Moving to Spain for 6 months
 

My husband and I are expecting second child and we have decided to move to Spain for 6 months during my maternity leave. None of us is going to work during that time, we both just want loooong holidays.
We do not take any benefits (apart of ChB), we do not have property in UK, our income during the time of being abroad will be from UK (my husband will be still paid for previous contracts and I will be paid by my employer + SMP).
Should we inform any authorities that we are leaving?

We are planning to buy a house as first time buyer soon after returning to UK – would our absence influence on our credit score? We are both EU citizens but non British. My husband lives in UK for 14 years, I joined him 5 years ago.
Thanks in advance

Re: Moving to Spain for 6 months
 

You are both EU citizens so I cannot see how your credit rating would be affected. If you are staying in Spain for more than 90 days in any one year you will need to register with the local authorities and prove that you have external income (I kid you not). I cannot see any reason to inform UK authorities.

I don't know when you are planning to move to Spain but the time of year will influence the rent you pay. If you visit from October onwards your rent for decent, centrally located, 2 bedroom would work out at around €500.00 (Euro not GBP£) per month + electricity.

Re: Moving to Spain for 6 months
 

Come and enjoy your holiday in this lovely country. You don't have to inform anyone, anywhere. All you need is your passport and EHIC, and your credit rating in the UK will be unblemished.

Re: Moving to Spain for 6 months
 

What will you do about medical care during your pregnancy (and the birth if you expect to be here for that)? You may be able to get S1 forms from the DWP which would entitle you to treatment under the Spanish state health system, but after returning to the UK you would then have to go through the process of proving Habitual Residency to be able to access the NHS once more.

Re: Moving to Spain for 6 months
 

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Re: Moving to Spain for 6 months
 

Yes that was my immediate thought. Unless they have private health cover they'd need to register with the Spanish system, and feel comfortable about the treatment they receive (scans, etc) during the pregnancy. We've had 2 kids in Spain and, even though my wife is Spanish, it isn't always easy to understand well the medical advice you are being given.

Re: Moving to Spain for 6 months
 

Hello
Thanks for answers and nice welcome. I’ll try to respond to all of you at once.

Leper :
If you are staying in Spain for more than 90 days in any one year you will need to register with the local authorities and prove that you have external income (I kid you not).

Could you please advise what authorities need to be informed?

The baby is due in September; we are planning to move to Spain in November as soon as baby’s passport is ready and come back to UK in May.
My husband will go to Costa Del Sol, Benalmadena in October to find a flat for us. We have a friend who works in estate agency there so it should not be a problem.

Lynn R ,
I’m planning to work until the end of pregnancy and will give a birth here, in UK. I am thinking to buy a private medical insurance for all family. Are you able to recommend any? We all have EHIC cards in case of emergency and we’ll get one for the newborn as well.

Thanks for help!

Re: Moving to Spain for 6 months
 

Registering for a longer than 90 days stint can be done locally in the nearest government offices. You will need to show proof that you can support yourself financially while in Spain and you will need proof private health insurance which is valid in Spain. In reality, it is no big deal.

Re: Moving to Spain for 6 months
 

If you are here for more than 90 days then it will be ILLEGAL to use the EHIC at all. You must get private health cover or perhaps an S1 from DWP before you go.

Re: Moving to Spain for 6 months
 

If they arrive in Spain in November then they won't do 90 days this year, so I guess they'll have 90 days from the beginning of Jan. So they could get round the 90 day rule simply by coming back to the UK a month early.

Regarding insurance I have Mapfre cover through my work, and they have always been good whenever we have used them (although we prefer to use public healthcare when we can). As Mapfre is a very large (almost ubiquitous) Spanish insurer I imagine the vast majority of private Spanish doctors are signed up to them.

Re: Moving to Spain for 6 months
 

Oh and the op should be aware that there are fewer over the counter medicines in Spain (at least it seems like that to me), and they can only be bought from pharmacies (you can't buy aspirin from a newsagent for example). With a new born it is well worth being close to a 24 hour pharmacy. Also in Spain some of the brands are different, e.g. the Spanish equivalent of Calpol is Apirital but I think Apirital is more concentrated so you need to be careful with the dosage.

Re: Moving to Spain for 6 months
 

This is the sort of important information that people often fail to find out. I believe that a lot of medications are more concentrated so vigilance is necessary.

Rosemary

Re: Moving to Spain for 6 months
 

Totally wrong, you can buy medicines in Spain that were prescription only in the UK as OTC medicines, you can, or at least could, in some phamacias buy antibiotics. Often worth going into a pharmacy and taking the medicine you need, they will tell you if you need a prescription. Also note that many of the OTC medicines such as Ibuprofen and Paracetamol are sold as much bigger dosage, than in the UK, often twice as strong.

Re: Moving to Spain for 6 months
 

Actually Ibuprofen and many paracetemols are not OTC medicines in Spain.

However many Spanish pharmacies do (illegally) sell them OTC:

http://elpais.com/diario/2008/12/08/...04_850215.html

Re: Moving to Spain for 6 months
 

You are correct, in our pharmacy they are not OTC, they are ON THE SHELVES!