I am a US citizen, married to a woman from Barcelona. We live in the US, and we own an apartment in Barcelona. I am in SPain for 6-8 weeks a year. REcently I became “emapdronado” in our neighborhood, and I went to our local clinic to register. They registered me and asked for my social security card. I dont have one, but they put me in their system nonethless, and told me where I had to go to get a social secuirty number. A few days later I had a first visit with a nurse, gave him my medical history, etc. .. so it seems that I am at least part way into the medical system.
At the same time my wife and I have been talking about moving some more money into an account in Barcelona (in euros). We talked with a friend who is a tax expert in Barcelona who advised us to open a new account in my name as a non-resident, thereby avoiding the automatic withholding tax on interest. I have read the articles on this website about banking, and this seems like a good idea.
My question is do I lose my non-resident status once I apply for a social security number, and can I even apply for the social security card if I dont work (I am retired).
Any help would be much appreciated.
Ron Dans
