Spain is one of the most desirable destinations for retirees, if you are to ask anyone who has reached this age and has moved there. Perhaps one of the reasons why elderly people choose it is that time seems to pass more slowly, at its own pace.
What does it take to retire to Spain, and what are the steps to live the dream life many foreigners already do? Here is some useful information on this topic below.
The main Spanish visas for retirees
The first and most important step to retire is to get a residence permit in Spain, so that you can lawfully live there. For this, the options are different based on the country you come from, or, to put it better, the country you were born in. So:
- if you are an EU citizen, you are lucky, you can simply move there and register your new place of residence in Spain;
- if you are a non-EU citizen, you can apply for the Non-Lucrative Visa, which is fairly simple to obtain.
What does the Non-Lucrative visa imply?
As you may have already guessed from its name, this is a visa created for people who do come to Spain for work. However, it comes with the requirement for you to have a stable source of income, in this case, your pension. The minimum amount is established by law, and for a year, you may need more or less 30,000 euros. Specifically, you must ensure you have 400% of the Public Multiple Effects Income Indicator (PMEII). Per month, this means about 2,400 euros.
You can also move with your spouse, in which case an additional 100% of the PMEII or about 600 euros per month is mandatory.
Documents you need to submit for the visa
Here is also a list of the papers you need to prepare to obtain the visa:
- your valid passport;
- a clean criminal record;
- a valid health insurance;
- your pension slip, as proof of financial means of support.
If the documents are in order, you should receive your visa in a maximum of 3 months.
What do you do after getting the visa?
The main recommendation is to start looking for a place to rent. This will ease the post-relocation procedure, as once you arrive in Spain, you have two months to register with the Foreigners Office and get your residence permit or TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad Extranjera).
What is the validity of the visa?
The duration of the visa is a limited one, and it is one year. The good news is that you can renew it for 4 years. And considering the minimum living period to become a permanent resident is 5 years, you can qualify for this status if you want to.
What are the steps to complete as an EU retiree in Spain?
While it may be easier to move to Spain from an EU country, do not let the fact that you are not required to apply for a visa or residence permit make you believe you don’t have to perform any actions. In fact, you still need to:
- find a place to stay and register the address with the local town hall;
- following that, you need to make an appointment with the nearest Foreigners Office and register there too. This way, you will obtain the NIE (National Identification Number);
- register for healthcare and taxation.
These are the main steps to consider if you want to retire to Spain. And if you start the entire procedure with a minimal preparation, your relocation to this wonderful country will be successful, no doubt about that!