Thread: Another fed up U.K. Citizen.

Hi. my names Roger and I have been contemplating moving to Spain for quite a while and now Ive just gotta to do it. I will probably get a bar somewhere in or around Costa Del Sol so I will probably have quite a lot of questions to ask but I suppose the main thing at the moment is the health thing. I am an insulin dependant Diabetic and I get all my needs free in the U.K but not sure how it works in Spain or do I have to get it shipped to me from the U.K. Are there any Diabetics out there that can help me with this. Thanks Roger.

Hello Roger & welcome.
Health cover is going to be an issue & on the face of it you will have to go private. Will they cover a pre-condition ? as far as I know they will not.

There are a lot of threads about health cover so give the search button a thrashing & see what you can find.

He wouldn't have to go private if he was a business owner - he'd be paying into the system & therefore get state healthcare, so would be covered.

For me the biggest questions are - what experience he has running a bar & does he speak Spanish?


TBH IMO anyone thinking of running a bar in Spain needs their bumps read anyway - especially in the current financial climate.

good point.

If you payed into the system, you would still probably have to pay for your perscriptions. I wouldn't come over if I were you at the moment, I would wait for the economy to pick up a bit. All the Ex-pats I know with Bars are living hand to mouth at the moment.

Good morning Rodger, welcome to the Absolute Spain Forum. I hope you have checked out the search button as suggested, there is information on here from previous queries I am sure.

As to the bar bit I would not consider it but then I have no experience of doing so and would not want to be tied 24/7 to it. Going grey enough without the worry.

What ever your decison is, keep asking your questions and using us as a sounding board. The members here have a wealth of information on based on true experience in Spain, they are happy to give honest opinions.

Hi Roger

We are about to send a deposit on a business and the way we look at it is if the good times were still here we could not afford to do it!

There are lots of bargains to be had and so long as you have a financial cushion then I say go for it!

Despite a nervous moment, our agent has been fantastic and I can give you the website in a PM should you like.

Dear Rlewis, take no notice of the negative comments. I have just rented my bar to someone in these "Bad Times" . From nothing in a month he is taking 1000 a day plus 4ooo over the weekend. So 9000 a week is not a bad start. He works hard, cheap food (but quality) and it is really happening for him.
The guy has changed from the stressed out guy that arrived. He and his family are enjoying the experience.
And I for one need him to do well so he can rent it next year. I am looking forward to my Sunday Carvery today in his bar for a price of just 6,95.

Hi Roger, Welcome to the forum. Do your homework upfront, make sure you know the running costs; there is a big difference between revenue and profit but as others have said once you've done the groundwork take a chance and go ahead with your dreams else you may always be wondering what if ;-))

On a final note, I too would recommend you allow a cushion to cover start up and any lean times.