Spain: Pros and Cons Without a Pitch
Their son Declan has offered to help them think it through, and he brings a notebook with two headings: Helps and Costs.
Picture a couple named Lysander and Odalys, 67 and 62, in Arizona. Their son Declan has offered to help them think it through, and he brings a notebook with two headings: Helps and Costs. He reads the Spanish embassy's page on the non-working residence visa aloud, and they add a line each time something lands on one side.
| Side | What they found | Year and kind of source |
|---|---|---|
| Helps | The money test is published: €28,800 a year for the main applicant plus €7,200 for a spouse, so €36,000 for the two of them. The Washington page gives about US$32,000 plus US$8,000. | 2026, embassy of Spain in Washington |
| Helps | Homicide is 0.69 per 100,000 people and road deaths are 3.9 per 100,000. | 2023 and 2019, official and World Health Organization data |
| Helps | After one year of residence, people with no other cover can apply to join the public health system for a fixed monthly fee: €60 under 65, €157 at 65 and over. | Government order and Basque government page; check your region |
| Helps | The visa fee for Americans is US$140 plus US$13 for the permit. | From 1 Jan 2026, embassy page |
| Costs | No work of any kind, including remote work. | 2026, embassy page |
| Costs | For the first year they need a private policy from an insurer authorized in Spain, with no deductible, co-payment or limit. | 2026, embassy page |
| Costs | House prices rose 12.2% in a year. | Q2 2026, national statistics institute |
| Costs | A decision takes about 3 months and may take up to 3 more. The rules changed in May 2025. | 2026, embassy page |
Declan counts. Four and four.
Odalys reads the first Costs line twice. "I still do bookkeeping for three old clients. It is a few hours a week, and I like it."
"Could that be a different visa?" Lysander asks.
"The embassy's page points remote workers to a separate visa," says Declan. "We would need to read that one too."
Then Lysander does the sum for the health row. He would pay €157 a month and she would pay €60, which is €217 a month, or €2,604 a year, once the first year has passed. In that first year the private policy comes instead. "So the fixed fee is for later," he says. "The first year is a different bill."
Declan underlines the insurance line. The consulate wants a policy from an insurer authorized in Spain, with nothing left for the patient to pay.
You could…
- Read the consulate page for your state in full, including the section on insurance, before pricing any policy.
- Ask an accountant who works with Americans abroad how your pension would be taxed. The treaty says a private pension is taxed only where you live, and Social Security may still be taxed by the United States.
- Ask a Spanish insurer or broker for a written quote that says "no co-payment, no deductible, no limit."
If you have a part-time client, a pension or a house you would need to place before moving, what would sit in your Costs column? Share it in the comments, and the next person with a notebook may borrow the line.
Figures are estimates for planning, based on public data. Rules change, so each figure shows the year it applies to; ask the official office before you act.
Sources: Embassy of Spain in Washington, consular page on the non-working residence visa; Spanish statistics institute housing price index, Q2 2026; Spanish government order on the special health agreement (BOE-A-2014-8499) and the Basque government procedure page; Institute for Economics and Peace, Global Peace Index 2026; World Health Organization road safety data; United States and Spain tax treaty, Article 20.
Tell us in the comments