I have been looking a little also in Portugal. If you are considering the golden visa program, my only advice I can give you at this stage is to keep an eye on the program as it may or may not last long in its current form. Pressure from EU I am told to get rid of it or to make it more expensive.

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A lot will depend on what nationality passports you hold.

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Thank you.

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First responder was correct, in that a lot will depend on what your nationality is, but, assuming tht you decide to stay in Spain, you will need a long term visa. You can go to the Spanish Consulate website for your area and find the instructions there, There are several different kinds of visas, but the most common for retirees is called a non-lucrative visa. The process for obtaining one is lengthy and requires a lot of certified health and income information. I would start by understanding the rules for the visa process. The most common ingress for the Costa del Sol is the city of Malaga. Most expats who want easy access to the beaches from the Malaga airport go west, towards Marbella, as a very good local train system runs from the airport down to the town of Fuengarola. In the three or four towns between Malaga and Fuengarola, you will find a variety of locations and price ranges to choose from, whether within easy walking distance of the beach, or further up into the mountains, or on one of many golf courses between Benalmadena and Fuengarola. Again, depending on your nationality of origen, this is a large UK expat contingent in some areas, which somewhat drowns out the Spanish "feel" of the area. Generally,, the further up into the hills you get, the more Spanish the feel. A strong suggestion would be to link up with a local realtor, who can help find a property within your budget and fitting your requirements. There is a local multiple listing system (US term), so all agents and companies have access to all published listings. You may also want to simply rent a place there for a few months in order to truly get a feel for the area. A high percentage of properties for sale come fully or partially furnished. Hope this helps.

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Joe,

From your email address, I assume you are in the US. Visit the website of the Spanish consulate nearest to you - probably in NYC. You will find the various types of visas and their requirements outlined there. The process requires collecting a variety of information but none of it is hard to do - just follow the instructions exactly as outlined. I recommend that you use this forum to find others who have gone through the process at "your" consulate recently. The various consulates around the country interpret the process in their own ways so best to connect with someone who knows how things work at your specific location. Collecting your info can be done in just a short time but it does take time! You'll also need to make an appointment online to present your application at the consulate. The lead time can be a few weeks or more so plan accordingly because your health certificate must be dated within 90 days of applying. Approval of your application is granted (assuming approval) usually within 6 weeks though mine took only 3, weeks. Timing on this is also important because once approved you'll have only 90 days to secure your NIE in country. Depending on where you settle, securing the NIE can take a fairly long time because it can sometimes be hard to get an available appointment and there is no guarantee that your application will be accepted without needing to supply additional information at new appointments. If your Spanish is good the process is much easier. If, like me, you're new to the language, you may want to use a gestor once in Spain to assist you and to cut through some of the red tape. Good luck - living in Spain is worth the effort!

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