Living in Spain

Assuming you are UK residents with UK passports:

If you want to live in Spain permanently you will need to apply for a non lucrative visa and all that entails regarding income and healthcare. As retirees you can apply for the S1 healthcare scheme which is paid for by the UK government. 

To become a "Citizen " you have to have lived in Spain legally for 10 years before you can apply. 

The Golden visa is being phased out by the Spanish government. 

Steve 

Not many people go for citizenship as it takes 10 years, means a 30 minute discussion in Spanish, a written test on Spanish current affairs and knowledge, giving up your UK passport (Spain doesn't recognise dual citizenship except for some S American and Sephardic Jew populations) and swearing allegiance to the King. Hence staying as resident only. 

The current golden visa on property purchase to a value of 500k euro will cease in October but many are now being refused due to new government policy. This is the same in most EU countries and Greece is to increase their requirement to 800,000 euro in Athens and 400,000 elsewhere with a complete ban on renting the property short term. Portugal has stopped the golden visa for property investment.

Healthcare for UK citizens is available as state paid if you are over retirement age in your own country and in receipt of a state pension. Minimum income requirements for non EU citizens is 28,800 per year for the first applicant and 7200 euro for subsequent family members and must obtain a visa from you own country first. Once you have the visa you can move to Spain and apply for residency.

It's a myth that taking up Spanish citizenship means giving up your UK passport, indeed as the property of the UK government it's not even yours to give up nor can anyone in Spain demand that you do!

The dual citizenship rule is theoretical and your UK citizenship remains unchanged unless or until you formally renounce it with the UK government.

Really? I take it you've been through the procedure then. I have and passed all the way through but the last bit was the part that stopped me doing it all. Plus the fact that the part of my will being dealt with under laws applicable in my home country would have been negated and my new home country would be Spain and my will would be handled under Spanish law according to Royal Decree BOE  A 1889 4763.

Only those from Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal or Sephardim are allowed to retain both nationalities. 

A final footnote would be the Echeverria site with states "However, if you become a Spanish citizen, you must give up your original nationality and passport unless one of the exempt nations" as those stated above in the BOE referenced.

Been there, seen it and bought the T-shirt, as the saying goes.

"if you become a Spanish citizen, you must give up your original nationality and passport"

In reality 'must' only means that you have to verbally renounce your UK citizenship.

No I haven't been there nor do I propose to, I do however know one person who has taken the step and for him there was no follow up from the Spanish side to check that he had actually renounced his UK citizenship and handed in his passport. The perennial caveat of course being that experiences can vary from place to place, his was in Madrid.

I'll turn it back though and throw the question out there:

Do you, or anybody, know, or know of, any UK citizen who has taken up Spanish citizenship and actually been compelled to go through the not simple process of renouncing their UK citizenship with the UK government AND provide proof of it.

I won't hold my breath.

And there you have the reason why so few Brits actually take out citizenship. Come the end of it they refuse to obey the laws of Spain so are not granted citizenship on that basis. The law says you must but, of course, that doesn't apply to Brits, does it?  Whether or not the law is strictly applied is rather a moot point.

I just know from my experience, after I'd been here 11 years, I would have had to give up UK citizenship and swear allegiance to the King of Spain. So there's one I know for a start. No, I don't know anyone who has nor do I actually know anyone who's been down that route but then that's usually down to a poor grasp of the language and the way things work. I was also required to show I had some integration in Spanish culture and I used to assist the police with translating, voluntarily, then as well which got me through. The change in the will was also a big negative.

Anyhoo, pointless as it won't affect those who are happy to continue as residents such as myself now. Just arguing for the sake of it.

Is not there one law for the british and then the actual law for everyone else?

Definitely not.

The contents of this link details the current Spanish visas available and the conditions under which they will be issued:

https://www.exteriores.gob.es/Embajadas/seul/en/ServiciosConsulares/Paginas/inicio.aspx

The following link contains guidance issued by the UK government on entry requirements to Spain:

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain/entry-requirements