...compared to some other countries.
Was looking into how one obtains Residence in Spain, as an EU citizen under current rules. What a feeling of deja vu.
Within three months you've got to register at the Foreigners' Office (Oficina de Extranjero) and show that you've enough money to support yourself and that you have either public or private health insurance. Sound familiar?
Then its off to the Padrón Office at the local town hall to register, not that dissimilar to going to the local Muhtar.
English is rarely spoken in either of the above (outside the Costa's) so if your Spanish ain't to clever you'll need a translator - now where have I heard that before?
The documents required for all of the above are almost the same as doing an RP in Turkey, one big difference is that the monthly minimum they look for either in pensions or savings is currently €655 and if its a pension, some office will demand that its paid into a Spanish bank, at least for the first three months.
As it stands, healthcare in Spain is free if you're over retirement age and from an EU country. If you are under retirement age then you either pay into the TGSS (SGK) as an employee, pay for private insurance or pay into a special fund for foreigners who can't access TGSS which at current rates is €60pm.
I've heard a lot of folks complaining about the RP process in Turkey, and not just on here. From what I've read and been told by those that have gone through the process in Spain its just as bad for delays and suffering at the hands of petty bureaucrats - they even have a terms for not having all the correct documents, Falta Uno, which means "the missing one" as no matter how careful you are, you'll always be missing one piece of documentation!
Now I know why so many folks who live on the Costas are there as "temporary visitors", and so few actually take out Spanish residency.
JF