# UK pensioner wanting to move to Spain



## Cherrypie1 (Aug 8, 2021)

im uk citizen and want to retire to spain, and bring my cat, lol his name is beau, im a pensioner and just have my weekly pension, will they exept this, if i need savings too, how much will that be if you know, im nervous about bringing the cat as i dont want hime to be so scared of the journey etc, but i cant go without him. i want to buy a house before i go, ie in uk will i be able to do this, then when i get there apply for residencey within the 90 day period i believe its called a elective residencey in my case. im on my own so cant go their first to buy etc need to do it all before i go.
I lookforward to hearing from you

kind regards
Anne

ps iv just joined today, so all new lol


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Cherrypie1 said:


> im uk citizen and want to retire to spain, and bring my cat, lol his name is beau, im a pensioner and just have my weekly pension, will they exept this, if i need savings too, how much will that be if you know, im nervous about bringing the cat as i dont want hime to be so scared of the journey etc, but i cant go without him. i want to buy a house before i go, ie in uk will i be able to do this, then when i get there apply for residencey within the 90 day period i believe its called a elective residencey in my case. im on my own so cant go their first to buy etc need to do it all before i go.
> I lookforward to hearing from you
> 
> kind regards
> ...


I've given your question a thread of its own so that it will attract replies.

The first thing you need to do, is check this out Visas (FAQ)

Unless you're able to buy property for 500.000€ cash & qualify for a so-called Golden Visa, you will have to apply for a visa in the UK before coming to Spain.


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

Cherrypie1 said:


> im a pensioner and just have my weekly pension, will they exept this


As a single person you will need to demonstrate a secure or guaranteed annual income of €27,115, this means income from things like pensions, dividends, property rentals etc, savings _may_ be taken into consideration in addition to those but of themselves will not qualify.

Does your pension come anywhere close to that, if not then it's hard to see how you'll meet that requirement.

Furthermore for the first year at least you must show comprehensive private health insurance paid up for 12 months with immediate effect and without exclusions for pre-existing conditions or co-payments (excesses).

Application for a Non Lucrative Visa (NLV) must be made in UK before travelling, it cannot be done once in Spain.

The visa FAQ page can be hard going so here is something a bit simpler.

Non lucrative visa Spain | Requirements for NLV in 2021 | My Spain Visa


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Hi Anne (and Beau)! Sadly, since Brexit it is no longer possible to move to Spain and live on just a pension. Freedom of movement is a thing of the past ... the British people decided they didn't want it any more. You have to be pretty well-off to even consider it, as you can see from the posts above.

We came over with two cats, long ago, and used a professional cat carrier who drove down through France. They were well looked after and when we got to our new home they were a bit nervous at first but only took a couple of days to settle in. We didn't let them outside as this isn't a cat-friendly place, but they were quite old and enjoyed having the run of the house and the balconies. They both lived to be 20.


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

Here are the new rules for pussy.

New rules for pet travel from 1 January 2021


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

Cherrypie1 said:


> im uk citizen and want to retire to spain, and bring my cat, lol his name is beau, im a pensioner and just have my weekly pension, will they exept this, if i need savings too, how much will that be if you know, im nervous about bringing the cat as i dont want hime to be so scared of the journey etc, but i cant go without him. i want to buy a house before i go, ie in uk will i be able to do this, then when i get there apply for residencey within the 90 day period i believe its called a elective residencey in my case. im on my own so cant go their first to buy etc need to do it all before i go.
> I lookforward to hearing from you
> 
> kind regards
> ...


Hi and welcome to the forum.
Taking your points in order.

Cat or other animals. You will need to visit your vet to ensure the cat is microchipped (depending on the age of the cat and when it was originally chipped you may need to have this done again.) We planned to bring ours over but she was chipped about 16 years ago and this chip is not EU readable. We would have had to have her re chipped. All injections have to be up to date and rabies shots as well. Budget about £200 for all this.

Weekly pension, if the OAP then no, you will need to demonstrate at least €2,259 income a month (this can be from multiple sources) At years 2 and 4 you will double this amount as these visa extensions are for 2 years.

Cat on journey. You have two options, let a professional company move it (and some allow you to passenger as well) of bring over in removal van (not the best idea if you don't drive). Moving costs for household stuff and cat. Budget about £4,000 might be less depending how much stuff you want to bring.

Buying a house. Not a good idea to buy something unseen. Would you do this in the UK? Do you have an idea of where, how much, how many rooms. We have moved many times and I would never believe anything anyone told me about a property, especially one in a different country.

Residency. Nope you have to apply for the visa in the UK. Link here to the consulate for the forms. As long as you satisfy the conditions and have full medical insurance paid for the year with NO co-pay (i.e. excess)





Visas (FAQ)







www.exteriores.gob.es





You also have to add the driving licence issue, if you have a Uk one you will only have 6 months from the time you arrive to use it, after that you must take a Spanish test. 

Hope this helps.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

When u first came, i had dogs that were chipped in the UK and they registered the chips here without a problem. I had the rabies jabs done and also thr blood tests to avoid quarantine if ever i wanted to go back and i remember it was quite steeply priced for the tests but the chips were not a problem. The vet in spain scanned the chip, checked it against the uk passports and registered them. But that was years ago. Maybe things have changed. 

It is a shame though every time I see posts like this because pre brexit it was pretty much rock up and sign in. Now, for those with dreams... Unless they have high incomes or half a million to spend on a house it's impossible.


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## woodpecker9 (Jan 22, 2021)

MataMata said:


> Here are the new rules for pussy.
> 
> New rules for pet travel from 1 January 2021


The OP has only used the words cat and beau. Why are you using the word* pussy* other than sexual innuendo? Normal members would be banned but clearly crony rules apply to you.


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

xicoalc said:


> When u first came, i had dogs that were chipped in the UK and they registered the chips here without a problem. I had the rabies jabs done and also thr blood tests to avoid quarantine if ever i wanted to go back and i remember it was quite steeply priced for the tests but the chips were not a problem. The vet in spain scanned the chip, checked it against the uk passports and registered them. But that was years ago. Maybe things have changed.
> 
> It is a shame though every time I see posts like this because pre brexit it was pretty much rock up and sign in. Now, for those with dreams... Unless they have high incomes or half a million to spend on a house it's impossible.


It appeared that the chip implanted in the cat was an early one with less than 15 digits (it was supplied by the cat sanctuary we got her from). 
All chips now should be ISO 11784/11785 compliant. 
Although in the US its still common to use 9 or 10 digit ones.

Would agree that its harder to come here now, but someone approaching retirement now (lets say 66) if they own their house in the Uk and plan to sell that, and have an average private pension and take the 25% tax free in the year before they arrived it should be possible for a single person.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

woodpecker9 said:


> The OP has only used the words cat and beau. Why are you using the word* pussy* other than sexual innuendo? Normal members would be banned but clearly crony rules apply to you.


Is that a tounge in cheek comment? I don't think there's any harm in using the word pussy. Mrs slokam would have been proud jajaja


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## woodpecker9 (Jan 22, 2021)

xicoalc said:


> Is that a tounge in cheek comment? I don't think there's any harm in using the word pussy. Mrs slokam would have been proud jajaja


It degrades the standard of the forum and is inappropriate.


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## fortrose52 (Nov 29, 2018)

A cat is a pussy isn't it?


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## KVP (Apr 16, 2017)

I've read a good few posts which have degraded the standard of the forum, and calling a cat a pussy isn't one of them.

Pussy is a common term for a cat .. hence the whole "here pus pus pus" thing us cat owners do.

In my part of the woods a pecker is a male lower appendage but I choose to look the other way when reading your name  

Chin up, the forum and its members are still upstanding.....


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

Never imagined my little double entendre would generate so much fun, thanks wp9 

Off to administer my haemorrhoids medicine AKA innuendo.


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