage anyone from moving here. However things are not as simple as they once were and there are a few things I think you might want t be aware of.

Regarding health care, the important thing is that you will need to become a legal Spanish resident in order to get this free (assuming you or your husband is  of state pension age) and it will be much easier to get residency before January 1st. After that you will have to apply as a non EU citizen and the requirements will be harder to meet especially the financial ones.

Once you have Spanish residency you are no longer resident in the UK and there are implications of this you need to take into account including taxation and the fact that you will be limited to how many days you may be out of Spain each year.

It's a big step and there's lots to think about ( but worth it in my opinion!). The very best of luck and good wishes.

Dear Chris 

Thank you for your reply. My husband and I are not yet UK pensionable age (60 & 63) but we have both recently retired on our workplace pensions. 

Based on the very helpful information that we have received we are planning to travel to Spain in the next couple of weeks so that we can find a property to rent and get our residency underway. 

Our UK property is on the market and we will be buying a permanent home once we have decided on which area of lovely Almeria to live in - a very difficult choice! 

Kind regards 

Linda 

Dear Juliet 

Thank you for replying. We have had a few few replies now, all giving the same consistent advice and telling us to get a move on! 

We are now planning to be in Almeria at the beginning of November to find a rental home until our UK property is sold. We are hoping that this will give us enough time to become residents before December 31st. 
As we are not yet UK pensioners, we are aged 60 & 63, I guess we will have to get private healthcare insurance until we we are. 

We are so looking forward to starting our new life in Almeria and this forum is proving to be so useful. 

Kind regards 

Linda 

Hi again Linda

Although you and your husband are not yet at U.K. state pension age as long as you arrive here before 31 December then at a future date once one of you starts to receive the U.K. pension you will be entitled to an S1 and the Spanish state health care. In the meantime to get resident status you will need to obtain private health cover for a year and then move into the Convenio Especiale State scheme.

Good luck 

Chris

Hi Chris 

Thank you for this info. We’ve got a lot to do to try and get everything in place before the end of the year but we are really grateful for all the advice we have received through this forum. 

Kind regards 

Linda