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Beyond BREXIT, option of retiring in Spain

Posted: Sun Nov 4, 2018 10:16am
17 replies828 views9 members subscribed
ChrisB

Posts: 5

Location: Vera Playa

Joined: 4 Nov 2018

Dear Forum members, could I seek your insights beyond Brexit option to retire in Spain, our situation of retirement post Brexit  date, we have an apartment in Vera for the past 5 years and absolutely love holidaying with a view on one day, 4 years our retiring - could Brexit impact the decision....pension access, healthcare, taxation etc...& insights into private healthcare costs? &/or option to apply for Spanish residency could this work? best regards, Chris

tony3121

Posted: Sun Nov 4, 2018 11:52am

tony3121

Helpful member

Posts: 118

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Location: Roquetas de Mar

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Posted: Sun Nov 4, 2018 11:52am

Hi,

Of course it will have a impact but until a agreement is made no one will know.

ChrisB

Posted: Sun Nov 4, 2018 11:56am

ChrisB

Original Poster

Posts: 5

Location: Vera Playa

Joined: 4 Nov 2018

Posted: Sun Nov 4, 2018 11:56am

Understood thank you for replying.

BobL

Posted: Sun Nov 4, 2018 4:40pm

BobL

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Location: Mojacar

Joined: 18 Aug 2016

Posted: Sun Nov 4, 2018 4:40pm

Hi,

Agree with previous poster.

Allegedly healthcare provision will remain unaltered & certainly there should be no change to pensions unless the UK Government decides to freeze pensions if you take Residence in Spain.

Actually our concern is the additional bureaucracy that might emerge from the Spanish side. Of course back will come higher Inheritance tax.

For ourselves we see people selling & then renting and, quite frankly, are amazed at so many Brits still arriving.

Oh, keep any investments in UK.

Best Wishes,

Bob and Sandra

Mojacar Playa and Puerto Lumbreras

ChrisB

Posted: Sun Nov 4, 2018 5:02pm

ChrisB

Original Poster

Posts: 5

Location: Vera Playa

Joined: 4 Nov 2018

Posted: Sun Nov 4, 2018 5:02pm

Thanks you Bob and Sandra, i guess dream to retire in Spain is still hopeful as ever and hearing BREAXT deal maybe close than we all think - reading todays newspapers.

Best regards, Chris

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chrisso50

Posted: Sun Nov 4, 2018 7:36pm

chrisso50

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1334 helpful points

Location: Roquetas de Mar

Joined: 23 Jul 2018

Posted: Sun Nov 4, 2018 7:36pm

The most urgent requirement for security is to obtain residency here before March. This FT article today explained how British embassies are stressing this is necessary for those already here. As you already have property here maybe it's possible to live here most of the year? It is clear that the UK will be a third country so proof of income requirements for new arrivals will quadruple. In Spain, registering residency is a legal requirement but it's estimated that 50% of Britons are not living here legally.

https://www.ft.com/content/d777e5fc-ddab-11e8-8f50-cbae5495d92b?

"Britain is urging hundreds of thousands of UK citizens living in the EU without registration documents to take action to guarantee their post-Brexit residence rights. Diplomats estimate that up to 50% of UK citizens living in some of the EU countries with large British communities have not complied with local legal requirements to register as residents from another EU country.

"Britons who have not obtained legal permission to reside in the EU could face difficulties proving they have a right to stay after the UK leaves the bloc. “There may well come a point in this process where British citizens who wish to continue living in Portugal after we leave the EU will need the right documents to demonstrate their residence status,” said Chris Sainty, the British ambassador to Lisbon.

"Current residency rights for Britons in the EU and EU citizens in the UK are expected to apply until December 2020, when a planned transition period is scheduled to end. But those rights could change as early as March next year if Britain leaves the EU without an agreement. “In either scenario, I think it’s self-evident that people should have their paperwork in order,” said Mr Sainty. “In Portugal, registering is a legal requirement.”

"Freedom of movement rights guarantee all EU citizens the right to work and reside in other EU countries. But national governments require people from elsewhere in the bloc to register with local authorities and acquire residence permits. In many EU countries, registration is also required to access healthcare and other services.

"More than 320,000 UK citizens live in Spain, according to Spanish government figures for June 2018, by far the largest British expat community in Europe. Some analysts, however, estimate the real number could be at least double that figure because large numbers have not registered with the local authorities. We know there are significant numbers of unregistered British citizens, but we don’t have a reliable estimate of how many,” said a British embassy spokesperson in Madrid.

"Diplomats say many UK citizens are not aware of the legal requirements to register as residents, while penalties for not doing so are low. Others cite language difficulties. Feedback also suggests some Britons are often more concerned about how Brexit will affect their healthcare and pension arrangements than their residence status.

"Britain and the EU have given mutual assurances on citizen rights after Brexit, with Theresa May, the British prime minister, saying EU citizens resident in the UK before March 29, 2019 would be able to stay regardless of the outcome of the negotiations. EU countries are expected to reciprocate.


"The United Nations last year estimated that 1.3m UK citizens were living in other EU countries. Efforts to alert UK citizens of the need to register have been stepped up since the British referendum on EU membership in June 2016. Embassy staff have held more than 100 outreach events in Spain."
Stu65

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 4:16pm

Posts: 53

16 helpful points

Location: Mojacar

Joined: 6 Mar 2020

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 4:16pm

Bringing up an old(ish) topic on the B word.

I am thinking of semi-retiring to Mojacar area come 2022, with spending 6 months working in UK, and 6 months relaxing in Mojacar area from end Dec to end May until such time as i can fully retire there.

Now, if my understanding is correct, as a non-resident, once we get to 1st Jan then we are going to be given a 90 day visa.

So, as i am spending 6 months (lets say 180 days) in Spain, it looks like i am going to have to get my visa renewed after 90 days. Would that be possible by simply driving to Gibraltar for a day?

TIA

Stu

DarioMartin

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 6:19pm

DarioMartin

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Joined: 16 Aug 2017

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 6:19pm

Stu65 wrote on Tue Apr 28, 2020 4:16pm:

Bringing up an old(ish) topic on the B word.

I am thinking of semi-retiring to Mojacar area come 2022, with spending 6 months working in UK, and 6 months relaxing in Mojacar area from end Dec to end May until such time as i can fully retire there.

Now, if my understanding is correct, as a non-resident, once we get to 1st Jan then we are going to be given a 90 day visa.

So, as i am spending 6 months (lets say 180 days) in Spain, it looks like i am going to have to get my visa renewed after 90 days. Would that be possible by simply driving to Gibraltar for a day?

TIA

Stu

Short answer - no.  Also, 31/12/20 has nothing to do with it.  The law as it currently stands is that without Residencia, you may stay in the country for a maximum of 90 days, after which you must leave the country for a period of 6 months.

So you can spend 6 months here, but only in two 3 month blocks, broken by a period of 6 months between them.

This is the law now, and is not likely to change post 31/12/20

Stu65

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 7:45pm

Posts: 53

16 helpful points

Location: Mojacar

Joined: 6 Mar 2020

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 7:45pm

DarioMartin wrote on Tue Apr 28, 2020 6:19pm:

Short answer - no.  Also, 31/12/20 has nothing to do with it.  The law as it currently stands is that without Residencia, you may stay in the country for a maximum of 90 days, after which you must leave the country for a period of 6 months.

So you can spend 6 months here, but only in two 3 month blocks, broken by a period of 6 months between them.
...

...

This is the law now, and is not likely to change post 31/12/20

Cheers Dario,

Sounds like 90 days in Spain then, and then 90 days in Portugal. I assume travelling through the country isnt an issue.

chrisso50

Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2020 1:32pm

chrisso50

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Posts: 1106

1334 helpful points

Location: Roquetas de Mar

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Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2020 1:32pm

Stu65 wrote on Tue Apr 28, 2020 7:45pm:

Cheers Dario,

Sounds like 90 days in Spain then, and then 90 days in Portugal. I assume travelling through the country isnt an issue.

Stu

Not that easy I’m afraid. Post Brexit, now that the UK 🇬🇧 is no longer in the E.U. your 90 days stay is a max 90 days allowed in any and all EU countries, within any 180 days period. That only applies to U.K. nationals that don’t have residence status in Spain 🇪🇸. So you can visit from 1 January and stay till the end of March, then return on 1 June and stay till near the end of September. Happy holidays - but Portugal 🇵🇹 also being an EU country means you can’t stay 90 days in Mojacar and then 90 days in Lisbon straight afterwards.

Chris

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