Move to Spain for health?

[IsTheGrassGreenerEver]

So DH has awful psoriasis & psoriatic arthritis which is just worsening with age. We're considering moving to a warmer, sunnier climate to help. DD also has some health issues & I think a warmer, less damp/mould prone climate would benefit her too.

We're considering Spain but tbh I've only been a couple of times to quite small areas, not anywhere I'd like to live. We're used to a big town/small city vibe, with plenty of restaurants, theatre, etc. Also, with plenty of open space. Currently, we live in a village 15mins drive to a small city with plenty going on. We definitely want a community feel, whether that's through ex-pats or locals. Any suggestions on where we could look so we can plan a holiday to research.

Given Brexit, if you only have UK citizenship it will be difficult to move to Spain. You might want to start looking at the countries where you have a decent chance of being allowed to live.

@LegoFiends do you have a list by any chance?

From what I understand the list is:
Ireland
Belize

If there is no need for anyone in the family to work there may be other options.

All other options depend on personal circumstances, qualifications, assets etc.

Our family moved to Spain for the same reasons in 1996 (from Germany). Both my mother and I suffered with psoriasis and prior to moving to Spain, we used to spend a minimum of 2 weeks on Mallorca every summer to help alleviate our psoriasis symptoms. My parents eventually decided to move, at the time I was 10 years old and my sister 12 years old. We went to an international school (private), I had no prior English or Spanish language knowledge so spent the first 3 months sitting in classes not understanding a thing.
My mother still lives in Mallorca in the same property we bought back then and is very happy there.
The quality of life was wonderful in terms of the climate, the laid back atmosphere and Mallorca being one of those places where everything is on offer - sea, mountains, a wonderful and historic city. It's very international. There's something to do during any season.
Do some research, I don't know how Brexit has affected the ability to live there permanently.

unfortunately unless your job can easily be moved I think you will find this extremely difficult due to Brexit (yes I'm still bitter)
depending on where you are in the uk though could a move to the south east help? I Have lived in the north and south of the country and it is noticeaby drier and 3-4 degrees warmer down there

Should have mentioned we're EU passport holders so visa shouldn't be an issue for us.
We definitely want an international school, DD is in yr8 so we need to think when would work for timings with exams. Although likely to be after GCSE. We would need to do some work but not full-time, DH probably able to move towards a WFH arrangement in next couple years.
Also, need to be sure we have access to good healthcare as DD's condition will need ongoing medication & review.@LASandOtto did the climate help your psoriasis? What is the healthcare access like in Mallorca?

@LASandOtto Brexit has completely changed the situation unfortunately. You need either a non-lucrative visa (can’t work and live off demonstrated copious financial resources) or a golden visa (v expensive). Theoretically you can apply for a working visa but you need to have a very niche and in-demand profession and for a company to be willing to sponsor you. For a self-employed visa you have to demonstrate that a part of your clientele are in Spain. The free movement that you enjoyed is definitely over for UK citizens.

Oh, if you have EU passports everything will be really easy.

@IsTheGrassGreenerEver yes it did, had no psoriasis issues for the duration we lived there as we spent the summer at the beach/in the sun (and it's proven that light therapy has good effects on psoriasis).

My mum is relatively psoriasis free whereas I'm having issues with it since living in the UK.

South of France, maybe? Aix or Toulon? Lots of international schools there. French healthcare is just amazing. We’ve only recently moved and I’m blown away at how easy it is to book appointments with no waiting times via the app!

As EU citizens your move would be fairly easy (just need to apply for Carte Vitale for health).

@Oriunda we're not keen on France. Lived in Switzerland for a few years, I know it's not France! culturally it wasn't the right fit & I think we'd find similar there.

@LASandOtto that is great your Mum's skin is so good. DH now has it on hands & feet, it's getting quite painful. He's had light therapy before which has helped but not eradicated but it's just never quite long enough on NHS.

We moved to Spain 2 years ago. My husband had dreadful psoriasis on his knees which has gone.

We both feel fitter, more relaxed, less stressed - absolutely no regrets whatsoever.
I’d suggest making a list of wants/do not wants, likes/dislikes and maybe join a couple of the many really helpful FB groups which are packed with really useful information, experiences …. (And sanctimonious bell ends… but you get that everywhere 🥴🤷🏼‍♀️)

Its a huge country , many of your requirements apply to a lot of it but for the warmth head south (obvs 😬)
I didn’t consider anywhere else when we moved; we’d been visiting the area 2- 3 times a year for 3 years before the move, but areas around Malaga, Alicante or Valencia will tick your boxes

good luck 🤞🏻 X

Moved to Spain and out of my home country for health reasons.

Healthcare quality tends to be better, but if you have a viable visa route like the NLV, spend the time investigating public and private healthcare in the region you're moving to as there is a lot of variance by region. A lot of Brits move to Andalucía, which has some of the worst healthcare in Spain. País Vasco, Navarra, Asturias and La Rioja tend to be the best. (But they are very rural, so unless you're within an easy drive or public transport ride to those services, that can be PITA. I have been fantasizing about Asturias but the hospital issue has killed places i might want to go like Llanes.)

Canarias, Cataluña and Murcia are the worst. Galicia, Aragón, Baleares, Comunidad Valenciana, Comunidad de Madrid and Andalucía are deficient. (The horror stories from Madrid. Let me tell you them and how they are bleeping up my cancer screening.)

Also, think about the temperatures when moving. Spain gets hot. Really hot. That's only getting worse. We had what felt like three weeks where the daily high in some places where it was 40+. You live inside with AC depending on the region, and you live at night in the early morning.

There are some excellent Facebook groups for individuals thinking of moving to Spain. I would suggest taking tax advice before you move particularly if you have a property to sell. My understanding is if you sell your property in the year you move to Spain you are subject to Spanish capital gains tax as well as any tax in UK. Good luck I envy you!

Valencia is a good mix of coastal and city life.

South Portugal? You can get a golden visa if willing to spend 500k. Good weather, inexpensive, welcoming people, good food, lots of foreigners live there, but easy to travel to Europe

OP doesn’t need a golden visa, though.

I see you got EU passport so even better. I will move to Portugal instead of Spain, better health care, education and work culture; especially for your daughter

Just curious: Which lists for best health care by country put Portugal above Spain and what were the reasons for Portugal being so high on the list?

The healthcare in our opinion is far better in Spain in comparison to the UK. We lived for 5 years on our yacht near Gibraltar. The climate is good in that there is rarely a day in the summer that doesn't have a sea breeze and it's unusual for temperatures to rise over 30 degrees.
The south west coast from Gib up to Portugal is fabulous but less British. Have a look at Tarifa, Jerez, Cadiz etc.

Sorry I've only just taken a look at this again. Thanks, lots of really great advice & suggestions.

We've visited the Algarve several times, always stayed in the Albuferia/Villamoura area. Lovely to holiday there but worried there's not a lot going on. Does anyone know what Faro is like? Would be happy living up to 25/30mins drive away from a big town/small city if it's got something to offer. With that in mind we're flexible on not being right by the coast, especially if summers are getting hotter am thinking mountains might be a better location for us - pale, Irish skin doesn't do well in soaring temperatures!

I'll definitely check out some FB groups, hadn't occurred to me they even existed.

@bouncydog thanks for the tip. That would make a huge difference!!

I live in the Algarve, moved here after Brexit but health was a big motivator as my partner has an auto-immune condition and I get depressed in the cold, wet U.K. winters.

We are so much healthier and happier than we were and love living here. The lifestyle is fantastic and the weather beautiful. It doesn’t get as hot as spain in the summer.

I should say I’m a country bumpkin so we live in the sticks in a farming area, but we have friends who moved to Faro because they like city life. It is a small city but there always seems to be a lot going on. It has a lot of very cool mid-century modernist architecture and lovely one storey town houses.

one thing I don’t like about Faro is that it can be humid compared to the Algarve in general (which is dry), because of the river estuary.

Wherever you go, I'd suggest visiting for an extended period first. We go to Andalusia every year and I absolutely love it, but I think the tap water is highly chlorinated as I have a bad reaction to showering in it.