# Proof of income for residency



## purpleflower (Jan 27, 2010)

Sorry, me again, full of questions here

My partner has a modest pension from America that we live on now, from research I think we can get by on that in Spain until I can find some work, am I correct in saying that there is no proof of income needed to get residency for myself as a British citizen and my partner as a non Eu citizen after we are married or have I got that completely wrong?

Thanks again for your help, this forum is great


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

purpleflower said:


> Sorry, me again, full of questions here
> 
> My partner has a modest pension from America that we live on now, from research I think we can get by on that in Spain until I can find some work, am I correct in saying that there is no proof of income needed to get residency for myself as a British citizen and my partner as a non Eu citizen after we are married or have I got that completely wrong?
> 
> Thanks again for your help, this forum is great


You will probably have to show the means by which you and, more especialy, your partner will live and not become a liability on the public purse just as you would in UK. Don't forget that your partner, if a visa is obtained, will be barred from working in Spain.

As far as this forum is concerned you will be all right and helped until you start to try to cheat the system after which, you will find that our support starts to fade quite rapidly. An example is the Brit who is on a whole raft of state benefits in the UK and wants to find out ways he/she can [illegally] keep those benefits together with his illegally used and imported British car


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

purpleflower said:


> Sorry, me again, full of questions here
> 
> My partner has a modest pension from America that we live on now, from research I think we can get by on that in Spain until I can find some work, am I correct in saying that there is no proof of income needed to get residency for myself as a British citizen and my partner as a non Eu citizen after we are married or have I got that completely wrong?
> 
> Thanks again for your help, this forum is great


it's ridiculously simple for you - you just have register as resident

slightly more complex for your husband - but as spouse of an EU citizen he has the 'right' to residency


the biggest hurdle will be work...................


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## purpleflower (Jan 27, 2010)

baldilocks said:


> You will probably have to show the means by which you and, more especialy, your partner will live and not become a liability on the public purse just as you would in UK. Don't forget that your partner, if a visa is obtained, will be barred from working in Spain.


Thankyou baldilocks for your reply, do you know where I can find out the amount we would have to show to prove we wont be a liability please? My partner has a visual impairment so he would find it difficult to work anyway so only I would be looking for work if we needed the extra income on top of his pension.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

I was editing my post (I'd missed off a bit) when the last two posts came in.


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## purpleflower (Jan 27, 2010)

xabiachica said:


> it's ridiculously simple for you - you just have register as resident
> 
> slightly more complex for your husband - but as spouse of an EU citizen he has the 'right' to residency
> 
> ...


Thankyou xabia, I just dont want to move to Spain and then find out we cant stay and have to go somewhere else, I am hoping that my partner's pension will be enough to live on if I cant find work for a while but I cant find how much income we have to prove to show we wont be a liability on the public purse in Spain, do you have any ideas?


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## purpleflower (Jan 27, 2010)

baldilocks said:


> I was editing my post (I'd missed off a bit) when the last two posts came in.


Thanks baldilocks, I read your edit, I have never been on benefits in the UK and dont want to cheat the system, I just want to find a place for my partner and I to settle permanently and legally, we are living in Chile right now but would like to be closer to my children, daughter lives in Holland and son lives in UK, with him being an american and me being british its complicated to be able to settle somewhere, we want to be able to pay our own way, we dont want to get benefits or anything like that but I can understand your suspicions as I know others who seek to live a life of entitlement, thankyou again for your help


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

purpleflower said:


> Thankyou xabia, I just dont want to move to Spain and then find out we cant stay and have to go somewhere else, I am hoping that my partner's pension will be enough to live on if I cant find work for a while but I cant find how much income we have to prove to show we wont be a liability on the public purse in Spain, do you have any ideas?


An EU citizen does not have to prove any income at all. There is no requirement for you to do that. An EU citizen (in general) has the right to live anywhere within the EU, and work anywhere in the EU.

As far as I am aware, once you are married, as Xabia said, your other half has the right to reside here as well as your spouse 

As regards if your pension is enough? Well, I guess that depends on your standard of living. €1200 - 1500 a month excluding rent would cover you in the Northern Costa Blanca

You wont be a liability on the public purse in Spain by the way, because as someone who hasnt worked those benefits wont exist for you


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## purpleflower (Jan 27, 2010)

Thankyou for your reply Stravinsky, the pension amount is much less than that but our needs are modest so hopefully we can find somewhere that will allow us to survive for a while until I can find work. As long as we dont have to prove a certain income per month that is higher than we have then hopefully we should be fine, we do have savings to fall back on though if times are tough.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Stravinsky said:


> An EU citizen does not have to prove any income at all. There is no requirement for you to do that. An EU citizen (in general) has the right to live anywhere within the EU, and work anywhere in the EU.
> 
> As far as I am aware, once you are married, as Xabia said, your other half has the right to reside here as well as your spouse
> 
> ...


I agree with Stravinsky and xabiachica. You, as an EU citizen, won't need to prove you have enough money to live here.

What is enough will depend on you, what you need/ would like and where you want to live. In general you'll get better value for money in the north and inland than on the coast...

The biggest obstacle will be getting work and please don't say "I'll do anything" as we've got over 5 million Spaniards saying the same and they're still out of work. Research your job opportunities throughly before you come, and if you're going to depend on you finding employment to make this move work, please make sure you've got a steady permanent job lined up.


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## purpleflower (Jan 27, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I agree with Stravinsky and xabiachica. You, as an EU citizen, won't need to prove you have enough money to live here.
> 
> What is enough will depend on you, what you need/ would like and where you want to live. In general you'll get better value for money in the north and inland than on the coast...
> 
> The biggest obstacle will be getting work and please don't say "I'll do anything" as we've got over 5 million Spaniards saying the same and they're still out of work. Research your job opportunities throughly before you come, and if you're going to depend on you finding employment to make this move work, please make sure you've got a steady permanent job lined up.


Thankyou Pesky, will my husband need to prove he has enough money to live in Spain to get residency or does he not have to because I am an EU citizen? 

I understand about the work situation, we wont be dependent on me getting work, we will live modestly using my partner's pension and we do have savings to fall back on, the work will be for extras etc, thankyou again for your advice


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Hi Purpleflower :wave:
have you read this thread...
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...on-eu-nationals-becoming-residents-spain.html
It explains the process your husband needs to go through to become resident as your spouse.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

To give you another take on cost of living. We (myself, wife, mother-in-law, two dogs and a bird) live very comfortably on about €600 per month BUT we own our house outright (no mortgage nor rent), we don't eat out (except rarely on special occasions or we are away from home for a short break/holiday or for the day) don't inhabit the bars. We live in a village and our local taxes (including water, sewerage, refuse collection + car tax) are quite low. We have an economical workhorse of a car (Citroen Berlingo) that takes us all plus one or two visitors plus luggage plus invalid scooter (not fast but capacious).

As you can see from the heading to this post, we live inland in a mountain village surrounded by a warm and welcoming local population, fine scenery (for pics see my albums) and peace and quiet. We have very quickly become part of the help-each-other network common in villages. The neighbours are frequently bringing round surplus produce from their huertas (sort of allotment cum smallholding) and, in return we make cakes (we have a gas oven with a thermostat), jams, marmalade (bitter oranges off the trees in the street picked for us and delivered by the local police - saves having the kids kicking them around and making a mess!).


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

purpleflower said:


> Thankyou for your reply Stravinsky, the pension amount is much less than that but our needs are modest so hopefully we can find somewhere that will allow us to survive for a while until I can find work. As long as we dont have to prove a certain income per month that is higher than we have then hopefully we should be fine, we do have savings to fall back on though if times are tough.


If money is tight then, you need to take into consideration the different costs of living in different parts of Spain. From what I pick up on forums all the time, the CDS and around there is more expensive than the Costa Blanca North for instance. I experienced this myself when we went down to Cadiz, Sevilla and up to Cordoba

Up here I know of people that say they live on €1000 a month. The rent or mortgage is probably going to be the telling factor. I see flats for rent in Oliva town for €300 a month, but that is probably not what you are looking for


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

In this area you can get a 2BR flat with garage space for €350 /month up to €450 for 5Br w/communal pool, parking etc.


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## purpleflower (Jan 27, 2010)

Solwriter said:


> Hi Purpleflower :wave:
> have you read this thread...
> http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...on-eu-nationals-becoming-residents-spain.html
> It explains the process your husband needs to go through to become resident as your spouse.


Thankyou Solwriter, will give it a read


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## purpleflower (Jan 27, 2010)

Thankyou for your reply Baldilocks, its sounds like a lovely community you live in


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## purpleflower (Jan 27, 2010)

Thankyou Stravinsky


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## Guest (Jul 1, 2012)

*For UK lady*

Dear Sir/Madam, please be careful to secure correct advice and not ill-informed opinions about your husband-to-be and his right of entry, work etc. Google Eu rights and you will find excellent Eu websites which should put your mind at rest.
As you will see he has rights very similar to an Eu citizen - once he attains his residency. He must navigate the 'system' first. Best wishes.

Martin


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Martin Nugent said:


> Dear Sir/Madam, please be careful to secure correct advice and not ill-informed opinions about your husband-to-be and his right of entry, work etc. Google Eu rights and you will find excellent Eu websites which should put your mind at rest.
> As you will see he has rights very similar to an Eu citizen - once he attains his residency. He must navigate the 'system' first. Best wishes.
> 
> Martin


I don't think anyone here gave any 'ill-informed opinions ':confused2:

in fact we all said pretty much the same as you....................


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## Guest (Jul 1, 2012)

Saw a post earlier on a similar topic: where it was incorrectly stated that non Eu family members were 'barred' (exact word used) from working. That was incorrect and contrary to the relevant Eu Directive 2004/38/EC. Its a pity if people get over-sensitive or proprietorial about postings: I would have assumed that being directed to factual information would over-ride all other considerations. Many thanks


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Martin Nugent said:


> Saw a post earlier on a similar topic: where it was incorrectly stated that non Eu family members were 'barred' (exact word used) from working. That was incorrect and contrary to the relevant Eu Directive 2004/38/EC. Its a pity if people get over-sensitive or proprietorial about postings: I would have assumed that being directed to factual information would over-ride all other considerations. Many thanks


On the Spain forum? You're right, that is incorrect, but I have no recollection of that advice being given and I know that all the Mods realise that this information is incorrect so I can't imagine how it wasn't spotted, and corrected.
The advice the OP has been given about whether UK citizens need proof of income is out of date I think, so perhaps this thread needs to be closed and started again. I t has changed very recently.
I agree that the op needs to get information about her doubts from a more reliable source than a forum, but there's nothing wrong with using a forum as a starting point or as a back up. I also believe that no one should think they have the be all and end all answer to something like Spanish paperwork, even if they can give advice about what to look for on the net 'cos 
*It Changes All The Time,
so **beware!!*


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Pesky Wesky said:


> On the Spain forum? You're right, that is incorrect, but I have no recollection of that advice being given and I know that all the Mods realise that this information is incorrect so I can't imagine how it wasn't spotted, and corrected.
> The advice the OP has been given about whether UK citizens need proof of income is out of date I think, so perhaps this thread needs to be closed and started again. I t has changed very recently.
> I agree that the op needs to get information about her doubts from a more reliable source than a forum, but there's nothing wrong with using a forum as a starting point or as a back up. I also believe that no one should think they have the be all and end all answer to something like Spanish paperwork, even if they can give advice about what to look for on the net 'cos
> *It Changes All The Time,
> so **beware!!*


Actually it was mentioned, on the first page of this thread (I remember double taking on that one).
But the rest of the information was _at that time_ correct.
And in any case, once the mention of the non-EU spouse becoming a resident was made, the first note was immaterial anyway.
As you say, things change all the time, so its difficult to look at an old thread and sort out whether the information given is still correct.

I think that forums like this are a great start to someone searching for an answer (as most of the searches they find on Google will be advertising for the first page at least). But once they have that advice, they really should look further, perhaps with the help of the links offered on this site.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Solwriter said:


> Actually it was mentioned, on the first page of this thread (I remember double taking on that one)..


*It* was mentioned? What is *it*?

Got it - non eu members will be barred from working.

OK perhaps it should read barred from working unless the correct visa is held.


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Pesky Wesky said:


> *It* was mentioned? What is *it*?
> 
> Got it - non eu members will be barred from working.
> 
> OK perhaps it should read barred from working unless the correct visa is held.


Lol! Sorry, typing without thinking. 

Yes that's correct.
I remember thinking that I could question the statement, but then I thought that, as this could derail the thread, I would leave things alone.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

golden rule # 1 of posting on a forum.......... don't post pi......ed

golden rule # 2 of posting on a forum........... look at the date of the threade/post you are replying to





on that note...........since as mentioned, the info on this thread is completely out of date now

:closed_2:


eta - opene til someone points me to teh post where it says a non-EU citizen can't work here


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

xabiachica said:


> golden rule # 1 of posting on a forum.......... don't post pi......ed
> 
> golden rule # 2 of posting on a forum........... look at the date of the threade/post you are replying to
> 
> ...


Post no.2 
"Don't forget that your partner, if a visa is obtained, will be barred from working in Spain."

The qualifying words are 'if a visa is obtained' but he won't need one as he is the spouse of an eu citizen.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Post 2 says
Don't forget that your partner, if a visa is obtained, will be barred from working in Spain.
I think Baldy meant to say
Don't forget that your partner, unless a visa is obtained, will be barred from working in Spain.

All this over a typo...

Anyway purpleflower, maybe you need to look at this thread
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...-uk-citizens-spain-april-2012-discussion.html

And the UK in Spain website which has information about requirements needed to live in Spain


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

thanks guys....... can't see how I missed that - looked & looked


everyone else gave the correct info though


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