Considering moving from the UK to Spain

The Spanish tax year is the calendar year, unlike the UK. If you arrive in Spain in the first half of the year, you will be considered as tax resident for the whole of that year. If you arrive in the second half, you won't be considered tax resident until Jan 1st of the following year. The only possible Spanish tax your house sale would be subject to would be capital gains tax, if you made a capital gain on it. So if you sold it this year and moved to Spain from July onwards, CGT wouldn't apply anyway.

You could apply to the UK DWP for your wife to be classed as your dependent and ask for her to get an S1 at the same time as you, so you can both access the Spanish health system. That's what I did successfully for my partner when I reached pensionable age. She was only 61 at the time.

It is only your income that is taxed, there is no tax on the value of your assets until you are up into very high values, when a wealth tax kicks in. We are talking millions.

As well as your income tax return submitted between April and June, there is a tax form you have to fill in in the first three months of the year called the modelo 720, where you have to declare assets over 50,000€ held abroad in each of three categories (bank accounts, stocks and shares, property) on 31 December of the previous year. This is for the tax authority's information only, it does not lead directly to taxes. Also, you do not have to repeat it unless or until the value of the asset you declared increases by more than 20,000€, or you qualify for another class.

Tax advisors cost a lot of money and often make mistakes. Do it yourself, it's not too difficult if your affairs are not over complicated. Can't advise you on immigration, we were fortunate enough to do it pre Brexit!

PS The moment you move permanently to Spain, you lose the tax free benefits of your ISA accounts.

Thank you very much for taking the time to provide such valuable information, we really appreciate it.