Moving to palomares with a young family

Hi Sarah

Well the first thing you need to consider is Residencia. Without registration in Spain you are only allowed to stay for a period of 90 days in any 180 days. 

You cannot spend 6 months ( in one stretch ) here and then the next 6 months back in UK.

If that hasn't scuppered your plans then there are lots of threads and people here that can advise on the various issues associated with such a move.

Hope all goes well! 

regards,

Thank you for the tip. I was planning on applying for residency as I thought this was the case but thank you so much for confirming this. The plan would be to spend a few weeks/a month at a time in palomares then back to the uk, with longer stretches in Spain over the winter. I'll def research more into applying for residency.

Thank you 😃

Hi Sarah

This maybe of some help but there are lots of Threads on here that will give you sound, accurate advice. Good advice would be to rent first and get your residency. Then you are in a strong position to have a good look around without any pressure before buying

Jim's guides are good.

To gain Residencia you will need some documents. 

First of all register on the Padron at the Town Hall where you will be living to get your Certifcado Empadronamiento.  You will need your Passport, The Tenancy Agreement of your rental ( 6 months ). Basically, you have until the 31/12/2020 to do this but best advice would be to do it asap. 

You will then need Private Health Insurance unless you are of retirement age and qualify for a UK S1 certificate. 

You will also then need proof of income and/or savings. Again if you are of retirement age the Pension Service in UK will provide you will the necessary certificate confirming your pension entitlement. Both the Pension people and S1 Health people are just a phone call away.

You will then need to fill in an E18 form. This can be obtained/downloaded from the Gov.UK website -Living in Spain.

You will then need to pay a small tax ( €15 I seem to remember ) at any Bank and attach the receipt to the E18 form.

You will then need to make an appointment at the Oficina de Extranjeria in Almeria. ( maybe a good idea to do this earlier rather than later! ) It cannot be done at a Police Station or anywhere else in this province ( as far as I am aware ). You will receive a green Residencia card. This will include your new NIE number. Provided you have a place of abode and are registered on the Padron you have until 30/06/2021 to complete this but again the sooner the better. 

I'm by no means fluent in Spanish but I managed to do it all myself with a little help with the translator on the phone.

I found the people at the Oficina in Almeria to be very helpful. I did make the effort to try and speak a little Spanish and what you get back is lovely Spanish people wanting to help and talk to you in English. It is well worth making the effort even just to speak a few words. 

Some here will recommend an Abogado to go with you and I will not dissuade you from that if you felt more comfortable. 

I do hope all goes well. There is a wealth of information in this forum and some lovely people too.

Good luck

regards,

Spain does not allow you to be Spanish nationality and  and British nationality - of course you might not be British, different rules for the Irish I believe.

If you do not actually live in Britain you are not allowed to access the NHS free,  many wrongly believe it is nationality, but it is residency in Britain that counts, apart from emergency treatment for visitors. 

You will pay Spanish tax on your income.   I am not sure if Spain allows you to spend half your time 'abroad' and still be resident.

It is a big decision - good luck!

If you arrive before 31/12 you will be under the “old” regulations and can spend up to 182 days a year out of Spain and maintain residency.  You cannot be resident of two countries though; if you are here the required minimum of 183 days a year, you have Spanish residency and are not considered a resident of the UK - this also means HMRC considers you tax-resident in Spain and you are liable to pay Spanish tax on your worldwide income.

@Truenudist - regs and requirements for Residencia have changed slightly since July 6 - I’ve put latest info on the “Residencia requirements from July 6” thread; addition now is the requirement to present a Spanish sized (Carnet de conducir) photo and the EX-23 application for TIE, not the EX-18 application for Residencia.  Applications take up to three months and if accepted, you then have to make an appointment to pick up TIE within one month of being accepted.

This new system is going to have some teething problems and I’d be wary of sending anyone not conversational in Spanish into the maelstrom of Spanish bureaucracy 

That is fantastic advice and very helpful. Thank you so much. This is something I will look into further 😃😃