Spain does not have a system to issue personalised licence plates.  It does however have a system to identify and recognise Classic Cars.  Cars that qualify can achieve the status of being certified as a ‘historical vehicle’.  Classic Cars with this status can be registered with historical licence plates, so the owner can enjoy the kudos of having their beloved motor officially recognised and marked as a Classic Car.

Getting ‘historical vehicle’ status for a Classic Car, also brings with the added perks of cheaper insurance, longer gaps between ITV´s and road tax exemption.

The starting qualifying criteria is the age of the car, the qualifying age being 30 years.  The age for a Classic Car in Spain used to be 25 years, however was changed to 30 years in May 2018.  This change was not retrospective.  Classic Cars that already had historical number plates kept them.

The Convenio Especial is Social Security scheme which allows individuals who don’t otherwise qualify Spanish state healthcare, to make voluntary social security payments to access the system.

You can apply to register in the Convenio Especial scheme in your region, if you have been resident in Spain for 12 months.

The Convenio Especial social security payment is €60 per month if you are under 65, and €157 for those over 65, and gives you full access to the Spanish state healthcare system.  Pre-existing conditions are covered, however, general pharmaceutical prescriptions, ortho-prosthetics, dietary prescriptions and non-urgent medical transport are not.

What’s required to apply for Healthcare under the Convenio Especial?

You’ll need the following:

• Application form*
• Passport
• NIE, residency certificate or TIE (some places will not accept NIE – only green residency certificate or TIE)
• Padron Certificate
• Proof of non-entitlement to healthcare provided by another country

*Note – each autonomous region has its’s own application form and process.  Below is is a link to the form for the region of Andalucia:

We get asked a lot of questions about schools and the system of education in Spain. A lot these questions are answered in our in Spain mini guides.  Being based in the Costa del Sol, we also often get asked by people moving to or planning to move to the area, about International Schools in Costa del Sol, so we’ve created a list of those that we know.

International Schools Marbella:

The ‘padrón’ is the municipal register of inhabitants.  It records how many people are registered as living in each Town Hall ‘municipality’.  The list is also used by the National Institute of Statistics, the INE, (Instituto Nacional de Estadística de España) to complete a national census every year.  The word ‘padrón’ is an abbreviation of the word ’empadronamiento’ which means census.

The Origin of the ‘Padrón’

The origins of the ‘padrón’ have been traced back by historians to a census conducted in Spain called the `Secretaría de la Balanza´ who put forward the national control of the population – the `Padrón de Calle-Hita’.  Today’s laws regarding the ‘padrón’ stipulate that everybody who resides in Spain should be registered on it.  Part time residents, such as holiday home owners can register voluntarily.

When you register you are given a certificate, (certificado de empadronamiento), which is often required by the authorities as proof of where you live, when you use or apply for public services. The registry entry should therefore also record all the names of all people living at the address, including children, so that they appear on the certificate, as well.

Some examples of things that a padrón certificate is required for are-

The NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero), meaning –  Foreigners Identification Number, is the identification number issued to people who are not a Spanish nationals.

The National Police, (Cuerpo Nacional de Policia), handle the issue of NIE’s, and any one planning to carry out a transaction in Spain, e.g. buying a car, holiday home, or various other interests, needs to have one.

The NIE identifies you whenever you do something official, or which involves the authorities.  For example paying taxes, buying a property; signing a document at Notary; starting a business; or becoming a director of a Spanish company.

The NIE is not a fiscal (tax) residency identification – you can have a NIE and be fiscal resident in another country, however it is used to link payments to you that may be due, including tax amongst others. Both EU citizens and non-EU citizens are issued with NIE’s, and if you become resident, you keep the same NIE when you apply for your residence certificate or card.

The TIE, Tarjeta de Indentidad de Extranjero, is the Spanish identification card for citizens from third countries (non-EU) who reside in Spain.  Since July 2020 British UK nationals moving to Spain have also had to apply for this card, as the UK is no longer in the EU.

If you already have a Spanish residency certificate, you do not have to apply for the TIE, but you can voluntarily exchange your certificate for the card.

Both the Spanish and UK Government websites and their Consulate pages confirm that the green residency certificate, A4 and credit card sized, remain valid for UK nationals and prove the holders residency and retained rights under the withdrawal agreement, having settled in Spain before the UK left the EU.  However considering the issues some have encountered during the recent Covid19 travel restrictions, e.g. multiple incidences of authorities and airlines not understanding the rules and denying certificate holders entry to Spain, it is advisable to get the TIE.

Aside from this the card is a full bio-metric national ID card, therefore so much more useful than the paper certificate.  The card also has the words ARTICULO 50 TUE, a reference to note that the holder was resident in Spain before the end of the transition period and has retained rights.

‘Semana Blanca’ and ‘dia de Andalucia’ (white week and Andalusia day), are a school holiday week in Málaga and a regional holiday in Andalucia.

Semana Blanca

During ‘Semana Blanca’ the majority of the schools are closed for a week to ‘catch up’ with the number of  the number of school days off for public holidays, compared to the rest of Spain.

Every province or region in Spain has their own traditions and festivities for which schools are closed.  Some places have a few less public holidays than others, so to be fair to students in Málaga, they give extra time off in ‘la Semana Blanca’ to balance things out.

Why is it called Semana Blanca?

There are some advantages to getting older. Aching joints might not be one of them, however if you are retired or over 65 and live in Andalucia, apart from probably having less achy joints, you also qualify for useful discount schemes for retirees.

Tarjeta Sesenta y Cinco Discount Scheme for Retirees

The ‘Tarjeta Sesenta y Cinco’ is a card for over 65’s as part of a scheme run by the Junta de Andalucia.  It´s free and enables those eligible to easily access direct benefits and social services as well as discounts, grants and access to various senior resident programs. For example: