International Living Community

Hey, Raine, I just singned up, as well. It was kind of annoying with all the sales pitches. Then, I didn't get my sign in credentials and had to reset my PW to actually get into the site for the first time. I am just now exploring and I hope there is more substance than all the fluff I've seen so far. It seems that everything leads to another upsell. Mike

Hi Ken, Costa del Sol is a great choice! I'm sorry to hear you're not eligible for EHIC coverage, which means you’ll need to take out private health insurance plan. And, it’s true that many private insurers in Spain have age caps, often around 74. That said, you should still be able to find a plan. There are brokers who specialize in finding coverage for expats in exactly your situation. I recommend checking out Gidea–Insbrok. They’re an expat insurance broker in Spain and can often help find plans even for those over 75 or with pre-existing conditions. You can get a free quote through my link: https://insbrok.com/shehitrefresh/ Also, once you’ve been living in Spain for over a year and have been registered with your local town hall (‘empadronado’), you may be eligible to apply for the public health insurance scheme called the Convenio Especial. This is a monthly paid plan through the Spanish public system that gives you access to healthcare regardless of age. Details and applications are handled by your regional health authority, so be sure to check their website. I hope this helps! Best, Cepee, IL Correspondent - Spain

Hi Ted, Thanks for your post on April 9 recommending a Portuguese tax attorney. My wife and I are going to Portugal this summer, with a hope of applying for a D7 retirement visa when we come back to the U.S. Would you recommend Ms. Jardim to help us with this, as well? We are looking around Vila Real, in the north of the country, if that gives you any guidance about recommending someone we can work with in that part of Portugal. Thanks so much! Charles Harmon

Hi again, this David Hammond. I am writing to let you know they've just added a new Uruguay category to the International Living Communitry page.

Hi Ilkka, For private health insurance, the most popular private health insurance providers are: Sanitas Adeslas Asisa DKV Assa You can often request a quote on their respective websites or speak to someone on the phone to discuss the right plan for you. Coverage will depend on the plan you select. I am from the US and reside in Spain and I have a private plan with Sanitas. If you have any questions just let me know. Cepee Tabibian, IL Correspondent - Spain

I offer one to one consultations for people looking to secure ancestral citizenship in Europe so if you'd like to reach out, you can find the sign up link on our IL website. Look for Global Citizen. Regarding Poland, there is technically no limit on how far back you can go to find an ancestor who qualifies you for residency. The problem is that Poland only came into existence as a modern nation in 1920. That means that your ancestor must either have been alive and Living in Poland when the Polish Republic was declared, or they must have lived on territory that subsequently became the Polish Republic before 1920. For example, many ethnic polls left what was then the Russian Empire or the Austro Hungarian Empire prior to 1920, but qualify as Polish ancestors. Not all countries do that. If and when you have your Polish citizenship recognized come up your wife would be eligible for a family reunification visa. This is required by European Union law. However, the only way to qualify for it would be to move to a European country as an EU citizen and then apply for her visa once you are settled. She won't be able to get the visa if she's still living abroad.

Although Costa Rica is getting more and more expensive, I have met plenty of people living on a fixed income over the past few years. The postcards section at IL shares the experiences of others who have made the move and is a great way to check out success stories. https://internationalliving.com/category/daily-postcard/ I suggest spending a month and staying in each of the places to really get a feel for them and check out the vibe for yourself. I recently visited Atenas and Grecia in the Central Valley and you might want to check them out if being close to health is necessary. I will be talking about them at the San Jose Conference in July 2024. Are you planning on joining us online or in person? The best healthcare is in the Central Valley, so keep that in mind. The best equipped hostpitals and most specialists are there. Often times, a specialist will visit a clinic in Guanacaste once a month. So it isn't as conveninet. An important factor to consider is the weather. What temperatures do you prefer? It rains everywhere, yet some places have more rain than others. The beaches Hot and humid, and I love them! Guanacaste is the driest part of Costa Rica. The Central Pacific receives more rain. Lake Arenal Cooler (temperature) than the beach. Nuevo Arenal gets about 50% more rain than Tronadora, located just across the lake. Tronadora is much windier. La Fortuna and the surrounding towns like Chachagua are drier and warmer. Many people find staying in an Airbnb a good way to check out a community, more so than a hotel. I talked with Nick when in Nuevo Arenal and he rent out an Airbnb. https://internationalliving.com/from-deaths-door-to-thriving-in-lake-arenal-costa-rica/ (https://www.airbnb.ie/rooms/40036748?source_impression_id=p3_1719933875_P3ic3CyJiPWB-oYF) The Central Valley Cooler temperatures - especially from the variety of elevations available. I met three people living in the Atenas/Grecia area on my last editorial trip in April 2024. Karen lives on $2000 a month, Mike on under $1400 a month (he spends six months here as he is Canadian), and Lynda spends about $1500 a month. This shows that living in Costa Rica can be affordable, hopefully giving you peace of mind about your financial situation. I suggest posting in Facebook groups to ask questions and get more on-the-ground information. I post in the groups in the areas I will visit to connect with people for my editorial trips and find specific places to visit. Most of the time, people are very helpful. I am not sure which areas you are most interested in, but you can start by checking out these groups: https://www.facebook.com/groups/209258083597577 https://www.facebook.com/groups/128010388878472 https://www.facebook.com/groups/579515763190243 https://www.facebook.com/groups/178568066214136 https://www.facebook.com/groups/450171628439598 I suggest searching Facebook for the town/city you want to visit to see what results appear. Facebook is widely used down here for community sharing and support. Let me know if you have any additional questions about Costa Rica. Bekah Bottone, IL's Costa Rica Correspondent

@83DONV-0 Hi there, I'd like to help you find this article--can you give me any more information about it? Do you know roughly when this article was published, or when you might have read it?

The thing that's important to bear in mind is that the cost of paying for care out of pocket in Panama or any other of the countries listed here may well be as low as a co-pay in the US. Many expats in Panama find that paying out of pocket for healthcare in Panama, with no insurance to help them cover costs, is still far cheaper than living in and paying for insurance in the States. Many US expat retirees living in Panama do keep some form of Medicare so they can return to the US if they need anything major insofar as healthcare is concerned, to avoid long-term major costs and to be near family, etc. Best, IL Panama Editor Jess Ramesch

Could not make the live presentation. There are no clickable links in this email to any presentation! Where is it in the Members account - under subscriptions?

We are also going in May/June 2025 - fly into Lisbon, but then Coimbra, Braga, and Viesu. Anyone have tips about car rental from Lisbon airport?

@RAINE1949 Hi Raine, Sorry you've had trouble accessing the Global Retirement Index. It looks like our community site is having some trouble displaying images right now, but I'll do what I can to help you. Try using this link—it should take you directly to the Global Retirement Index. https://magazine.internationalliving.com/internationalliving/library/item/annual_global_retirement_index_2025/4237086/

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