Spanish Consulate Update - application and income requirements, post Brexit - confirmation, Non-Lucrative Visa. - Page 5

Everyone will make their own investment and retirement decisions. I recall when I bought my first property in Spain my father asked me if I was sure I wanted to buy a property that was OUTSIDE the EU!

How times change....

I think that Spain will remain popular as it always has been. The main downside is for people who have been used to, or want in the future to winter for 5/6 months in a block.

Flights to Spain remain short (my last one from Birmingham had a tail wind and was less than 2 hrs 30). Carriers will still operate with reasonable prices once it settles back, and the demand for a cheap short haul holiday to Spain will be strong once people adjust to the new paperwork required.

There was an upswing of EU buyers in Spain in the last 5 years and I'm sure that swallows from Scandinavia and the northern EU countries will eventually take up whatever slack UK owners leave behind. Ironically they will benefit from the property price drops that the market will see in some locations.

Hi Deirdre, This won't affect Irish passport holders in any shape or form. We are still EU citizens regardless of where we live so our rights are protected. It seems that UK citizens who applied for residency prior to the end of 2020 will be ok but for people who want to move here in the future it will be more difficult for them as the UK has now got 3rd country status.

Im going to see how things pan out

 I would love to move to Spain 

If the properry prices fall then thars good for me but sad for others

Looks like its a waiting game well at least until C19 is over

9.30-12.30 two days a week... Am tempted to comment but won't.

Unfortunately everything seems to have to be done in presence and it's not just fingerprints but even relatively easy procedures with any other administration including banks, as if Consulates, Embassies and electronic data transmission didn't exist.

Covid situation is used as an excuse for inefficiency at any level, public and private and in many countries, rather than recognise the real needs of users which are often generated by the very same administrations.

Not only Spain am afraid, I speak first hand from experience with other countries including mine .. arm yourself with patience and good luck.

Says one thing and its opposite in the second part.... looks like normal free to interpretation nonsense.

Having previously owned  a property in Cyprus on the Southern Greek Cypriot side for 18 years let me give you some cautious warnings before considering buying there. Many properties in Cyprus don’t have title deeds issued for decades due to an arcane bureaucracy which means you have to be very careful when buying in this Country, No title deeeds can be a real nightmare. A good independent lawyer is needed to protect your buying interest.  I would recommend never purchasing without knowing the Deeds are available. Also in Northern Cyprus Turkish occupied, questions over original ownership of land, prior to the Turkish invasion in the 1970’s still exist so you have to be even more careful there. 

We love visiting Cyprus and will still return for holidays now we have sold our apartment at a much lower asking price, as it had no deeds 18 years after it was newly constructed. My warning is not, don’t go there, just be super cautious about buying property. It’s not as straightforward as Spain where we got our Escritera, title deeds within 2 months. 

I believe you can still only stay 90 out of 180 days in Cyprus,Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania. But they do not count against your 90 days in other EU countries.

So you could spend 90 days in Cyprus then 90 days in Spain then 90 days in Croatia than back to Spain for 90 days all in 1 year. Please correct me if I have misinterpreted this.

Regards Clive

I hope you are right Clive, that would give retired folks a lot of good rental options at this juncture rather than committing a lot of capital to one Country as Brexit regulations play out in each Country. That’s of course once we can travel with the COVID restrictions removed. I will ask my mate who lives in Cyprus and see if he knows more about their exception. 

That's how it seems to be indeed. However, the 90 in 180 days rule existed long before Brexit and still exists throughout the EU, it was just barely enforced. The UK having now become third party country, its nationals will be required required to use checked channels and any entry-exit officially recorded.

Anyone else travelling (which is wishful thinking right now) within the Union on an EU passport, will or should be able to use dedicated EU lanes or E gates where present and only have soft checks, business as usual.

With particular regards to Spain (but not only), regulations were already stating that anyone exceeding 90 days in 180 and over 180 in a 12 months period, is required to apply for Padron or equivalent status and subsequent residence.

The real big difference Brexit has made for UK nationals with regards to holidays and travel in general is that this criteria will be strictly applied and residence applications will become more difficult and costly. The same applies for EU citizens wanting to move to the UK, which at the end of the day is what Brexit supporters wanted and will now get to enjoy to the detriment of a great number of others. Mostly hit will be pensioners which will see the dream of a place in the sun cost a lot more if not become impossible at all. Personally I can see all other four countries mentioned eventually harmonise with the rest of the Union so the loophole may close sooner than expected.

Any holidaymaker going abroad for the statutory 2-3 weeks shouldn't really see a lot of difference, I don't know anybody able to afford over 90 days holiday in 6 months but lucky them if it's the case.

A lot of retirees with second homes in Spain and other EU countries with temperate weather conditions spend the winter months in these climes. 

Obviously they would have to apply to stay longer than the 90 days if that’s what is required. 

Methinks Spain will relax its barriers overtime. It would be financial suicide they need the financial resources of the Brits to survive.