Love to move to Spain....

[gntwithicenslice]

Looking for recommendations for best place to relocate to, thinking southern Spain? Best for families, good schools, plenty to do but not too busy and crowded. Thanks

Portugal.

Seville. But it can busy, of course.

Much more difficult to do that now that the UK has left the EU.

Are you familiar with all the current regulations? It's not as simple as just buying a house and moving there anymore.

I'm not being goady - lots of people aren't aware of how things have changed since 31st December.

It is extremely complicated and I did it with a Spanish DH 15 years ago.

To get the 'NHS' (SIP card) is almost impossible if you are not Spanish and are not established and working here
To get a good school is also almost impossible if you have not been in the system for years and are Spanish

I have finally got DD into a good school after 12 years of trying. It is amazingly hard

You will need alot of money in the bank
You will have to jump through so many hoops

Now, as @SparkysMagicPiano points out, I have no idea, but it is even harder than ever.

Do you speak Spanish? This is key
Are you hoping to work here? Unemploymeny is dire and you will need to speak Spanish plus the local dialect to get any decent job

ie Valenciano I can't speak. It is a totally different language. But I would need it to get a job in the suoermarket

Seville same thing. The only place I found work easily was Madrid. London house prices,

I am a little jaded as you can tell, but telling you the truth.

and don't get me started on tax, inheritance laws, the way banks work etc etc

Socially you may find it extremely challenging to fit in. Sadly, Brits are not viewed with much respect on the coast.

But, it all depends on your circumstances. There are many benefit to living here too, obviously. But if I didn't have a Spanish DH and DD I would be long gone.

I have friends who are relocating there at the moment (not from UK).

They had to go and rent somewhere there at the end of last year in order to establish residency and qualify for all the health care and other required "papers" that they need to be allowed to be residents there.

They are both retired so their situation is a bit different, I would imagine that trying to relocate with school age children and the need to work is exponentially more complicated.

I don't mean to be a wet blanket, but as someone who has lived in mainland Europe (not Spain) for almost 10 years, relocating from the UK was a walk in the park when we did it. Definitely not the case now.

Most retired people I know here have private medical insurance, they have to. Public health care here is excellent, but very, very, hard to qualify for.

Yes, PP is correct, you would definitely have to rent first (a good idea anyway IMO)

I know quite a few who work in Seville. But they have lived there for some time, are completely fluent in Spanish, are married to a Spanish person, work for an EU company with a Spanish office - on a Spanish contract.

I have some retired friends who moved there last year and are trying to sort out residence/buying a property.

They are doing everything by the book legally, but the requirements are complex with potentially huge fines if you don’t sort out your tax affairs correctly for example.

It is not something for the faint-hearted to do on a whim.

As @Ghosteontoast says. Friend of mine bought in Spain before the end of Brexit and getting residency even then has been a tortuous nightmare even with a lawyer. They spent 1000 euro alone on translation fees!

We’ve lived in Murcia region for 3 years and love it.

However, I believe it’s going to be a lot more difficult now since Brexit, as you have to have visas, applied for in the UK, and a lot of money to back you up. It’s such a shame as it’s a great place to live.

My children attend a local school, and absolutely love it - yet never enjoyed school in the uk!
Great weather, outdoors the majority of the time.
My other half set up his own business, as he did in the Uk. The fees for self employment are a lot higher here. But for that we get access to the health system.

In some ways it’s like living in the dark ages - so far behind the UK in a lot of ways!! - that’s one thing I find incredibly annoying!

If you can afford it, then it’s a great place to live. But I don’t know if brexit has now ruined it for many Brits!