One stop advice service for returning to the UK?
 

Hi All,

I've recently joined this forum as I intend to move back to the UK after living in the Netherlands for the last 40 years. I will be re-locating to the UK with my wife of twenty years (a Dutch citizen) once she retires in 2023. We would like to know if anyone can recommend an advisory company, who for a fee, offers advice regarding the various aspects of our return?

Thanks in advance,
Kevin

Re: One stop advice service for returning to the UK?
 

Hi Kevin, and welcome to BE.

Can you be a bit more specific, what aspects of your return are you looking for advice with? There are lawyers that can help with the visa side of things (if your wife needs one - not sure what the latest rules are after Brexit), there are relocation agents that can help with finding property etc, so it will really depend on what you want help with.

And now you've found BE, you've found a community full of volunteers and members that will do their best to help with any queries you have as well. I'll move your thread to our Moving Back to the UK subforum, that's the best place for any questions about your move.

Best of luck with it.

Re: One stop advice service for returning to the UK?
 

I was hoping to find a sort of "one stop" service provider that could advise us on all the aspects of returning, rather than the individual areas like tax, pension, health insurance, registration etc.

Kevin

Re: One stop advice service for returning to the UK?
 

I'm not aware of any company that does all that, but as you're a Brit it should all be pretty simple. You'll be eligible for the NHS from day one, your UK pension won't change (assuming you've been paying NI from abroad), etc. You can have a hunt around the forums for info on what people have found tricky - getting a credit score seems to be one if you haven't kept a UK bank account open (assume not if you've lived abroad for 40 years!), and opening a bank account isn't straightforward to start with, but a search of the forum will give you more info.

Best of luck.

Re: One stop advice service for returning to the UK?
 

Thanks for the feedback! We have already taken the first steps to moving to the UK, we have put a deposit down on a new-build house which is planned for completion in the summer of 2023 and we've managed to open a UK bank account with HSBC. We will be selling our house in the Netherlands closer to our move date and use part of the money to pay for the new house and the rest as our retirement nest egg. My wife has no UK pension as she is Dutch and mine is minimal or nothing as I left the UK in 1979 and have not paid NI since then. We do however both have state and employee pensions here in the Netherlands and will both be retired and receiving these when we move to the UK (I am already retired). We will of course need to get these pensions to be paid out in the UK, as this will be our main source of income and we are not really sure how we need to go about this?

I suppose our main concerns are:
- Pensions, how do we arrange to have the pensions paid and I assume taxed in the UK?
- Registration, as my wife is Dutch do I have to get registered in the UK prior to my wife registering or can it be done together?
- Finances, once we have sold our house in the Netherlands can we bring the resulting money and our other assets to the UK tax free?
- Health Insurance, will my wife be eligible for the NHS once she is registered?

Any tips from anyone would be helpful?
Thanks Kevin

Re: One stop advice service for returning to the UK?
 

You keep referring to registering your wife in the UK - are you intending to apply for her to live in the UK based on the EU Settlement Scheme?

https://www.gov.uk/family-permit

https://www.gov.uk/family-permit/app...ritish-citizen



There is no just registering for EU or non EU citizens to be able to live in the UK since Brexit

You wife will be eligible for the NHS once she is living in the UK as per her visa.

Re: One stop advice service for returning to the UK?
 

Thanks for the info but unfortunately we won't be returning until the summer of 2023 and EU Settlement Scheme only applies if you return before 29 March 2022.

Re: One stop advice service for returning to the UK?
 

So you'll need to sponsor her for a visa, there are immigration consultants/lawyers that can help with that if you decide you want assistance, but it's fairly straightforward tbh. Particularly now you've found BE! Head over to the immigration section of the forum for info on that, although you're a long way off applying, but hopefully things won't change between now and then.

For your pensions, that will be a question for your providers in the Netherlands, it should just be a case of filling in a form to get it paid in to your UK bank account. It might be worth checking your UK NI record and seeing if making some additional contributions would make enough of a difference to give you a UK pension as well, it's such a tiny amount for most people living abroad that it's a great investment.

'Registration', as SDG has said above, not sure what you're referring to here?

Re: tax on the savings you'll move to the UK, this thread will give you more info - https://britishexpats.com/forum/movi...g-back-884432/

Yes, your wife will be eligible for the NHS from day 1, as she'll be in the UK on a spouse visa.

HTH.

Re: One stop advice service for returning to the UK?
 

By registration I mean applying for my wifes resident status, I suppose that's the same as applying for a visa. I tried to look at my UK NI record online but it seems it's not possible if you are not a UK resident as I have no post code, if you know how else I can see it please let me know? With regards to the pensions do I have to get the income tax waived in the Netherlands and have the "pre-tax" amount transferred to my UK bank and then inform the UK tax department to pay UK tax?

Thanks for all the help so-far,
Kevin

Re: One stop advice service for returning to the UK?
 

In which case you will need to sponsor her for a visa.

https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa

This will need to be done from the Netherlands.

Re: One stop advice service for returning to the UK?
 

Your main issue will be dealing with the requirement to get a residency visa for your wife. EU citizens no longer have the right to live in the UK even if they have been married to a UK citizen for many years. It will cost you about 7K GBP all in over five years to get what is effectively permanent residency for your wife (its called Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK). You will also have to show that you have had 62,000 GBP in a bank account for six months to do this. I am faced with the same issue in a couple of years time.

You will be able to bring money in and HMRC will not tax you on that.

Re: One stop advice service for returning to the UK?
 

I'm still gobsmacked by this requirement. It's quite simply wrong. The state has no business levying a surcharge on people's choice of spouse, EU or no EU.

Re: One stop advice service for returning to the UK?
 

delete

Re: One stop advice service for returning to the UK?
 

I don't know of any country that does not have an immigration process for citizens to bring non citizen spouses/siblings/parents/children into the country - and does not charge for said privilege.

Re: One stop advice service for returning to the UK?
 

Maybe not.

I'm still gobsmacked by the financial requirements - not the paperwork.