Hello, all!
My husband and I are native Californians - living in Eureka, California, just south of the Oregon border in an ideal location along the coast where the weather is very temperate, similar to Scotland in temperature, yet we don't have the winds that Scotland gets.
We are interested in purchasing a home in Scotland where we plan to spend as much time as possible, but are wondering about the practicalities - how to manage money, Social Security, banking questions, Visas and the like.
Is there someone out there who would be willing to guide/advise us? Should we get a Visa? Should we purchase the property first? How long can we stay before we have to have a Visa?
Many of these questions bring up others for us - so any help would be appreciated.
Ruth and Mike
Chicken or Egg?
Welcome to the forum 
Whilst waiting for replies click on 'Discover' at the top of this page and open the Scotland Guide for information.
Perhaps take a look at other posts here too.
Hi and welcome to the Forum.
Assuming you are US citizens and don't hold dual nationality with the UK (depending on Brexit, maybe the EU), then you will need a visa (there are no if's or maybe's). From the UK Gov website; "If you need to visit the UK regularly over a longer period, you can apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa that lasts 2, 5 or 10 years. You can stay for a maximum of 6 months on each visit". The 6 months can be broken up into shorter stays, but the maximum total duration in any 12 month period is 6 months.
You would also need to arrange medical insurance for the duration of your stay.
Buying property would be up to you; some expats do that, but it would mean you either financing it from abroad (you won't get a UK mortgage), or paying cash up front.
Hope this helps.
Cynic
Expat Team
p.s. I've just read the Wikipedia entry for Eureka and the comparison to world-weather; where on earth they got the information to even remotely compare it to Scotland is beyond me; to even think of describing Scotland as "enjoying a mild, temperate cool-summer Mediterranean climate ....... winters are mild and rainy, and summers mild, cool, and dry". Apart from being a great place, there is one thing Scotland is famous for, rain, it never seems to stop raining there.
Thank you so much for the response.
Who do we contact regarding health care? How is that accomplished? It seems pretty unreal to us. We have Medicare and a secondary insurance here in the United States that we pay a bundle for. So, health care is a mystery to us. Presumably we would keep those two things in place even when we are in Scotland, right?
Also, thank you for the "heads up" about the Visa. I wasn't sure when it applied and for how long. I have tried to do some research online, but keep running into brick walls. There is no easy, "if you want a Visa, press this button". So, pretend we are from Venus and Mars and "splain" it very carefully. Did that sound sarcastic? I can seem that way in an electronic format - not intentional, I assure you. Is there a simple way to apply for a Visa online? Or, could you recommend a website that would act as a "one stop shop" for navigating the visits and Visa requirements.
Is it better to sell your property in the US before coming to Scotland? Or, is it better to simply purchase something. We are aware that we would be unable to obtain a mortgage, so are planning on paying cash for anything we buy. We spend a lot of time in the city, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, etc., but would like to also see the lowlands, the western isles and more of the highlands. We found arranging transportation to the western isles a little more difficult since we like trains. We do not intend to purchase a car and will rely on public transportation to get around. We have some experience with riding on the buses and found those experiences pretty relaxing, but do they go to all the isles? Or, is there a better way to travel around?
I realize this is a pretty extensive list and I have tons more questions - so won't overwhelm you. Yet....
Again thank you for the time. I know it can be a hassle if you are feeling rushed. So, don't. We are in no hurry.
Ruth and Mike
Hi again.
I'll try and answer this as you have asked bits I can help with.
Healthcare. GP and nurse consultations in primary care, treatment provided by a GP and other primary care services are free of charge to all. So, if you go to visit a doctors surgery and see either the doctor or one of the nursing staff, that's free for everybody; you'll have to pay the full price of any medicines or items arising from that consultation. If you have to go to a hospital for treatment, that you have to pay for. The UK Gov has a comprehensive guide about all this; this link will take you there. When you read it, please bear in mind that under your visa, you will be staying for 6 months or less.
As to who to get it from; at the top of the page is a link to our Service Section; if you move your mouse up there, you'll get a drop-down menu, one of the choices is Health Insurance; you can check that out, I don't personally recommend any of them (I've never used them). If there's nothing there you like, maybe your current US insurer will cover you (they know your health record better than most). Alternatively, use Google; here's a link to a search I just created.
Applying for a visa. This link will take you to the UK Gov website with the details. You can apply online; the link has the details, but it is not all done remotely, at some stage there will be form filling and personal documentation to show to someone.
Property. As you will not have permanent residence in the UK, if I were you, I'd think very carefully before I sold up my house in the only country where I had a right to reside (in your case, the US). These visas are by nature political, by this I mean that the Government of the day may change the rules on visas (the UK does it all the time), and you may find yourself needing to leave. Perhaps rent it out as an AirBnB let or similar?
Housing in the UK; perhaps a short-term lease (short-term can mean anything from 1 day to 50 years), it just means you never own it but do have an asset you can sell on for whatever value the remainder of the lease may have. It's cheaper than buying and if you do have to leave, it is less painful. This link explains the differences.
Public transport. Like in most places around the world, transport to the remote regions of Scotland is always not what it is in the cities; some places have none at all; perhaps consider car rental for those occasions.
If you have any further specific questions, please come back to us.
Hope this helps.
Cynic
Expat Team
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