It looks like sanidad are going to relax the requirements for entitlement to free health care. It seems that anyone legally resident will be entitled to la tarjeta sanidad even if they are not contributing to the social security (if they earn less than 100k.)


http://sociedad.elpais.com/sociedad/...23_839875.html

More info in English here:-

http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news...le_34999.shtml

Yes I saw it here

http://www.eleconomista.es/economia/...d-publica.html

Being fiscally resident (ie making a tax declaration) seems also to be part of qualification if it comes into law.

And for foreigners they will also need a certificate issued by the tax authorities of their home state to say that they have no income subject to taxation therein.

That could be interesting!

What about this?

Yes, although it would appear that they are making it easier to obtain the health card, they are going to make it much more difficult to obtain residencia, as people are now finding out. This is currently being discussed on some other threads.

We've been sort of ducking the radar; not abusing, but definitely using - almost exclusively 10yo, though - but he hasn't actually got residencia though I have. Will I now have to get him separately registered for residencia? On top of which, I (still) haven't got around to entering a nil tax return; I've never earned a penny since being here. My only concern will be my mother's soon to be divided estate (UK). Does entering a nil return and then stumping up various noughts once I get my inheritance then mean I can get the tarjeta sanidad? Any educated guesses about those aspects?

If you haven't submitted a tax declaration, even a nil one, then you will not be able to prove tax residency.

I have said many times that the only form of legal residency that has any significance in Spain is tax residency. All these cards and certificates mean very little and these changes to the rules seem to be confirming that.

With due respect, you may have never earned a penny but how do you live? That would be the first question a tax inspector would ask.

Inheritance from the UK is a different issue. If you are tax resident then in theory you could be liable for Spanish IHT on a UK inheritance and conversely liable for UK IHT on a Spanish inheritance. That said, I think in most cases people conveniently forget to declare it in both countries.

It's not something that you put on your tax declaration anyway.

My advice would be, if this new law is going to affect you and you want the health cover, to both get a nil declaration is as soon as you can - you have got until the end of this month for last year.

I think all we can do is wait for the final draft, implemented from September 1st, to assertain what the rules will be.

An important point is that it's not just foreigners that are being screwed, but bona fida resident Spaniards also. Hence, the rather dramatic uturn.

It'll be a summer of change, so we just have to await the outcome.

Personally, I think we will return to the "way it was" with a few tweaks here and there.

Well your comment about tax inspectors immediately asking how I live raises what I imagine would be a mega issue for lots of us - namely I don't earn a penny and my OH isn't here for more than the required 183 days, and he brings our living fund over with him when he comes. I hope you're not saying that counts as income????

Well if you live here than Spanish tax rules "could" class him as tax resident irrespective of the fact that he doesn't spend 183 days here.

It's a grey area and there are a lot of people who work on offshore oil rigs or are seafarers (what a lovely word!) etc where the tax situation can get very complicated.

Of course there are a lot of people who have a stash of cash somewhere and live off that but in most cases the cash generates some interest so that is classed as income and if you meet the tax residency rules then that has to be declared wherever it is stashed.

As you say, you are under the radar at the moment like a lot of people but if the health cover becomes an issue then maybe you have to stick your head over the parapet - that is going to be down to the individual.

that sounds rather "Spanish" but I haven't been able to find a translation for "fudge" that is so consise as the English word.