bank account when moving to spain

Hi Alan / Elaine

Assuming your are referring to the Non Lucrative Visa (NLV) process to obtain temporary residency, then full residency after 5 years... There is no requirement to have a specific amount of money in a bank account in Spain. 

We have just completed the NLV process. This is as follows...

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.

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!

In answer to your specific question - point 9 above is the requirement. So, for Year 1 you need to proof 'means of maintenance' of at least €33,000 and then for the renewal for Years 2 & 3 and then the renewal for Years 4 & 5, proof of 'means of maintenance' of €66,000 - but this can still be €33,000 per year for each year.  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.

Happy to help if you have any more questions.

Richard

This is what N3322 (Spanish Polce) published: 

Brits in Spain 

· 

We know that lots of UK Nationals are thinking about moving to Spain to either work or retire. If that is the case, please do bear in mind that the rules for British nationals on living and working in Spain changed on 1 January 2021 [https://www.gov.uk/foreign.../spain/entry-requirements]. British nationals resident in the UK can travel to the Schengen area, which includes Spain, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. If you wish to stay longer, or are travelling for a specific reason such as to work or establish residence, you must ensure you meet the Spanish Government’s entry requirements for non-EU nationals and, where applicable, hold the appropriate visa. You should check with the Spanish consulate in the UK before you travel, for what kind of visa or permit you might need and how to apply (http://www.exteriores.gob.es/.../Consulado/Pages/Visas.aspx). You can also read the Spanish Government’s guidance on moving to Spain at https://extranjeros.inclusion.gob.es/.../Ciuda.../index.html. This page about moving to the EU generally may also be useful: https://ec.europa.eu/immigration/node_en

We are aware that issuing visas can take some time, particularly at the moment, so please do make sure that you start the process well before you travel to Spain.

Hi RichT,

Do you live in Spain?

If so, did you still apply for your NLV through the Spanish Consulate in UK?

Thanks Alan.

We owned our property here as a holiday home and lived in the UK, then had the opportunity to take early retirement and move to Spain permanently. So we applied through the Manchester Consulate, as we were still living in the UK - but now live happily in Spain!