Moving FROM Andalucia

[fincalospinos]

I know this topic is for people moving to Andalucia, but I have a query about moving FROM Andalucia.

We have lived here in Andalucia since 1997, but with the current climate situation and lack of water, which I think is getting worse, I think it may be time to look for somewhere else to live.

We are both in receipt of a full UK pension, two private pensions, I also receive a Spanish pension and we are both resident.

Neither of us want to leave Spain and have been considering moving north, anywhere from Bilbao across to Galicia.

We are both registered on the Andalucian health system, with the appropriate cards, and benefit from reduced prescription charges.

My question is, if we move to an area outside Andalucia, would we still be entitled to Health care on the Spanish system ?

Any comments or advice would be most welcome.

[Wicksey]

Peteroldracer moved to Murcia from here so he may be able to enlighten you. I'm sure you can either transfer or reregister without problems.

It's interesting that you are talking about moving as this is been something we've been talking about for a while now. Like you, we are seriously concerned about the water situation, particularly as we have to buy agricultural water from a neighbour Paco, so we're not in full control of its use. Although he said he's recently filled his 350m3 tank that serves us and our German resident neighbours, it is now also used by Paco on his mango trees and sometimes on a huge field where he plants courgettes. In the past he's drained the tank in 5 weeks. The current problem is that the water company has locked his meter with a note to say that he's exceeded his water usage, so we know he cannot refill at the moment. The summer heat is also getting to us and we had planned on spending 2 months in western Portugal, but having tried out the journey, felt it was too far with the cats. We ended up spending most of July in Granada region which was less humid and cooler at night than here.

We're also looking at northern Spain for the summer only next year, but it is a longer journey with the cats than western Portugal, plus we need to be somewhere flatter than here where we can go walking. It's pretty mountainous from the research we've done and from previous visits to Bilbao and Galicia. For us we would only rent for the summer as we couldn't bear the winters there. We have lived in south west France, about 100km the other side of the Pyrenees and we found the winters too harsh, plus the summers were pretty grey and miserable at times too! We have considered the Canaries where the weather is less extreme but, as long as we have the cats, we couldn't just decamp for the summer very easily. So we are also in the planning stage but, at the moment, not sure where we will end up. Although in no hurry to sell up here completely, the dwindling water supply and the fact that we live on a very steep hill which limits my walking (and I cannot cycle at all from home) means that we will need to move at some point.

[costakid]

We had a road trip this summer to Galicia, lovely temp all the time we were there. Great place but the winters can be harsh and the weather is nothing like southern Spain. The day of the Euro final it rained all day but Malaga was wall to wall sun. Some of the scenery on the drive was stunning, you would have thought you were in the Swiss alps or Austria at times. We stopped in Madrid on the way back and it was 47 degrees.

[El Cid]

The Spanish health system is a national system but it is administered regionally. All you need to do is register at your new health centre with your existing card. If you need a regional card they should sort that out and also access your existing medical data.

Sid

[fincalospinos]

Thank you all for your interesting replies, particularly regarding the weather. It sounds a though we are having similar thoughts as Wicksey, considering renting for the summer perhaps, but in the first instance we will explore some more. We are spending a few weeks next summer in the Spanish pyrenees, so that should be interesting.
Good news regarding health cover, that is one less thing to think about.

[Wicksey]

It sounds a though we are having similar thoughts as Wicksey, considering renting for the summer perhaps, but in the first instance we will explore some more. We are spending a few weeks next summer in the Spanish pyrenees, so that should be interesting.

We may well see you up there . At the moment, the need to escape the worst of the summer heat is in our thoughts and to experience somewhere a bit different. We did enjoy our few weeks in Granada this summer but even there the winters would be too cold for us. It's mainly the rainy and generally grey days in France that got us down, often throughout the summer months too. We do appreciate the sunny and warm days we get here mid winter. The days are a bit shorter as you go north too! The biggest problem is that I cannot walk so much in the hills these days and so this is why we would really need to be somewhere flatter, which is quite hard to find on the Iberian peninsular.

[olive]

We too are seriously considering moving away from Andalucia. We have spent time in most parts of Spain other than Madrid.

A lot to consider.

[fincalospinos]

Wicksey wrote :

The biggest problem is that I cannot walk so much in the hills these days and so this is why we would really need to be somewhere flatter, which is quite hard to find on the Iberian peninsular.

Thats exactly what we did, after living for 20 years just outside Competa, we moved down to Caleta de Velez 10 years ago to be "on the flat". Best thing we did.

[Wicksey]

Wicksey wrote :

The biggest problem is that I cannot walk so much in the hills these days and so this is why we would really need to be somewhere flatter, which is quite hard to find on the Iberian peninsular.

Thats exactly what we did, after living for 20 years just outside Competa, we moved down to Caleta de Velez 10 years ago to be "on the flat". Best thing we did.

I have friends that did the same and moved to Caleta area too. Our big problem is that we are very sensitive to other people's noise these days, and although there are the usual campo dogs (seems to be more each year) and building work that is forever going on in dribs and drabs around this valley, it is not the same as being in an urban area with neighbours all around. My friends on an urbanisation in Caleta say it's actually quieter there than in the campo where they used to live. But we know from staying in various locations, if you have a holiday home with a pool next door it can be pretty miserable, and the ones up the hill from us are very noisy (luckily they are out of sight and earshot, but when my OH goes on his nightly walk he says they're often really antisocial types staying there, playing loud music and shouting, kids screaming etc etc).

[peteroldracer]

When we moved from Leeds to inland Axarquia we thought our little hamlet would be peace and quiet: gradually we became concious of the neighbours habit of chatting from their doorsteps, even though they might be 100 metres apart...then late at night the squealing of a pig arriving for its matanza at dawn the next day, with even more squealing as the deed was done. Every autumn our nearest neighbour would spend hours logging wood with a chainsaw...
Now we are in a town, with all the usual town noises - loonies on motorcycles, the odd parade, summer neighbours whose conversation seems to need to be at shouting level, but that is Spain!

[Manchesteral]

I know this topic is for people moving to Andalucia, but I have a query about moving FROM Andalucia.

We have lived here in Andalucia since 1997, but with the current climate situation and lack of water, which I think is getting worse, I think it may be time to look for somewhere else to live.

We are both in receipt of a full UK pension, two private pensions, I also receive a Spanish pension and we are both resident.

Neither of us want to leave Spain and have been considering moving north, anywhere from Bilbao across to Galicia.

We are both registered on the Andalucian health system, with the appropriate cards, and benefit from reduced prescription charges.

My question is, if we move to an area outside Andalucia, would we still be entitled to Health care on the Spanish system ?

Any comments or advice would be most welcome.

Move to Las Palmas, a great place to live, great weather except Jan, Feb and March when it becomes a bit sketchy, the same infrastructure prevails as in the rest of Spain, health care etc, lots of travel opportunities, cheap flights all over Spain (if you are resident) nice people, much less corruption, in General, I have lived in the peninsula and Gran Canaria and I prefer it to the mainland!

[El Cid]

The suggestions are about moving north for cooler weather. I'm not sure how the Canaries fit that bill.

Sid

[Wicksey]

The suggestions are about moving north for cooler weather. I'm not sure how the Canaries fit that bill.

Sid

As I mentioned earlier, the weather is less extreme than here, even though it is further south. It doesn't have the searing heat that we've been having here. It has blips of heatwave, but not prolonged like here.

It's definitely hotter here than it used to be as we're now spending all afternoon and evening in the house in the aircon this August (same last summer), and we have fans on us all night long. A few years back we never even had aircon, but the humidity just makes us feel ill, and I don't believe it's that stifling in the Canaries. That's why we have considered a move there, but at the moment we can't try it out for just a few months due to the cats. We've travelled there many times over the past 15 years, 7 times to Lanzarote alone. For all year round temperatures, we think it may be somewhere to try. To go north or west to the coasts would only be suitable for the summer months as the winters are too wet and cold for us.

[El Cid]

Yes, I too love the Canaries and used to go every year in Jan/Feb. In the winter it is an ideal climate but in summer it can have extreme temperatures. I’m not sure it’s a place I would like to live all year round. A winter house in Tenerife and a summer house in San Sebastián would do very nicely! There are few places in the world with an ideal climate. The Caribbean possibly gets close but then you have the hurricanes to contend with. That’s why really wealthy people have two or three houses in totally different places. There is no perfect solution to the problem. Whatever you choose, you will still end up complaining about the weather at some point in the year.

Sid

[Wicksey]

That’s why really wealthy people have two or three houses in totally different places. There is no perfect solution to the problem. Whatever you choose, you will still end up complaining about the weather at some point in the year.

Sid

That's why it's so difficult to decide where to go! The problem for us is the cats as we need to take them with us when we decamp for the summer and why we are looking to rent for a few months in the summer somewhere cooler but on the mainland.

If we did become Canarian residents then we'd be able to claim the discount for travelling and so it would be cheaper to fly elsewhere or catch the ferries to other islands. I must admit, I'm not sure I'd want to be on a relatively small island all year, but the idea would be to fly back to mainland Spain for longer holidays, but that can only be after we are no longer cat owners, which could be a few years off yet.

Our current house is fine for the winter except the fact it's on a very steep hillside and I can no longer march up these hills. We would like to be somewhere where we can cycle from our front door and go out for the day, which is a winter past time, so something else we cannot do from our present home unfortunately. I think we may have to split our time between two places but it's the logistics of it as we do not want to own two houses again and have that worry about the other house being empty for months on end. Over the past few years we've thought through many options, incuding buying a caravan, but we really need a winter home somewhere flatter and a summer place to rent somewhere cooler Plus of course, we're not getting any younger

[markwilding]

Things are a little different in the north. Be careful though about the weather, because it is only the absolute north where the weather is cooler in summer. 50-100 kms inland and there are the similar extremes as in most other parts of inland Spain.Even on the same day, boiling days with quite cold nights. As well as being really hot in summer, it can also get extremely cold in winter. Closer to the the coast the weather is milder in both summer and winter here. It also rains a lot here, which also can be a bit depressing after days of constant downfalls. In the area I live, the cost of living is higher as well.

However, in this area some things are much better, Transport links are first class so it's possible to live, for example, in one of the more affordable seaside towns in Cantabria and still be only 30-45 minutes from the bustling city centre of Bilbao. The AVE is on it's way, which will connect us to the rest of Spain and Europe. Apart from that there is a good underground and various regional and municple bus network as well as trams.

The same bureaucracy exists but i find the civil servants are more likely to be helpful. I very rarely have had reasons to complain about service. Spanish up here is a must as people in service areas and industries tend to have limited english. Having said that, many professionals speak it well. This week I had to visit my local social secrurity office to apply for the Spanish part of my pension and although it's not as straight forward as applying for my uk one, everything was explaned in great detail and all my questions answered with no feeling of him doing me a favour.

People here are always telling me that education and the health service tend to be better here too but that might be because they are biased. My wife recently had an operation and I was rather impressed with everything incuding updates to my phone regarding at what stage of the process she was at. My mother in law's hip went and she was in and out of hosptal with a new one within less than 2 weeks during the Covid pandemic. Most members do not need the education system but as far as my son is concerned, he went through it, got his degree and started working within weeks of completing it.

[LifeofBrian]

Hi All,
I am also thinking about moving from Spain. Trying to find accurate and clear information about moving to France. I am a UK expat and am fully registered here in Spain. Apparently I would have to go to Madrid to source a visa. Can this be true? Seems a long way to go from Vinuela! Anyone know of someone who can help with what seems to be complicated procedure.

Very grateful.

LifeofBrian

[El Cid]

I can’t say I am surprised. If you were a UK resident you would have to go to the consulate in London. It seems to be pretty standard practice. It would be even worse if you had to go to Paris. There may be companies who can help but I think the actual process will include a personal appointment.

Another of the many joys of being a third country citizen!

Sid

[Pamela1]

[/quote]

That's why it's so difficult to decide where to go! The problem for us is the cats as we need to take them with us when we decamp for the summer and why we are looking to rent for a few months in the summer somewhere cooler but on the mainland.

If we did become Canarian residents then we'd be able to claim the discount for travelling and so it would be cheaper to fly elsewhere or catch the ferries to other islands. I must admit, I'm not sure I'd want to be on a relatively small island all year, but the idea would be to fly back to mainland Spain for longer holidays, but that can only be after we are no longer cat owners, which could be a few years off yet.

Our current house is fine for the winter except the fact it's on a very steep hillside and I can no longer march up these hills. We would like to be somewhere where we can cycle from our front door and go out for the day, which is a winter past time, so something else we cannot do from our present home unfortunately. I think we may have to split our time between two places but it's the logistics of it as we do not want to own two houses again and have that worry about the other house being empty for months on end. Over the past few years we've thought through many options, incuding buying a caravan, but we really need a winter home somewhere flatter and a summer place to rent somewhere cooler Plus of course, we're not getting any younger
[/quote]

Wicksey you mention not being sure if you would want to be stuck on an island all year round, maybe you have answered your own thoughts and mainland Spain in the long run is where you will be happier. You could find somewhere flatter so that you can manage walks and cycling and somewhere where the summer heat isn't so extreme.I guess the winter could be a problem but then you could escape the coldest months and take longer holidays in the canaries and there are some lovely static caravans which you could rent/buy.

[Wicksey]

I would think that the info on the gov.uk site about moving to France will apply https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-france

Unfortunately, being a resident in one EU country has no bearing on moving to another. That's why we are really only considering moving within Spanish territory. We have a fairly low income and not sure we'd meet the resident requirements of any other EU country apart from Portugal. We had been resident in France before, but that was pre-Brexit and relatively easy in those days.

Interesting information Mark. We would only decamp for the summer months somewhere cooler, and would just rent so if it didn't suit us we wouldn't have to return. We found the French winters too harsh which is one of the reasons we moved back to Spain. The summers were 40 degrees with epic thunderstorms, so we know what it's like to have extremes. I think splitting our time between two regions may work, but it's the logistics of it all with the cats in tow. It's certainly something to think about as you say Pamela! Maybe when we're really old we'll potter about on a Canarian Island