# Relocation to Spain with a young Family



## Pawaller (Sep 1, 2015)

Hi All,

This is my first thread so i would be grateful for any assistance. 

We are looking to relocate to Spain with a young family 2 boys age 3 & 8 and a Girl who is 1. We are looking at the Benalmadena area due to its close proximity to Malaga airport and cheap flights either way.

We are going out to Benalmadena in October this year to look around the area with a view to coming out in 2016 for a 4-6 week trial. Based on this we would then be looking to relocate on a permanent basis.

I run my own UK limited company specialising in Web Design and Social Media so no worries with looking for work and will fly back for meetings every 6-8 weeks or so.

The questions i have is are there any recommendation re state run primary schools in the area and the areas needed to live in to be accepted in these. Also are the secondary schools (When eldest reaches 12) close by which will allow for easy transition i.e walking or short car journey

The reasons for choosing State Schools is a) cost and b) immersing into the language.

Do you have any other recommendations you can give re rental agencies or any other helpful advice.

Many Thanks

Paul


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Hi and welcome to the forum!! I don't know Benalmadena very well as far as schools are concerned but there may be some folk on here who live nearby or who might have information. Benalmadena is indeed very close to Malaga and the airport but have you considered other locations which are not perhaps so very over-crowded in the summer and a ghost town in the winter months (well not quite as bad as that...). The motorway system here is excellent and where we live the airport is just a 40 minute drive and, as I have told another poster on here recently, it seems the school we send our 5 year old boy to is one of the best in CDS. The youngest two will have no difficulty at all in learning the language and the 8 year old will also be ok although it will take a bit longer. Coming out for a 4 - 6 week trial is an excellent idea as I assume you've been on holiday there and love the place. Living in Spain is nothing like being on holiday though so your trial will help you get the feel of the place and if it really is where you want to live full time. Good luck with your move...


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## Pawaller (Sep 1, 2015)

Thank you thrax do you mind me asking the area and the school you highly recommend so I can do some research.


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## Pawaller (Sep 1, 2015)

If anyone has any other coastal suggestions in Costa Del Sol apart from benalmadena it would be appreciated must though be within 30-40 mins of Malaga airport. Thank you


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Have a look at Rincon de la Victoria, just East of Malaga. Lovely beaches and restaurants and just 20 minutes from the airport!!


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2015)

Pawaller said:


> Hi All,
> 
> This is my first thread so i would be grateful for any assistance.
> 
> ...


Firstly welcome to the forums, if you want your children to attend state school you are going to need to become an resident, also an translator/gestor help if you don't speak the language as the paperwork bureaucracy is crazy.

Secondly, I note that your running a UK limited company, working in UK occasionally and living in Spain is a nightmare when it comes to paying taxes. The Spanish authorities will work out where you are habitually resident to work out your tax status. To warn you, you will need to employ an accountant to sort your work situation otherwise you will be liable to pay self employment taxes in Spain & UK!

Thirdly, blunt as it sounds, it's going to cost you a small fortune to become legally registered in Spain as you have a fairly large family. Looking at the figures today the income you a month will need a minimum of 600 euros PER adult PLUS private medical insurance for the entire family. Just to make things worse you will need around 6000 euros per adult in a Spanish bank (another hurdle to pass)

Fourthly, learn Spanish. It will make your life so much easier and you'll be able to integrate into the society much better! Isolation is a real risk in Spain even living in the ex-pat areas.

Good luck is all I can say, it's a massive headache to start with but once all the issues are resolved you will be laughing to the bank and enjoying the decent weather.


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## Pawaller (Sep 1, 2015)

Thank you Nigel firstly monthly income is not a problem however am I right in thinking that children can attend state school if you have residency in the catchment area and you are on the register. Are these figures what are needed to get on the register in the first place? Really appreciate your help.


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## amespana (Nov 10, 2009)

Yes as Nigel says,you need to prove health insurance and adequate financial provision.In our case in Estepona we provided a certificate from our Spanish bank showing we had more than 13,000 euros in our account.This proved to be sufficient along with proof of our health care.We were not asked to prove any monthly income.However this is not the case everywhere.In some areas proof of monthly income(600 euros per capita) per month is sufficient.You need to research your prospective area.


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## Pawaller (Sep 1, 2015)

How do I research this info is there any sites you can recommend please


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Pawaller said:


> How do I research this info is there any sites you can recommend please


Look at the FAQ's and 
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-spain


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## amespana (Nov 10, 2009)

To start with I would post your prospective area on this site and I'm sure you will get replies from members with their particular experiences.There is also the cab espana site which has excellent info.


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2015)

Pawaller said:


> Thank you Nigel firstly monthly income is not a problem however am I right in thinking that children can attend state school if you have residency in the catchment area and you are on the register. Are these figures what are needed to get on the register in the first place? Really appreciate your help.


It does not really matter where you get registered for a N.I.E as long as you get a special piece of A4 paper that says your name, your address and your N.I.E number - that's proof that your an resident in Spain.

However, it's NOT clean cut at all as when you try to register for a N.I.E you will be asked for a lot of things!

Moving on.

What matters for the children is that you need to register on the padron at the local council offices - i.e. If I register my family in Barcelona I won't be able to use a school in Girona or Tarragona for example. You will need to make sure the school is in the right area for the padron as well - massive headache that is as a lot of schools will not give you the information!

Please beware you will need a tenancy agreement to show that you are living in the local area before you can register at the local council for schools. The hard bit is trying to persuade the estate agents to allow you to rent a property without a N.I.E!

To get a N.I.E number you need to proof where you are living! None of the local estate agents at the time accepted my British passport as proof of ID without an N.I.E! I don't know if this has changed over the years but it was a massive catch 20/20 situation for us. We only managed to resolve the issue by asking my wife's friend to allow myself to register at her flat so I have something to show where I live for the N.I.E application.

Some help to guide you on the way.

https://www.justlanded.com/english/Spain/Spain-Guide/Visas-Permits/Residency-and-NIE


Good luck!


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## Pawaller (Sep 1, 2015)

Thanks Nigel really great help


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