My name's Alex and this is my website all about Torrevieja in Spain. Register now for free to talk about Moving to Torrevieja: tips and advice and much more!
For many Uk residents wanting to work or retire in Spain it has become very difficult. It's possible for some but you have to go through many hoops. I agree with Paolo.
Even if you retire to Spain you now need a large income 36,000€, which is crazy as most Spanish folk don't earn that kind of salary. Being self-employed costs much more than being SE in the UK, where virtually anyone can set up a small business and work straight away, just registering with HMRC and DWP for national insurance which costs £3.15 a week for a SE person and class 4's when your profits are over £11,000.
Then you need health insurance in Spain until you can join their system, which will cost about 800-1000€ each.
If you move before you sell your own home, after 183 days of living in Spain you become a tax resident. You would then both pay tax on your world wide income and Capital gains tax on your Uk home when you sell it and other taxes on any other assets, savings etc including ISA's. If you sell up before the 183 days and just have money you won't. Spanish CGTax is huge, so be very careful. You would need to take professional advise on those issues, before even considering moving. In the Uk you don't pay any CGT on your main residence when you sell it. I don't like to be bearer of bad news, but there is a lot to look into. In particular financial matters.
If you have skills, I'd be off to Australia like a shot if I was your age. No language barriers, lots of Space, they work hard but also have a better life style.
