Spain Non Lucrative Visa: Best Practices for Filling Out the S1 Form for British Pensioners

Last Updated on April 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi

Question

The question for the British pensioners who recently got their Spain Non Lucrative Visa. I would appreciate your help with S1 and applying for NLV. I’ve been searching and watching some videos about when to apply for S1 and what date to put in the S1 form for ‘date you intend to move to Spain’.

On one they say that it should be when you’ll likely get a visa. On the other one, they say it should be the date of the appointment at BLS. How did you deal with this, and which date did you put on the S1 form? Many thanks.”

Answers

These are the answers of Spainguru’s Facebook group members:

“We put down roughly the date that we thought we would be able to move; it doesn’t have to be the exact date you get a certain amount of time to register it.”

“When we rang NHS Business they asked for an approximate date when we thought we would be moving. They don’t hold you to an exact date.”

“You can do this process over the phone. Contact overseas pension service and they will guide you through it. Once you receive the certificate you then need to register the S1 with the Spanish social security. Ours took around 4 weeks to process.

They will send you confirmation letter which you can use as proof of valid health care. We live in Spain so for us it seemed a lot easier as we have a Spanish address. I think but not 100% certain that you need to have a Spanish address.”

Conclusion

From the community’s experiences, it is advisable for British pensioners applying for a Spain non lucrative visa to provide an approximate date of their intended move to Spain on the S1 form. This date does not have to be exact but should reflect a realistic expectation of relocation.

It’s important to communicate with the NHS or the relevant overseas pension service for guidance and to ensure the S1 form is processed smoothly. Registering the form with Spanish social security upon arrival and having a Spanish address appear to facilitate the process.

Bruno Bianchi CEO & Spain Immigration Expert

Bruno Bianchi is the founder and CEO of Spainguru, Spain's largest expat immigration community with 150,000+ members. Since 2014 he has helped thousands of people relocate to Spain through expert guides, webinars and vetted professional services covering visas, residency, taxes and life in Spain.

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