# Pensions, Benefits and Healthcare



## DWPinSpain (Mar 2, 2009)

*Britons in the Canary Islands get the chance to find out more about their social security rights in Spain*

Have your friends told you a person needs to work 15 years in Spain to be entitled to a Spanish pension? 

That you can get medical treatment at the health centre in the town where you live just by showing your UK-issued European Health Insurance Card? 

And that if you were thinking of going back to the UK, you’d have to wait at least 6 months to access NHS health care?

Well things might not be quite as they seem - the statements above are all false. Don’t listen to misleading rumours, come and hear from the experts. The British Consulate is holding a series of open events in Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria to offer advice on some of the issues that matter most to British people living in Spain.

As well as learning more about the services offered by the Consulate, Britons will have the opportunity to find out about their pension and benefit rights and responsibilities as residents in Spain. 

How to correctly register for healthcare is an increasingly hot topic among residents and this will also be on the agenda, as will where to apply for the European Health Insurance Card. 

Those attending can submit questions for the panel in advance and should do so when booking their place at the event. The question and answer session will follow the main presentation. 

The events will take place on Tuesday 6th, Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th March 2012 as follows:

*Puerto de la Cruz – Tuesday 6th March - 10.30 am (doors open 10 am). *Hotel Palmeras Playa – Salon Teide
Avenida Venezuela 12
Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife

*Los Cristianos, Arona – Tuesday 6th March - 6.30 pm (doors open 6 pm)*Auditorio Infanta Leonor
Avenida Juan Carlos I
Los Cristianos, Tenerife

*Corralejo, Fuerteventura – Wednesday 7th March - 11.30 am (doors open 11 am). *Auditorio de Corralejo
Calle Guriamen 2
Corralejo (next to Baku Park)

*Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote – Wednesday 7th March 2012 - 6 pm (doors open 5.30 pm)*Centro Cívico El Fondeadero
C/ Lanzarote, nº 1
Puerto del Carmen

*Arguineguín, Gran Canaria – Thursday 8th March 2012 - 6 pm (doors open 5.30 pm)*ANFI
Barranco de la Verga 7
35120 – Arguineguín

To book a place online, please visit Open day events. If you experience any problems booking or do not have Internet access, please call 902 109 356 (alternative number 913 344 763).

Please note places are limited and can only be guaranteed if reserved in advance.


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## redvivalinda (Feb 21, 2012)

Do you no if there are doing any of these talks in Alacante Benidorm or surounding areas. thanks


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

redvivalinda said:


> Do you no if there are doing any of these talks in Alacante Benidorm or surounding areas. thanks


keep an eye on the forum - they post here when there will be a meeting anywhere


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

They also post all this information on their website.

Pensions, benefits, healthcare


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> They also post all this information on their website.
> 
> Pensions, benefits, healthcare


AND...
on that page there's a link to a monthy newsletter about pensions, benefits and healthcare. Here's the link for January
http://ukinspain.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/help-for-BNs/partners/partners-newsletter-january2012


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> They also post all this information on their website.
> 
> Pensions, benefits, healthcare





Pesky Wesky said:


> AND...
> on that page there's a link to a monthy newsletter about pensions, benefits and healthcare. Here's the link for January
> http://ukinspain.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/help-for-BNs/partners/partners-newsletter-january2012


and there was me trying to get the new poster to come back & join in


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> and there was me trying to get the new poster to come back & join in


Great idea for the new poster to come back...
And perhaps tell us more about his/ her life in Spain for example, which in turn may help out a lot of other people


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## redvivalinda (Feb 21, 2012)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Great idea for the new poster to come back...
> And perhaps tell us more about his/ her life in Spain for example, which in turn may help out a lot of other people


We Lived in Spain for a number of years we had a bar in Benidorm we had to return home because of ill health but miss Spain a lot we still come over for a few months but we are thinking of moving back hopefully I am retired and so is my partner my health is a lot better over there but with the euro being low we had to think very hard,


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

redvivalinda said:


> We Lived in Spain for a number of years we had a bar in Benidorm we had to return home because of ill health but miss Spain a lot we still come over for a few months but we are thinking of moving back hopefully I am retired and so is my partner my health is a lot better over there but with the euro being low we had to think very hard,


Well, that *is* interesting!
So many people want to open a bar on the costa del sol.
Please, if you have time, open a thread about having a bar in Benidorm, and tell us all about it - good points and bad. It would the most popular thread in years!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Well, that *is* interesting!
> So many people want to open a bar on the costa del sol.
> Please, if you have time, open a thread about having a bar in Benidorm, and tell us all about it - good points and bad. It would the most popular thread in years!


it would be indeed be great to have someone post first hand experience of running a bar in Spain :clap2:


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## redvivalinda (Feb 21, 2012)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Well, that *is* interesting!
> So many people want to open a bar on the costa del sol.
> Please, if you have time, open a thread about having a bar in Benidorm, and tell us all about it - good points and bad. It would the most popular thread in years!


We opened the bar about five years ago before the euro went down, we built the bar, the property was a driving school so we started from scatch it was hard at first but we did it we had a terrace whitch brought a lot of people in, because people loke a sun terrace, from starting with just to people we ended up having 7 bar staff and a chef the bar took of, we had an offer for the bar we coudan't say no to but like anything else thing change and with the problems Spain as you see bar after bar shut down, there is not the people no more so you have to work harder to make a living. You can buy bars now cheap but I would say if you got money without relying on the bar for your living then I would say go for it.


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## DWPinSpain (Mar 2, 2009)

redvivalinda said:


> Do you no if there are doing any of these talks in Alacante Benidorm or surounding areas. thanks


We have just posted details of a road show in Benidorm on our website - The British Embassy in Spain. The event is on Wednesday 7th March at 6pm and full details can be found on the events page here.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> it would be indeed be great to have someone post first hand experience of running a bar in Spain :clap2:


Yes, I would love to know all about that...


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jimenato said:


> Yes, I would love to know all about that...


she might be able to teach you a thing or two 


yours is a bit different hough, from what most people seem to want, when they want a bar in Spain - it's not a tourist trap place, is it?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

redvivalinda said:


> We opened the bar about five years ago before the euro went down, we built the bar, the property was a driving school so we started from scatch it was hard at first but we did it we had a terrace whitch brought a lot of people in, because people loke a sun terrace, from starting with just to people we ended up having 7 bar staff and a chef the bar took of, we had an offer for the bar we coudan't say no to but like anything else thing change and with the problems Spain as you see bar after bar shut down, there is not the people no more so you have to work harder to make a living. You can buy bars now cheap but I would say if you got money without relying on the bar for your living then I would say go for it.


Thanks for that. 
It has to be said that it's more or less what we've been saying. In the past it was possible to make things work with a bar, but by sheer hard work.
Would you say the hours are longer in Spain, (or I should say in this touristy area of Spain 'cos a bar in Santiago de Compostela might be a bit different to bar in Benidorm) or is it similar to having a pub?
You must have been really successful to have had 7 people working there. Is it still as successful do you know? But other bars have closed down - British owned or are Spanish bars finding it tough too?
I'm not sure what you're saying in the last line. It's too difficult to successfully run a bar now, or that because bars are cheap it's a good moment to try it out?
Oh, and another thing I've always wondered. Do you think it's easy enough to cope without Spanish, or do you really need a good level of Spanish for paperwork , clients, suppliers etc?
Sorry a lot of questions. Would be interesting to see what Jimenato has to say about this too.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Ours is a British pub/bar/restaurant but not particularly in a tourist area. Our British customers are retirees or they work in Gibraltar. We have a small amount of tourists - some British but also many Scandinavians and Dutch. We also have Spanish customers who come to have something different to eat. So no, we are not a seafront costa pub/bar.



> Originally Posted by redvivalinda
> You can buy bars now cheap but I would say if you got money without relying on the bar for your living then I would say go for it.



I think I understand what you are saying here. If I have got you right - I agree entirely that it would be very difficult to run any kind of bar in Spain right now without some other form of income.


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## redvivalinda (Feb 21, 2012)

xabiachica said:


> she might be able to teach you a thing or two
> 
> 
> yours is a bit different hough, from what most people seem to want, when they want a bar in Spain - it's not a tourist trap place, is it?


No but a lot of holiday makers do come usuaraly the older generation aspecially for the winter for the sun shine


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## redvivalinda (Feb 21, 2012)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Thanks for that.
> It has to be said that it's more or less what we've been saying. In the past it was possible to make things work with a bar, but by sheer hard work.
> Would you say the hours are longer in Spain, (or I should say in this touristy area of Spain 'cos a bar in Santiago de Compostela might be a bit different to bar in Benidorm) or is it similar to having a pub?
> You must have been really successful to have had 7 people working there. Is it still as successful do you know? But other bars have closed down - British owned or are Spanish bars finding it tough too?
> ...


You have to work more hours from 10 in the morning till about 1 or 2 the next morning, I dont speak spanish and we managed, what I was saying it is a good time to buy now as you can get a bargain but you need extra income coming in as you would not survive as the people are not coming, but maybe in a couple of years things might change. Yes the bar is still open but they lost a lot of the locals because they changed it into a sports bar and the locals did not like this so stayed away, even the spanish are also finding it hard also, what with the euro being like it is.


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