My name's Alex and this is my website all about La Torre Resort in Spain. Register now for free to talk about Brexit and the EU: living, holidaying and moving to La Torre Resort and much more!
RichT wrote on Mon Oct 11, 2021 3:11pm:
Hi
We completed the NLV process in May, which is as follows:
Read more...
You need to apply for an NLV at the appropriate embassy / consulate in the UK. Broadly speaking, London serves the south of England; Manchester from the Midlands to the North West and Edinburgh for the very north of England and all Scotland. The consulate websites, visas sections, provides the list of requirements, which I've copied below, with my additional comments in bold:
LIST OF REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR A NON LUCRATIVE RESIDENCY
1 Passport or travel document valid for at least 6 months beyond the intended arrival to Spain with at least two blank pages to affix the visa.
2 One completely filled and signed National Visa Application Form.
3 Ex-01 form and 079-052 fee form to be paid at the Consulate on the day of your appointment. The visa and appointment fee totalled approx. £1,050 for the two of us.
4 One recent passport colour photograph. (No more than six months old)
5 For non-British citizens: A UK residence permit valid for at least 3 months. It can be either in form of Visa stamped on the applicant’s passport or a Residency Card. If you are a 'normal UK subject / citizen, this doesn't apply.
6 Medical (Health ) Certificate signed and stamped by a registered doctor. This Certificate must literally state that the Applicant does not suffer of any illness which represents a risk or a danger for the public according to the International Health Regulations of 2005. The document must be translated by a Sworn Translator only, and with the Hague Apostille if the country is a member. Otherwise the document must be verified by the Spanish authorities in the country of issuance. Our doctor charged £25 per certificate, using a template provided by our Spanish solicitor.
7 Certificate of Good Conduct issued by the country or countries where the applicant has resided in the past five years. The document must be translated by a Sworn Translator only, and with the Hague Apostille if the country is a member. Otherwise the document must be verified by the Spanish authorities in the country of issuance. This is a Police Certificate which is obtained from the ACRO website, at a cost of, I think, £55 per person - turnaround time was about 10 days.
Note - docs 6 & 7 had to be notarised (our UK solicitor charged £25 to do all our documents). The Hague Apostille is an additional government service, which costs £30 per document and has a turnaround time of about 10 days.
8 Full health cover for applicant and, if applicable, family member. There are specific policies, which must not include 'co-payments' which are acceptable for the NLV. Many companies offer these. We used Sanitas (which is part of BUPA), as our bank had a linked offer. I have seen DKV recommended by other people on this forum. The policy needs to be paid up front for a year and be 'live' at the date of the NLV application. We are 50 & 48, with no pre-existing conditions and our policy cost around £1,200 for the two of us. I have seen people with pre-existing conditions getting quotes as high as £6,000 pa each. It's important to shop around as prices vary significantly.
9 Means of maintenance in Spain in form of 2200 € per month for the main applicant. Each additional family member will need € 550 per month. In general, €33,000 pa for a couple.
10 All documents must be translated into Spanish (and where it specifies a 'Sworn Translator', these are specific translation companies that charge a lot of money (however, our Spanish solicitor included this in her price).
Although I would say that I am quite confident and competent in completing forms, gathering evidence, etc.; as many forms needed to be completed in Spanish (and mine is very limited) we used a Spanish solicitor (Raquel at BeGlobal Attorneys) to assist in preparing all the paperwork, making the appointments, etc. but there is still quite a bit of work you need to do yourselves.
For the 'means of maintenance' we provided evidence of cash in bank, shares, premium bonds, rental income from a property we own and rent out in the UK, and my pension pot.
In total, the process took us about 12 weeks and cost around £2,300 (excluding the cost of the private health insurance) - of which the solicitor's fees were approx. £1,000. When you get the NLV, you then have to enter Spain within 3 months and then start the rest of the process (below) within 1 month of entering.
When we got to Spain, we then had to attend the Foreigners' Office at a specific Police Station to have fingerprints taken; and be added to the padron at the town hall. Approx. 5 weeks after this, we collected our TIE from the Police Station.
This NLV lasts for a year, then you have to renew for 2 years, then a further two years, then you can get permanent residency. Although I understand the renewal process is less onerous than the initial application!
Hope this helps - and happy to answer any questions you may have.
Hi…( I don’t know your name) but thanks for the detailed reply !
You have helped enormously so I want you to let you know it’s appreciated.
I am a single gent (57) and want to retire as soon as possible, the idea of Spain is attractive for the obvious weather conditions and cost of living.
I don’t have any children or parents although do have a married brother who lives in the US so it’s pretty much just me.
I am trying to formulate a plan to allow me to retire as soon as possible but keep a comfortable standard of living for my remaining days. I am fit and healthy btw.
As I will be doing this totally alone I am thinking of initially renting (maybe 2 years) then make a decision, should I stick or twist ?
I have a property in UK that I currently live in and have been advised by an agent I could rent for easily £1200 per month. This would be my insurance policy and this would also allow me to rent an apartment in Spain and if things don’t work out I just return and carry on as before.
As I am currently single I am thinking of renting on a golf resort (Murcia) I know an old work colleague who’s sister lived on Roda Golf for over 10 years and the resort always had things going on even for non golfers. This is attractive to me and I think a good way of meeting new people as well as being secure.
My only issue with the Golf resorts are the monthly fees, the resorts look well kept so I guess the money does go somewhere. It’s a pity there isn’t a resort or resorts I could consider that isn’t mainly Golf oriented but still offers the security and attractive surroundings. Can I ask what place and area are you moving to ?
This is the point of where I start needing help.
I have umpteen random questions so if you are happy maybe you could advise if you know great, if not don’t worry about it.
I believe as a resident I am liable for tax on world wide assets, what does this mean exactly? Do I have to pay tax on my rental money? Will my pension and other savings be taxed ?
You mentioned a UK solicitor that assisted in your application how did you find such a solicitor, yellow pages or was recommended?
Same question for the Spanish solicitor?
I do know that after the issue of TIE this needs to be renewed after a year then two years …but does this mean you have the same process to repeat with same costs?
I hope I haven’t bored you to death and once again I thank you for your comprehensive reply
James :)
