Seniors moving from US to Spain

Welcome to the expat.com forum and good luck with your potential move to sunny Spain!

If you feel up to it, then I doubt your age represents any significant barrier.

If you have concerns, it might pay to fly over for a few weeks of exploring and see how you cope with that. And it should help you decide where to live.

I'm guessing that at your age you qualify for USA health care (Medicare?), and replacing this might be a concern. I don't believe it covers you when abroad... and as a new Spanish resident, you probably won't qualify for public healthcare in Spain initially. This means you might need private healthcare for a few years. This is a lot cheaper than USA, but it's still a significant expense.

Thank you gwynj for your response. I'm wondering if you know the price range of private healthcare policies in Spain.

Turns out we have to wait up to six months before making any decisions or deciding to sell our house here in the US. I am having surgery for a torn root meniscus and the recovery time is from three to 5 months.

I am a young 78 so I don't anticipate any issues down the line. I am also an artist and wonder if Zaragoza is a desirable place for artist making or seeing art.

Thanks again,

Chris

@chrisengelart

Ballpark 1,000-2,000 euros per year, but depends on age and pre-existing conditions. I think it's pretty easy to get some specifics using a comparison site (rastreator, acierto). Or try a specific insurance company (ASISA, for example, is one we've used and they're good and among the cheaper ones).

I'm a bit out of touch on the specifics of non-EU citizens enrolling the public system. I'm sure there others far more knowledgeable than me.

I believe the barrier is for non-EU citizens who are unemployed / "economically inactive". And I'm sure you can see why Spain doesn't want you to move, then demand a free meniscus operation. :-) The easy way round it is to get a job (if only for a few months), or do some online/freelance work as self-employed ("autonomo"), as both these options allow immediate registration/cover. Otherwise, the worst case is that you might have to wait 5 years until you're a Permanent Resident. There's also something called "Convenio Especial" which is government assistance for those who can't get public care, and I think you can get this after maybe a year or two.

https://www.internationalinsurance.com/ … /spain.php

I've been to Zaragoza years ago when I was kicking around Andorra and Barcelona. It's big, so it has all services, and it's a very nice city. Lots of expats want to be near the beach, but if that's not a concern it could be a good option. I'm not au fait with the art scene though, sorry. :-)

Thanks much for the info. Very helpful. Sounds like moving to Spain is not as easy and carefree as we are thinking.

Regards

C

@chrisengelart

Really, did I give that impression? I'm sorry to hear that, it was certainly not my intention.

In general, I'd say moving to Spain is pretty straightforward. There's an easy residence visa (the NLV) for retirees (and anyone with passive income and/or a chunk of savings). It's pretty easy to rent or buy a place to live. And there's a nice relaxed culture, good food, and plenty of sunshine and beaches.

@chrisengelart A few things to be aware of regarding Spanish health care. You have to have a private coverage plan in place for the non lucrative visa if you are applying for this visa. Spanish private insurance is like the US healthy insurance industry prior to the ACA. They will not cover any preexisting at all. If you do not report every medical issue you've  ever had, and something connected arises, they can and do cancel the whole policy. The type of policy you will require will be about $2000 per year for each of you. We pay $4,500 per year and are about 10 years younger than you. Over 65s get hit with big premiums. After you have been a resident for a year, you can join the Convenio Especial which is public health for nonEU citizens. It costs €157 per year for each of you (currently). Neither private or public cover prescriptions.

One other issue that we did not know about. US drivers licenses are not valid after 6 months of residency. Then you have to go to driving school, take theory classes and driving lessons. No way around it. It's expensive and a pain when you've been driving for 50 years. We haven't bothered, but live near public transport or use Uber. There is also a parking problem from June to September on the Costa del Sol--we had a car for a few months and turned it in as there was nowhere to park when we went out.

Thank you for that response.

I am wondering if a passive income of approximately $52,000 annually is enough for two people to live comfortably in cities like Alicante, Barcelona or Zaragoza. I am about to have surgery here in the US on my right meniscus so I assume this would preclude any help from private or state health insurance. So may questions the process seems pretty dauntin.