So, You Want to
Call Spain Home
It's a beautiful thought — and a big one. We've made the move ourselves, and we've written down everything we wish someone had told us. Visas, healthcare, money, family, the lot. No brochure gloss. Just the truth, kindly told.
Moving to Spain isn't really one decision. It's a hundred small ones — and most of them keep people up at 3am long before they ever pack a box.
The visa. The pension. Whether you'll be taxed twice. The family back home. Will you make friends, or rattle around a villa feeling far from everyone you love? These are the questions that matter, and they deserve straight, honest answers rather than a glossy smile and a "don't worry about it."
So we wrote them down. One guide for each of the worries we hear most — each one plain-spoken, properly researched, and free. Read the ones that speak to you, in any order you like. Here's the whole series.
Your Move, One Worry at a Time
Your New Life in Spain, Done Properly
The big one. The full step-by-step route from the UK (or anywhere outside the EU) using Spain's Non-Lucrative Visa — BLS appointments, the income you need to show, ACRO certificates, apostilles, your TIE, and the single golden rule of doing things in the right order. If you read one guide first, make it this.
Healthcare in Spain, Made Simple
Will you be looked after when it really matters? Yes — and here are your three routes in: private cover, the S1 form for UK pensioners, and the Convenio Especial pay-in scheme. Costs, eligibility and which one fits you, all in plain English.
Money, Tax & Peace of Mind
The fear that wakes you at 3am. Can you get your pension out here? Will Spain tax everything twice? And the dark one nobody likes to voice — what happens to your home and your spouse if the worst happens out here. Every money dread, turned over and faced.
The Family You Left Behind
The quietest fear of all, and the one that stops the most people. The guilt of leaving the grandchildren, the ageing parents. But what if the distance doesn't loosen those bonds at all — what if the spare room changes everything? An honest look at the heart of it.
Two Passports, One Move
One of you holds an Irish passport, the other doesn't. Moving together is not only possible — it's far simpler than most couples fear. The one thing to understand first, the order of play, and whether the British partner can work. The full picture for mixed-nationality couples.
Living Here, Not Holidaying
Anyone can sell you the sunshine. This is the other part — the doctor's surgery, the first friend, the dog at your feet, the ordinary Tuesday. Healthcare as you age, learning Spanish, your driving licence, and whether you'll be isolated or right at home. The reality nobody else mentions.
We've Done This Ourselves. Let's Do Yours.
Read the guides, take your time, and when a real question comes up — the kind that needs a person rather than a page — we're right here. A friendly chat, no pressure, from a family who genuinely made the move and now help others do the same on the Costa Blanca and Costa Cálida.
These guides are for general information only and reflect rules and indicative costs as of 2026. Visa, healthcare, tax and residency requirements change and vary by region and personal circumstances. Nothing here is legal, financial or tax advice — please confirm your position with the relevant Spanish authorities or a qualified adviser before making decisions.
