Last Updated on April 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
What amount of money do I need to have when I register in order to retire in SPain? We retire there not working. I know we need health insurance and an address. EU citizen and American spouse.
Answers
These are the answers of Spainguru’s Facebook group members:
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Start the Moving to Spain Hub →“11,400€ for a couple for 2024. Plus a regular income or pension.”
“It should be around 12k. Some friends of mine were told 72k which shows how random it can be.”
“It should be at least IPREM (minimum salary) which is 7,200€ in 2023 for 1 person. + 50% for an additional family member. 10,800€ for a couple in 2023. Add a 5% increase for 2024 = 11,400€. Of course, the more you have the better.”
“Each area varies. We had a 2 member family with 15,000 in Valencia last week and they asked for more. We’ve routinely used this amount previously and it’s also already above the minimum. So pad it as much as you can if you are anywhere near the limit because sometimes the office workers do odd things and refuse to change their minds even when faced with a written copy of the current minimum regulation.”
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Explore Cities →“Pretty much what everyone else has said — about €12k for a couple.”
“In our region it was 7,200€ per person. Also a very simple process as one of you has an EU passport. The figure you quoted is for the Primary EEA citizen, only in the case of a self-sufficient application. No, my EU wife needed 7,200€. I (Brit) needed 7,200€ and our son (American) needed to show 7,200€ too.
Plus we all needed private health care. We used a local well-respected relocation specialist to handle the paperwork and absolutely needed these funds and insurance at our appointments. We needed to make several trips to our bank Santander to get certificated proof of the funds in our account.”
“It looks like it’s random. A friend of mine (Portuguese) just had to prove 7k for the European applicant and 5k PER family member.”
Conclusion
The financial requirements for registering in Spain as a retiree can vary significantly depending on the region and specific circumstances.
While the typical amount needed is around 12,000€ for a couple, it is essential to prepare for potential variability and ensure you have sufficient funds and proper private health insurance.
Engaging a local relocation specialist may also be beneficial to navigate the bureaucratic nuances and secure the necessary residency documentation.
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