We have just received our Spain Non Lucrative Visa (applied via London on the 20th June 2024, moving to Alicante).
In terms of the overall Spain Non Lucrative Visa process:
April 2024 – we applied for our ACRO and ordered a new marriage certificate. The ACRO took over 6 weeks to process (longer than they state) as demand was high. Marriage certificate took less than a week.
May 2024 – we had arranged for our ACRO to go direct to the FCDO for apostille, however the FCDO were reporting a 6-8 week wait. We ordered copies of the ACRO to our home and a private company for these and the marriage certificate. They also did the translations and turned them round within 72 hours.
June 2024 – final trip to Spain to get Padron (important for importing things), health certificate and bank statements (Spanish bank stamped).
We also collected our health insurance certificates and confirmation of payment. We could collect these two months ahead of the policy start date – 1st August. We chose our insurance as, although a little bit more expensive, the price per year is fixed for life and we are still early fifties!
July and August 2024 – London BLS website checking and husband regular calls to BLS and Consulate. It is a frustrating process and there seems to be little logic in the order of processing. We think summer holidays and volume of student visa applications was probably a factor. BLS did say that area in Spain and the office you attend is not a factor.
August 2024 – Our personal belongings were collected this week and will arrive in Spain next week. We on the other hand will travel early September as we have a pet cabin booked on Brittany Ferries and they are like gold dust! Car import is all in hand.
Questions and Answers
Q1: “Considering the costs involved, how much did you spend on health insurance for one year?” A1: “We spent just over 1000 euros each for the year. We chose this insurance because, despite being slightly pricier, the rate is fixed for life which is a great benefit given that we are still in our early fifties.”
Q2: “Can you explain how you were able to obtain your padron before officially moving to Spain?” A2: “We simply went to the town hall during our trip to Spain, presented a copy of our property deeds, a recent utility bill, and our passports. They issued the padron then, which was crucial for us as it’s important for importing things like our car.”
Q3: “When did you arrange your health insurance and how does its activation date align with your move?” A3: “We secured our health insurance in June, well ahead of our planned move. It was activated on August 1st to coincide with our intended date of entry into Spain.”
Q4: “Which company did you use for your health insurance, and how can others contact them?” A4: “Our health insurance is with ASSSA. For those interested, more information can be found here: Spain Health Insurance Non Lucrative Visa | SpainGuru“
Q5: “Who are you using for the car import, and can you share any advice or contact information?” A5: “We’re using Car Registrations Spain for the car import (Spainguru is not affiliated to this company). They’ve been quite helpful. If you need similar services, they might be worth considering.”
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