BexleyBoy

Hi All,

Me and my better half are looking for some advice about living in Spain half the year and in the uk for the other half. We are both semi retired and have a small holiday apartment in Valencia, I dont think we will ever be able to afford full retirement, hence the half and half option. Do many people do this? Is it pratical? Is it better driving down or owning a car down there? Has anyone got experience of this they would like to share?

Thanks,

bobd22

I am thinking of doing the same at least for a couple of years then hopefully move full time. We had planned on moving full time roundabout now but I'm afraid circumstances currently make that impossible. I am probably thinking of doing 2, 3 month stints. I will be interested to see the comments on you thread.

Rosemary

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

JLFS

Lots of people do the half and half route, although at first I though you had a question about half rice/half chips in the Chinese restaurant,and I was going to say forget the rice and just have the chips....

I dont know many who do the 6 months in each country all in one go, but they split it up.

Most prefer to be in the UK for the really hot summer months though, they find it too hot and too crowded.

About the car situation, depending on where you are, it might be better to forget about the car and see how you get on, if you then find that you need one, then that can be arranged later.

It is an ideal way of living for a lot of people, they dont miss the family as much and can pick and choose the best times of the year to spend in each country, win win situation.

Good luck.

big wheels

We do 9months in Spain (mid September to mid May) & 3 months in the UK, and find that suits us very well.

HBG

I started off with half and half many years ago, and the Spanish part got longer each year, a sort of natural progression, until I suddenly found that I didn't have to (want to) return to the UK apart from holidays.

Most of the people I know started off gradually.

I've never known anyone to do it the other way round, a return seems to be final.

BexleyBoy

Thanks all, for the feedback, I must admit I like idea of natural progression and thats pretty much what we have in mind. Holding off on the car makes sense. I guess we would start off with 2 or 3 trips a year for say 4 to 6 weeks a peice, driving down in our own car and see how that goes.

This is the most expensive option for us, but as you say you get the best of both worlds. Whilst we both are lucky enough to have PT jobs in the UK that let us do this, were going to make most of it.

Thanks again.

Fred James

That could have tax implications as you would be classed as tax resident in Spain and probably also in the UK.

lara croft

further to the above, i was just going to comment that my aunt lives for 6 months on the isle of man and the other 6 months in gambia. she is exact on the days as she does it for tax reasons, being retired.

however, there is a tax treaty between spain and the uk and so your tax liability will travel with you between the two countries.

Rosemary

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Fred James

That wouldn't work with the UK as tax residency is at 90 days and Spain 183 days - you need to lose yourself somewhere else for 3 months!

The 9+3 month approach can mean you are tax resident in both countries. The double tax treaty will sort it out but it gets messy.

Bigger Jim

We live near Gib and split the year into 4x3months. Winters too cold and Summer too hot. We own a uk car which suits us for both Spain and UK and is split into the same periods, we use the ferry from Portsmouth to Santander and drive to Chiclana (near Cadiz).

As an aside we use the same Sky box in both locations and get free upgrades as and when they are on offer by Sky, which is quite often. We also shop at Morrisons in Gib about once a month for the UK delicacies.

Other than that much the same as most expats.

Jim

big wheels

Fred.
We don't own any property, or have any kind of income in the UK. We also send in our Spanish tax returns.
Our time spent there is just an extended holiday. Could the 90 day rule still be enforced?

Fred James

In theory, yes.

If you are paying tax on your worldwide income in Spain then there is nothing the UK taxman can take off you because of the double taxation agreement.

The 90 day rule is to catch people who have income outside the UK and who are not paying tax on it anywhere else.

EsuriJohn

What do you mean by "free upgrades" is that the box or the package?