It’s now the beginning of the 4th year since the UK left the EU changing the requirement and costs for British nationals to get residency in Spain. British nationals apply for a Spanish residency visa if they want to live in Spain, and by far the most popular is the Non-Lucrative Visa.
We initially published this article early in 2021 not long after Brexit, and now three years into the ‘new norm’ for Brits, we revisit the requirements and costs for British nationals to a Spanish Non-Lucrative Visa and highlight the most recent changes.
We cover the general requirements in our article Spanish Residency Requirements for British Citizens and UK Nationals.
Here we drill down further into what the Spanish residency requirements for British nationals and the costs in real terms.
Spanish Residency Requirements for British Citizens as Nationals of Third Countries
The single biggest change for UK nationals is that British citizens are now classed as citizens of third countries, and therefore subject to general immigration rules. This means that UK nationals who wish to come and live in Spain must first obtain a visa, before they come to Spain, or in the case of the Golden or Digital Nomad Visa, be ready to apply within 3 months of arriving in Spain.
Visas are obtained through the Spanish Consulate in the UK, and applications must be presented with supporting documents present, correct, legalised, certified and officially translated as necessary.
In 2023 there was a significant change in process and procedure (and a small increase in costs), when the Consulates switched their visa administration to BLS International,
The process for British nationals to get Spanish Non-Lucrative Visas comes with not insignificant significant effort and cost so it’s useful if not essential to understand what’s entailed.
What Are The Visa Eligibility Requirements and Costs?
The minimum income of financial means to cover one year of residency in Spain is€30,000 for a single person. Just under €7000 extra per year is required for each additional dependent family member. So a married couple applying together need a minimum income of €37,000 between them, and for a family with 3 children €57,000 is required.
The total application costs will of course depend on the applicants circumstances and the type of visa being applied for.
As an example we will use a married couple, retirees John and Jane. John has a work pension and has just started receiving his state pension.
Private Medical Insurance / Healthcare
The cost of private medical insurance of course varies depending on age, state of health and existing conditions. A couple in their mid 60’s in general good health should expect to pay €2,500 to €3,000 for an annual policy.
In John and Jane’s case, as John is a state pensioner, he is eligible to get state healthcare in Spain by obtaining an S1 certificate from NHS Overseas. Although Jane has not yet reached state pension age, because they are married, Jane will also be able to register for healthcare in Spain under her husbands entitlement.
Documentation Costs
Each applicant must obtain a police report and medical certificates. These must then be legalised (apostille stamp attached), and then officially translated by a Spanish Government authorised (Sworn) translator. A police reports cost £55, medical certificate £50, legalisation is £45* per document (plus £5 postage per order), and official translation costs around £40 per page / document.
As Jane doesn’t have sufficient income to qualify for a visa in her own right, she must apply as John’s dependent and provide an up to date certified copy of their marriage certificate, legalised with apostille and officially translation into Spanish.
Other documents that might need to be legalised or translated are sworn declaration, and those confirming income, e.g. tax returns, pension letters, investment statements, and so on.
In cases where a one spouse fully depends on the the other, the Consulate often ask for a declaration of financial support that has been signed in front of a notary. This also has to be legalised and translated.
John and Jane’s documentation costs including a notary witnessed declaration of financial support will total as follows:
£230 – police reports legalised and translated
£220 – medical certificate legalised and translated
£118 – certified copy of marriage certificate legalised and translated
£80 – translation of pension documents into Spanish
£380 – declaration of financial support legalised and translated
£1023 – total document costs
*Legalisation fees were £30 until 31st December 2023, so legalisation costs have increased in 2024 by 50%. Getting 6 documents legalised as in this case, now costs £245 versus £185 last year.
Visa Application Fees
The non lucrative visa application and residency authorisation fees amount to £525 per applicant, and BLS charge an admin fee of £15 per person, plus £25 for passport return. All fees are paid by card at the application appointment.
£1,105 – total application fees
So to tally up, John and Jane’s visa application estimated costs will amount to £2128 if they follow the S1 route for healthcare, and more than double that if they didn’t have that option and had to get private medical insurance.
Given that these costs have to be outlaid upfront before the visa or residency has been approved, understanding the requirements and being prepared ready with a everything present and correct in your application, is of obvious importance. The last thing you want having spent thousands of pounds is for your visa application to end up being long drawn out process because of a poorly prepared application.
Similarly you don’t want to commit to the expense of a visa application if you’re unlikely to get approved. For this reason, if you are unsure whether you qualify, or don’t understand the requirements and process, its advisable to pay a firm that does, to review your situation and advise you, before you commit to the costs of a Spanish visa application.
What Can Go Wrong With Spanish Non-Lucrative Visa Applications
Insufficient / Irrelevant Income
Applicants must have a relevant reliable income such as a pension or derived from other assets, for example investments, share, property etc. If the applicant does not have sufficient income, but has significant cash savings, it is at the discretion of the Embassy to accept this or not.
NOTE: Applicants receiving income from a business activity in their home country, must demonstrate that the business activity doesn’t require their presence or input whilst they are in Spain. So for example, an income that is a salary paid to someone who works remotely is NOT acceptable as the non-lucrative visa does not permit you to work whilst in Spain.
Private Medical Insurance
A private medical insurance policy issued by a company operating in Spain is compulsory. The cover provided has to be the same as that available through the national health system in Spain, i.e. without limitations. If a policy providing adequate cover with no exclusions, is not in place and proof provided, the application will be rejected.
Documents
Applications require supporting documents to confirm the information provided. These may need to be certified as authentic or legalised before being officially translated. If the the right supporting documents are not supplied, or those presented are not correctly certified legalised or translated, this will hold up the application.
Timescales
There are no guarantees as to how long documents such as police reports will take, appointment availability, or application processing time. If attention is not given to planning your application, documents such as medical certificates may end up going out of date and travel dates might have to be changed or cancelled altogether.
Schools
If you are applying for a visa and have children aged between 6 and 16 years of age, your application must include proof that you have made arrangements for their schooling. Proof might be confirmation of the enrollment of the children at a private school, with reservation deposit paid.
Renewals
The process and requirements at renewal are quite different than when you first apply. If you haven’t checked the renewal process
There is now a lot more for British nationals, to consider when taking moving to Spain. Getting Spanish visas and residency requires detailed planning and understanding of all the in an outs. For this reason many choose to employ the services of a specialist company like ours to advise and guide them through the process.