Stuck at border

Pretty much what Graham has said. 

Do you have Spanish residency or don't you and if yes what paperwork do you have to prove it. Do you have a Spanish driving licence. What are the border police asking for. Please say you're not in a UK regged car! 

Even if Spanish resident as a UK citizen you have an absolute right to return to and reenter the country which nobody can refuse you, not even if you were confirmed virus positive and showing all the symptoms, so as unpalatable as it might be you may find yourself left with that as your only option. 

The EU are working on persuading countries to keep internal borders open but if they don't succeed then sadly you may have to face the fact of not being able to get to Spain until there is a significant improvement in the situation and unfortunately that still looks to be weeks if not months away. If you have travel insurance it might be worth finding out if they can offer you any assistance. 

I don't know which embassy you spoke to but in the circumstance it really needs to be the Spanish, the UK embassy can only offer advice, the Spanish can make things happen! 

Above all try to keep calm, panicing is unlikely to help. 

Morning Hayley, how awful for you. You won't have Residencia if you are just on your way and if you are in a UK reg car you won't be able to change to Spanish plates until you are here and even then the offices are closed. Most of us who drove down to our new lives in Spain drove a UK reg car!

Try ringing the abogado who dealt with your house purchase here, they may be able to liaise with the police on your behalf. The police may believe that you are just trying to get to your holiday home (as residents of Madrid continue to try to do).

I totally understand your panic, I would be the same. 

Wishing you all the best.

Hi Hayley,

I can imagine how worrying this is for you, as well as frustrating.

Just a thought: presumably a Spanish lawyer represented you when you purchased your house in Spain?  If you don't speak very much Spanish, perhaps it would be worth contacting your lawyer, who may be able to help by making representations to the Spanish authorities on your behalf?

If you need any help finding contact numbers, etc. do let us know - I use my smartphone all the time, but you can't beat the bigger screens of laptop and PC when you're trying to navigate websites.  Anything you think we may be able to help with, just say.  

Best wishes, 

Kim

Morning Cheryl, great minds think alike!  I must have been typing my post, when you posted yours 😆

Hi we are trying to get In touch with our Spanish lawyer as we speak but he’s not answer phone or email we will keep try thank you for your reply x 

Let me repeat the question, do you have residency or not? 

If not all any abagado can possibly do is attest to the fact that you've bought a property which of itself means nothing and will not get you across tbe border.

Sorry to be so negative but false hope is worse than no hope at all. 

Seems you have been denied entry at ONE point, but what about the others? If you are stuck near Perpignan you have following alternatives: Le Perthuis/La Jonquera (D900/NII), Cerbere/Port Bou (D940/N260) to name only the nearest. If you own property you have a NIE, and even if w/o a document, have the border patrol check that NIE in their database. Don't let them send you away and ask for a higher ranked officer. Tell them your children or old and handicapped parents wait for you. Anything goes. Give it a try and insist, you have got nothing to lose. Lots 'o' luck - and let me know.

And giving up, Movingon, without even trying, feeds negativity and regret - or do you think it would be better for their mental health to twiddle their thumbs in a French hotel room, worrying about what you believe is the inevitable?  To deliberately misquote Tennyson, "Tis better to have TRIED and lost, than never to have TRIED at all".

My reply is unfortunately not helpful to your present situation but an added thought. If you sold your Uk home this year and made a profit, then began life in Spain now as planned you would become a Spanish fiscal resident this year as more than 183days left in this year and therefore liable to CGT on the profits to Spain.. If this is so, you could defer your enterring Spain until July so you would avoid any CGT on your Uk sale.

Just a thought.

Regards

Pauline.