Moving to property in Spain does not mean that Britons are not still entitled to some of the benefits that they enjoyed back in their homeland.
Broadly speaking, there are three main groups of benefits after you move to property in Spain – some that you have to apply for before you go, some that you will always be entitled to apply for and some that you will have to do without.
Applying before you go
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) tells Britons moving to Spanish property that a variety of different benefits must be applied for before emigrating.
Statutory maternity pay, contribution-based jobseekers’ allowance, statutory sick pay and severe disablement allowance are all among these.
And while you might be moving to Spanish property in order to enjoy the sun all year round, the Winter Fuel Allowance is still available if you apply before you move.
In order to claim the payout, you must have been a resident of Great Britain or Northern Ireland during a specific week in the September leading up to the winter months.
Britons must also have moved to Spain after January 1st 1998 and should, at some point, have been eligible for the Winter Fuel Allowance during their years as residents of the UK.
Applying after you arrive
The FCO lists a total of six benefits that people can apply for from the comfort of their property in Spain.
Parents qualify for help in a number of ways, including UK child benefit and maternity allowance, both of which can still be claimed even if you are not a UK resident any more.
For child benefit, you should be paying contributions by being employed or self-employed in an appropriate job.
People who are on one or more of a number of other UK benefits when they move abroad could still find they can claim child benefits, even without being in a UK-based job.
Maternity allowance is available of you spent 26 of the 66 weeks leading up to your due date living in the UK.
Benefits for disablement due to industrial injuries and the Disability Living Allowance, contribution-based incapacity support and bereavement benefits are all on the list of financial assistance that remains available to emigrating Britons.
The specific restrictions in place on each type of benefit are likely to vary, so people planning to move abroad should seek guidance on the particular benefits that they believe are likely to be relevant to their needs.
One place to find this is the FCO itself, which keeps full lists of the different benefits available to Britons and how to go about applying for them.
While the forms of assistance discussed above relate particularly to people moving to property in Spain, similar guidance is available wherever you are moving to, so that all you need to think about once you get there is making the most of your new home.
Non-exportable benefits
There are a few benefits that you cannot take with you to property in Spain – such as income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit.
A contribution-based healthcare system is also in place in Spain, unlike Britain’s NHS, usually meaning that anyone seeking medical treatment must have paid into the country’s social security system.
However, Britons retiring to the sun could find they are an exception to this rule, as they can still qualify if they are on bereavement benefits, contribution-based incapacity benefits or a state pension.
Anyone living in Spain but working for a UK company could also qualify for state healthcare, according to the FCO.
It is important for anyone moving to Spain – or returning from the country – that they deregister with their doctor in the country that they are leaving and register with the appropriate medical professional on arrival in their new home.