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Gestor

Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:30am
34 replies806 views5 members subscribed
kipperguffy

Posts: 14

1 helpful points

Location: Vera Playa

Joined: 23 Jan 2020

Apologies if this has been answered previously. 
can anyone please recommend an English speaking Gestor who would take us through the resistencia process. We aren’t planning on living here but we do like to stay for the winter - which is longer than the allowed three months


thanks and kind regards 😊

DarioMartin

Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2020 8:52pm

DarioMartin

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 5342

6308 helpful points

Location: Vera

Joined: 16 Aug 2017

Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2020 8:52pm

I have heard Mundi Abogados at Las Buganvillas are excellent and English speaking.

A note about Residencia though - unless you are planning to spend 183 days a year or more in Spain, don’t bother.  To keep your Residencia you are required to spend more time in Spain than in UK, i.e. 183 days in Spain, 182 days in UK.  This will also mean that you become tax resident in Spain and will be obliged to convert driving licences to Spanish licences. This will involve a Spanish driving test, as Trafico advised the cutoff to convert UK Licences to Spanish was 31/1/20

Pre Brexit, this wasn’t much of an issue .... now? ...... 

as Extranjeria have stated, Residencia means you are RESIDENT in Spain, it is not for extended holidays.  That door has been firmly closed now, unfortunately.

kipperguffy

Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:28pm

kipperguffy

Original Poster

Posts: 14

1 helpful points

Location: Vera Playa

Joined: 23 Jan 2020

Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:28pm

DarioMartin wrote on Fri Feb 21, 2020 8:52pm:

I have heard Mundi Abogados at Las Buganvillas are excellent and English speaking.

A note about Residencia though - unless you are planning to spend 183 days a year or more in Spain, don’t bother.  To keep your Residencia you are required to spend more time in Spain than in UK, i.e. 183 days in Spain, 182 days in UK.  This will also mean that you become tax resident...

... in Spain and will be obliged to convert driving licences to Spanish licences. This will involve a Spanish driving test, as Trafico advised the cutoff to convert UK Licences to Spanish was 31/1/20

Pre Brexit, this wasn’t much of an issue .... now? ...... 

as Extranjeria have stated, Residencia means you are RESIDENT in Spain, it is not for extended holidays.  That door has been firmly closed now, unfortunately.

Thank you for the reply. So is my understanding correct that we must keep below 182 days - and this can’t now be taken as one long holiday? 

DarioMartin

Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:47pm

DarioMartin

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 5342

6308 helpful points

Location: Vera

Joined: 16 Aug 2017

Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:47pm

kipperguffy wrote on Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:28pm:

Thank you for the reply. So is my understanding correct that we must keep below 182 days - and this can’t now be taken as one long holiday? 

No, your options are :

1. Residencia, and you then spend 183 days or more per year in Spain or;

2. As a holiday maker and you are restricted to 90 days in a rolling 180 day period.

Marie52

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 7:32am

Posts: 65

20 helpful points

Location: Arboleas

Joined: 26 Jul 2019

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 7:32am

DarioMartin wrote on Fri Feb 21, 2020 8:52pm:

I have heard Mundi Abogados at Las Buganvillas are excellent and English speaking.

A note about Residencia though - unless you are planning to spend 183 days a year or more in Spain, don’t bother.  To keep your Residencia you are required to spend more time in Spain than in UK, i.e. 183 days in Spain, 182 days in UK.  This will also mean that you become tax resident...

... in Spain and will be obliged to convert driving licences to Spanish licences. This will involve a Spanish driving test, as Trafico advised the cutoff to convert UK Licences to Spanish was 31/1/20

Pre Brexit, this wasn’t much of an issue .... now? ...... 

as Extranjeria have stated, Residencia means you are RESIDENT in Spain, it is not for extended holidays.  That door has been firmly closed now, unfortunately.

Hi Dario

Re  exchange of driving licences - does this mean that trafico have ignored the Brexit  transition period ?

Regards

Marie 

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DarioMartin

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 8:28am

DarioMartin

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 5342

6308 helpful points

Location: Vera

Joined: 16 Aug 2017

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 8:28am

Marie52 wrote on Sat Feb 22, 2020 7:32am:

Hi Dario

Re  exchange of driving licences - does this mean that trafico have ignored the Brexit  transition period ?

Regards

Marie 

I ... believe ... so.  I’ve not heard of anyone who’s gone to swap their driving Licence recently, so cannot say definitively, but Tráfico were quite clear about 31/1/20 being the cutoff point to start the Licence swap process, after which a Spanish theory and practical test will be required.

Theory test can be done in English, but driving test will of course be in Spanish

EDIT: trying to find more sources, but here’s one that also links back to a Spanish government site ; https://www.benidormseriously.com/changing-your-uk-driving-licence-to-a-spanish-licence?g5_not_found=1

Marie52

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 8:37am

Posts: 65

20 helpful points

Location: Arboleas

Joined: 26 Jul 2019

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 8:37am

DarioMartin wrote on Sat Feb 22, 2020 8:28am:

I ... believe ... so.  I’ve not heard of anyone who’s gone to swap their driving Licence recently, so cannot say definitively, but Tráfico were quite clear about 31/1/20 being the cutoff point to start the Licence swap process, after which a Spanish theory and practical test will be req...

...uired.

Theory test can be done in English, but driving test will of course be in Spanish

EDIT: trying to find more sources, but here’s one that also links back to a Spanish government site ; https://www.benidormseriously.com/changing-your-uk-driving-licence-to-a-spanish-licence?g5_not_found=1

Thanks Dario

As I am currently resident in France  I think I will exchange my uk driving licence for a French  EU one. Hopefully  I can use that in Spain indefinitely as we were legally allowed to keep our U.K. driving licence before Brexit.

Regards 

Marie 

DarioMartin

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 8:50am

DarioMartin

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 5342

6308 helpful points

Location: Vera

Joined: 16 Aug 2017

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 8:50am

Marie52 wrote on Sat Feb 22, 2020 8:37am:

Thanks Dario

As I am currently resident in France  I think I will exchange my uk driving licence for a French  EU one. Hopefully  I can use that in Spain indefinitely as we were legally allowed to keep our U.K. driving licence before Brexit.

Regards 

Marie 

Any EU Licence will stand you in better stead in Spain than a UK one now.  The n332.es site suggests that if you’re living in Spain and have Residencia here, then you need to swap to a Spanish licence, but at least with a French one, should you have to swap (again) it would then just be a swap, not a test etc.

Marie52

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 9:14am

Posts: 65

20 helpful points

Location: Arboleas

Joined: 26 Jul 2019

Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 9:14am

DarioMartin wrote on Sat Feb 22, 2020 8:50am:

Any EU Licence will stand you in better stead in Spain than a UK one now.  The n332.es site suggests that if you’re living in Spain and have Residencia here, then you need to swap to a Spanish licence, but at least with a French one, should you have to swap (again) it would then just be a ...

...swap, not a test etc.

Thank you again Dario

LosPardoslady

Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2020 6:43pm

LosPardoslady

Helpful member

Posts: 602

422 helpful points

Location: Vera

Joined: 22 Jun 2019

Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2020 6:43pm

On the driving licence theme but slightly off topic! As we are non-resident we are getting our international driving permits renewed (£5.50 from the post office) as we are not convinced that traffico will make the distinction of a transition period.  It just seemed a sensible precaution. 

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