Moving to Spain: what happens if the UK leaves the EU? - Page 24

Your wrong Benidorm is a holiday destination not somewhere you would want to live

Spot on and the rate is higher and allowance lower

You are liable here for tax if resident 

You are liable here for tax if resident 

england is not leaving the eu,  fyi,  but the uk is !!!

Doesn’t matter now I live here love life but why would you say that when only asking for advice at the time and others understood what I ment.

The only rational way to understand this increasingly complex and labyrinthine issue, is to be as analytical as possible.  Firstly, it helps to distinguish between different categories of people  viz. holidaymakers, those who own property in Spain but are non-resident and those who have moved permanently to Spain and have acquired residency.  The first two categories are unlikely to be greatly affected except perhaps by less smooth airport transit and higher insurance premiums if the EHIC agreement is annulled. No-one imagines that Spain will do anything other than  try to accommodate its foreign residents as at present, as indeed the foreign minister has promised.  Spain has been a popular place for re-location since long before the EU came into being so we should not confuse the specific concept of freedom of movement enshrined in EU practice with the general freedom to relocate to most foreign states if one obeys local rules. The difference there is that one cannot benefit from the  privileges accorded to tax-paying  indigenous   citizens.  Unless the EU decides to create a special relationship with the first member to defect (excluding Greenland which is not really analogous), we shall revert to that status and be on a par with the large number of Russians, Ukrainians, Chinese and others who seem to live happily and without complaint in Spain.  Those most affected will be those, mainly young people, who particularly  value freedom of movement and easy employment opportunities within the EU and of course UK businesses most of which have no experience of trading  except within the EU and under EU rules and advantages.

I would agree with those that say that we just don't know. I am tempted to believe that those who are currently resident in Spain and have an NIE, residencia, Seguridad Social etc., will be allowed to stay. I find it hard to believe that Spain would kick all of those people out and risk the UK doing the same to Spaniards living in the UK. That said there might be a date involved i.e. you might have to have been living legally in Spain for a certain period of time before March 2019, in order to be allowed to remain. Bottom line is that we have no alternative than to await the outcome of the current negotiations. My advice would be that if you're not already living in Spain that you might want to look very carefully before making the move now.

You still have to declare in Spain.

My friend I must sound like a broken record. You make statements that are premised on there being a bilateral agreement between Spain and the UK. There will be no such agreement. The agreement will be between the EU and the UK. It will apply to all EU countries. Not only is Spain in the EU but it is also in the Schengen zone. The implications are obvious, so I do not need to spell them out.