Whilst in Nerja, and if you are interested, I can PM you with some advice about estate agents here...

If you require work when you move over that could be a big problem as there really isn't much available, and what little work there is tends to go to the Spanish. Make a list of the things you would like to do when you live here and also whether you think you would like urban or campo living. Try and experience both while you are here, especially urban living as it can be quite noisy. Do you need to be close to an airport? I can answer lots of questions about Nerja and the surrounding area if you need it.

 

Thrax,

Hi and thanks for your help!

Long story short re: work situation-my boyfriend got hurt on the job (NYPD) and he will be collecting 3/4 of his top pay disability-which will be around $85,000 USD. So work will not be an issue (however, I plan to volunteer immediately and work eventually should the Spanish economy turn around).

That being said, we "think" we want to live in a smaller city (alicante/valencia) or larger town (Nerja) for at least the first year, on or near the coast. Keep in mind that we consider Valencia small bc we are coming from NYC, I realize it is the 3rd largest in spain. We figured that it would be easiest to acclimate in a place that has access to most of the things we are used to-at least for the first year. I do think that my boyfriend will prefer a place like Nerja.

I plan on volunteering at a stable of some sorts, but I hear they are not hard to find no matter where you go (esp Nerja-I already looked that up).

Thrax, do you like Nerja? The prices seem right there for us. How is it in the winter months? I know it can be a tad touristy in the summer. I am under the impression that there are plenty of bars and restaurants. We don't need to be super close to an airport- from what I understand Malaga is not that far away from Nerja in terms of airports. Any airport that takes less than an hr to get too is pretty close in my book given NYC and it's traffic.

If you have a contact for a reputable real estate agent in Nerja that we can visit while we are there, I would really appreciate it.

One last question-How do you feel about Frigiliana? I know it is much smaller than Nerja, but the prices for 4 bedroom apts and cortijos are out of this world cheap ( we pay $1450 for a one bedroom in an outer borough of NYC). It seems very accessible to Nerja as well. Thanks in advance, much appreciated!

 

Hi,


I'm living in Alicante city the past 6 weeks and it is beautiful. Very close to the airport and great transport(if you don't intend on driving). It hasn't been too touristy since I arrived especially compared to other places I've been.

Maybe others would have a bit more experience with estate agents as I only dealt with a couple and found my apartment in two days. Alquiler sin riesgos is the estate agent that I dealt with and I found them to be very helpful.

However, I used websites such as idealista.com, pisos.com and think spain.com to set up viewings but I wouldn't bother ringing until you arrive. But just to get an idea, it is good to look into it.

Best of luck

 

I joined the forum a little under a year ago as my boyfriend and I are looking at moving to Spain.

Hi Katiebelle

What is your visa situation? Non-EU citizens can only spend a maximum of 90 days in EU Schengen countries at a time.

Are either you or your boyfriend an EU Citizen? Because if not, you're going to have residency permission problems living in Spain full time.

I'd strongly suggest you look into the visa situation for Non-EU citizens before you get too excited about looking for places to live.

 

Leanne, thanks!!! So wonderful to have a name of someone to speak with, as well as someone who used them and had a good experience.

ZenKarma,

There is a lot that has to happen before we move there (including marriage)- we just want to get a sense of who/what/where we should talk to while we are there, should the entire situation come through ( in at least a year if not two down the road).

We would have to apply for permanent residency. We have already looked into this, and I have visited the Spanish consulate here in NYC to speak with them. If all goes well, we would have well over the minimum income required for a residency visa. However, we do know what steps we need to take to get one, and there is certainly the prerequisite spanish red-tape etc. One of those things is already having a place you will be living, so thats why the real estate agents were of interest to us.

This trip is to see if Spain is where we would want to be, and to establish a clear idea where we would want to be, and how to get situated there if we are granted a visa. Want to have all my ducks in a row, so to speak.

 

If all goes well, we would have well over the minimum income required for a residency visa.

And you realise you will not only be paying American IRS taxes but Spanish Hacienda taxes on your income as well? You'll also need health insurance cover as well.

 

Well I understand what you are saying of course, but we cannot do any of this until we know how much he will get and when he will be finished. All of this is in review by the NYPD.

However, in the mean time, since we are going there in November for over two weeks, certainly some other groundwork can be laid, which were mostly my questions here. Make no mistake, I was on this board in Jan and Feb and have gone through this with others, so I know what we are up against, and I know what sort of research I needed to do. Disability pensions are treated differently in spain as well as America, so, we will see how the two match up. I do know for sure there is a double taxation agreement between spain and america, and it was just updated recently actually. However, trying to figure out the legalities is not going to be my job, and we will hand that off to a lawyer as soon as it is all said and done.

 

Government pensions in UK are not taxed in Spain. I don't know if the same applies to US Government pensions.

 

Some UK government pensions are not taxed in Spain. The UK government state pension is taxed in Spain for example.

It's generally the UK government occupational pensions that are not taxable in Spain.

 

CapnBilly-
Yes! Good memory. Last Jan/Feb I joined since that was when we first found out they would be forcing him off the job due to his injury, and we were looking at places outside america that would be a good place to relocate.

I have lurked since, as I dropped off posting and should not have. I met some wonderfully helpful people on this forum. Since our two week trip is now upon us, I thought it would be a good idea while we are there to do a little research at the very least, in addition to soaking up Spain as a whole (which frankly, in my opinion, is the best way to do this research but I knew people here would likely be helpful with names of businesses/people!).

Yes, his pension is a government pension, and in addition to that is a disability pension, which is why I am very confident it will be treated differently-just HOW much differently is the key from what I can tell- and Zen is right, it is something we absolutely need to know, but just can't before we go in November.

Kalohi-Very good question. We would go with the retirement visa I think as you do not need as much liquid capital. For the non-lucrative visa you need $75,000 in the bank. While we will probably have a little over half that, and a guaranteed monthly income, a retirement visa is far cheaper. Obviously, if I decided to work, I would have to go through the process again, but I don't see that being an issue in Spain in the near future. If I don't need a job, and the economy is bad, I can't justify taking it away from a Spaniard, who understandably has first rights anyway. I do however want to volunteer.

If it turns out we will be taxed over 20%, than it probably won't happen at all, as we are better here with me staying at my job in new york city.