Retiring in Costa Blanca South: visas, healthcare, S1, life

If you hold an EU, EEA or Swiss passport (Italians, Germans, Scandinavians, Irish and so on) you have the right to live in Spain, but if you stay more than three months you must register. The document is the Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Unión Europea, the small green card, requested at the immigration office or police station with form EX-18 and the 790-012 fee.

As a retiree you will normally need:

• Your passport or national ID card.
• Your padrón (registration at the town hall where you live).
• Proof of your pension or sufficient funds.
• Health cover: an S1 from your pension country or full private health insurance with a Spanish-authorised insurer.

Local offices can ask for slightly different paperwork, so book your appointment early and bring originals and copies.

British, American, Canadian, Russian-speaking and other non-EU retirees usually move with the non-lucrative residence visa, applied for at the Spanish consulate in the country where you live. It allows you to live in Spain but not to work here.

• Income or savings: 400% of the IPREM. With the IPREM still at €600 a month in 2026, that is €2,400 a month or €28,800 a year for the main applicant, plus €600 a month (€7,200 a year) for each dependant, such as a spouse.
• Private health insurance with an insurer authorised in Spain, full cover and normally no co-payments.
• Criminal record certificate and medical certificate, legalised and translated where required.

Since the new immigration regulation (Real Decreto 1155/2024) came into force on 20 May 2025, the first permit lasts one year. To renew it you must show you actually lived in Spain for more than 183 days in the calendar year. After five years of legal residence you can apply for long-term residence. Consulates differ in what they accept, so check your consulate's current checklist.

UK nationals who were legally resident in Spain before 1 January 2021 are protected by the Withdrawal Agreement and hold the TIE card. Anyone moving now is treated as a non-EU citizen: without a visa you can stay a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period. Buying a home is not affected at all, and many of our British clients buy first, spend winters here within the 90/180 limit, and apply for the non-lucrative visa once they decide to move full-time. A UK state pension is paid in full in Spain and is uprated every year.

The Vega Baja is well served. The public Hospital Universitario de Torrevieja covers Torrevieja and Orihuela Costa, and the Hospital Vega Baja near Orihuela covers the inland towns. Every town has a public health centre (centro de salud), and there are private clinics and the Quirónsalud hospital in Torrevieja.

The S1 route

If you receive a UK state pension, or a state pension from another EU country, you can usually get an S1 from your pension country (for the UK, from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services). You register it with the INSS (Spanish social security), then take the INSS document to your local health centre to get your SIP card, the Valencian health card. Your care is then the same as a Spanish pensioner's.

Convenio especial

Residents who do not qualify for public healthcare can join the Generalitat Valenciana's convenio especial after at least one year of residence: approximately €60 a month under 65 and €157 a month from 65 (figures published by the Generalitat; check the current rates). Private health insurance remains essential for non-lucrative visa holders in the first years.

Where you live shapes your retirement more than the house itself. Our practical shortlist:

• Torrevieja: everything within walking distance, a long promenade, the hospital, buses and the Friday market. Ideal if you plan to give up the car one day.
• La Mata: a quieter beach village with a long sandy beach and the salt lake natural park behind it.
• Playa Flamenca and Orihuela Costa: very international, with the Saturday market, Zenia Boulevard and a huge choice of bars and clubs.
• Ciudad Quesada: villas and bungalows inland, a large English-speaking community and golf at La Marquesa.
• Guardamar del Segura: a real Spanish town with pine woods along the dunes and a calmer pace.

Look for a ground floor or a building with a lift, a health centre within a short drive and a bus stop nearby.

Most retirees do not need a big villa. A two-bedroom apartment or ground-floor bungalow with a sunny terrace is easier to maintain, cheaper to heat in winter and easier to lock and leave when you visit family. Typical fixed costs are community fees, IBI (council tax), rubbish tax, electricity, water and insurance. Browse property for sale in Torrevieja to see current prices, or try the area first with a long-term rental in Orihuela Costa: renting for six to twelve months before buying is the single best piece of advice we give.

If you spend more than 183 days a year in Spain, or your main centre of interests is here, you become a Spanish tax resident. You then declare your worldwide income in Spain, and double-taxation treaties decide which country taxes each pension; UK government-service pensions, for example, are generally taxed only in the UK. Residents with assets abroad worth more than €50,000 in a category may also need to file the informative Modelo 720. Get a tax adviser to look at your pensions before you register, not after.

The coast enjoys mild winters, with daytime temperatures typically in the mid-teens in January, and hot summers tempered by the sea breeze. Life here is sociable: walking groups around the pink lagoon, bowls, golf, choirs, Spanish classes and volunteer groups such as HELP Vega Baja, which supports English-speaking residents. Alicante and Murcia airports are both within about an hour, so family visits are easy.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change, so confirm your case with a lawyer or tax adviser. When you are ready to look at homes, contact us and we will build a shortlist around your budget and your health and transport needs.