Property owners visas

Sorry John but I've never heard of a property owners visa.

I spend a lot of time on expat forums and that visa has never been mentioned. 

Can you give any more information of which newspaper and possibly a link to the article please. 

Steve 

Hi

I am pretty sure the property owners visa was mentioned in the daily mail some weeks ago. I am bemused to understand why people like myself are being denied access to our property as we bought it in 1993. and I was not told by anybody including my fiscal rep to apply for residency.However it is what it is.

p.s We did not vote to leave the e.u.

Regards

John payne

Torre Pilar (some times)

Never been one nor likely to be, and rightly so.

Sorry you missed out but granting those fortunate enough to be able to afford a second home special residential rights while denied the less fortunate would be neither right or proper.

Hi John,

I think Grahamester may be right.  Spain's Investor Visa, usually called the Golden Visa, includes the possibility of gaining residency here on the basis of investing €500,000 in Spanish property:

https://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/londres/en/ServiciosConsulares/Paginas/Consular/Visado-de-inversor.aspx

Of course, you're not being denied access to your property, you can still visit your property for 180 days in a year, but you can't do so in periods exceeding 90 days per visit.  It's just that the rules for that access are now based on post-Brexit, Third Country National laws, rather than as a citizen of an EU member state.  In fact, we were always limited to a maximum 90 days, after which we had to register as foreigners in an EU country, but those not planning to live here permanently didn't bother and, equally, the Spanish authorities turned a blind-eye to their own rules, so long as we didn't exceed 182 days in one visit.  Sadly, you're not the only person who didn't vote for Brexit to be denied the rights you previously enjoyed by those who did vote for it.

Kind regards,

Kim

Hi Darro

My main point is why do people from the E.U.  being allowed to stay in the U.K  for six months and this is not reciprocated by the E.U. ? you would have thought that Governments of E.U. countries would realise that this does not make economic sense, especially Spain which has a large expat community spending time and money maintaining property there, and supporting  the local economy.I just think they are shooting themselves in the foot. and they ought to consider this further.

Regards 

john2

Hi John,

The time that UK visitors can spend in Spain hasn't changed, it's still a maximum of 182 days (6 months), the same amount that Spanish residents are allowed to spend in the UK. However, the change since Brexit is that in Spain and other EU countries, the time needs to be spent in 2 periods of a maximum 90 days each, so overall it makes no economic difference.

Since Brexit, the UK is treating EU citizens the same way that it has always treated other Third Country Nationals.  Similarly, Spain is treating UK citizens as it has always treated other Third Country Nationals, so the arrangements are equitable.  As UK citizens, we've just been lucky that Spain ignored its residency registration laws for so many decades.  In any event, Spain isn't to blame for this change - I'm afraid that's down to the UK citizens who voted for Brexit. 

Kind regards, 

Kim

As others have posted, your not being denied access, and as to the often heard quote of "don't they know how much money they will be losing?", this is quickly being replaced by other northern EU buyers. As statistics show, the amount spent by UK pensioners is not that significant by person, after all most come for the cheap cost of living in retirement, and as always there will be a new supply of residents based on the void any departing UK residents create. As an aside, how is it even possible for anyone to not have heard over the period of years to not realize you had a window to stay as a resident? Over the course of life things come and go and this is but one of those things

Can anyone tell me what month to what month the 180 day rule applies from? Is it January to January? If you over stay the 180 days what happens? Also (and this is probably a silly question)...how would the authorities find out if you exceeded the 180 day.

Many thanks.

Julia

There is no set start/finish month. It is a rolling 90/180 period, so as months go forward the period drops off the earlier time.

If you have a UK passport it will be stamped as you enter the Schengen zone and stamped again when you leave.

Steve