Settling in
Where should you live as a family on the Costa Blanca?
You cannot have both: Javea has an international school on the spot but is 98 km from the airport, while San Juan de Alicante is 23 km from the airport but has no school of its own.
Which Alicante district should you live in?
A ten-minute drive in Alicante can nearly double the price per square metre, from 3,694 euros in Playa de San Juan to 1,388 euros in Virgen del Remedio. Here is a district-by-district guide.
How do you get to Alicante-Elche airport from the Costa Blanca?
Alicante-Elche airport hit a record 19.95 million passengers in 2025. Here is how to reach it: the C6 bus from Alicante, direct ALSA coaches from Benidorm and Torrevieja, taxi fares and parking.
How much does an international school cost on the Costa Blanca?
Costa Blanca international school fees range from 5,200 to 15,650 euros a year, averaging 8,442 euros, across 33 schools, 23 of them British curriculum. Fees rise sharply with age.
The Bachibac on the Costa Blanca: Elche, Altea and the dual diploma
The Bachibac dual diploma on the Costa Blanca: only IES Carrús (Elche) and IES Bellaguarda (Altea), plus the French school in Alicante.
Insurance in Spain: home, car, liability and health (what anglophones need to know)
Home insurance that sends a plumber for a leak, car cover and your no-claims bonus, plus the health-insurance rules for British, Irish and American residents: the 2026 guide.
Documents to prepare before moving to Spain (UK, US and Irish)
The checklist before you move to Spain: passport validity, non-EU visa paperwork, apostilles for UK/US documents, birth and marriage certificates and sworn translations, with far less needed for Irish citizens.
Renewing your passport from the Costa Blanca: UK, Irish and US guide
How to renew a UK, Irish or US passport from the Costa Blanca: online via HM Passport Office, Passport Online, or the US Consular Agency, plus timings, fees and what to update afterwards.
Exchanging your driving licence in Spain: UK, US and Irish rules
UK licences can be exchanged with no test, but only within six months of becoming resident. US holders must sit the full Spanish test; Irish and EU holders just register.
Do you need a visa to move to Spain? A guide for non-EU newcomers
It depends on your passport. Irish and other EU citizens need no visa; Britons (post-Brexit), Americans and other non-EU nationals do. Here are the routes.
Renting a flat on the Costa Blanca: the guide to not getting burned
From €10.5 to €16.5/m² depending on the town, a protective year-round legal framework, and the local trap of the de temporada lease: everything to rent with confidence, from Alicante to Dénia.
Getting your NIE on the Costa Blanca: offices, fee and appointments
Form EX-15, the €9.84 Modelo 790-012 fee, and seven counters across Alicante province, from Alicante to Dénia: the NIE step by step, with the traps to avoid.