Hi everybody,
I am a new member of spainexpat and although I have spent some considerable time in spain previously I am now thinking of making the big leap and moving to spain on a resident basis.
However I am really unsure about the pension and health situation.
I already receive a UK state pension and of course national health care ,does anybody know what happens to both these things if I were to set up residency in spain and are there any pitfalls I should be aware of before taking this big step.
I would appreciate any replies on this subject ,thanks in advance for any advice.
regards
Geoff

welcome Geoff , will hope we can help you here ,

pension is in GBP and will be in Euros here in spain the rates is not good for GBP TO EURO 85pence to euro .... and keep changing aswell

why not ask next time you go to pick up you money that many know whats site to go to but i look in two for you

jurxdy

Hi Geffngill,
As one who has recently started receiving my UK state pension may i direct you to this site;

http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/ipc/faqs.asp#sixteen

This has most of the answers to the questions you need answers to.

Your UK State pension can be paid into a Spanish Bank account; it is paid in sterling and converted to Euros at the rate of the day.
This obviously has ramifications for the amount you actually receive. For instance in September the converted amount was 770 Euros; this month it was somewhat less at 725 Euros. Many UK State pensioners out here are feeling the pinch as the exchange rate has plummeted over the last couple of months and shows very little if any possibility of rising again.

You could also try phoning the IPC at 0191 218 7777.
You will need to be able to quote your NI no.

fb

Geoff,
welcome.
I don’t want to sound negative or put you off…. but have a really good think about it/the consequences. 
My partner is just on the verge of receiving their UK penion - but may decide to stay UK resident as once you are out
of the UK system we are finding from my own & friends experiences it is very hard to get back in. 
I think other people will tell you that if you have a property in the UK, tax liabilities etc then these will all help you with your decision making.
We are just thinking that it is easier to stay in the UK system than try to re-join if anything goes wrong and you need to return.
(thinking of health and social care). 
I chose to be non UK resident for past 10yrs and now finding it very hard to get back into the system.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.
sj

Spain is the third most popular tourist country in the world, and its not hard to see why. A residence card (residencia) was required by anyone wishing to live in Spain more than six months out of the year. Contrary to what some people believe, irrespective of whether you have a residence card or not, if you remain in Spain for more than 182 days in a calendar year you will be regarded as a resident for tax purposes, thus liable to pay income tax on your world-wide income. A residence card is useful to have as it is often requested as an identification when purchasing goods with credit card or setting up a contract with a utility company. The card however is no longer obligatory for EU nationals and others.

All the comments above are good, specially the issues created by the current exchange rate,

If you are of UK Pensionable age you will be entitled to register and get free health care in the State Spanish System ( you will need to obtain form E121 from DWP Newcastle before you leave to enable you to register here). The info on rights and benefits available as a pensioner, you can find a lot of info from
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/international/sa29/

As pointed out above there is a risk in returning into the UK system if you transfer to the Spanish system and this should be considered as part of the decision making process.