Translated with google translate

The municipal census of Ayamonte (Huelva) could suffer a notable drop in the case of applying what is called "hard Brexit", which will immediately cause 657 inhabitants of this town bordering Portugal to become directly foreigners without legal authorization to reside in Spain.

And it is not that this town has suddenly become a place of welcome for British citizens by word of mouth, by its climate or its proximity to the south of Portugal, another very British point in southern Europe, but a tourist complex raised in the last 20 years in the village has been attracting them, in many cases, living their retirement years away from the United Kingdom, where it seems that now they would have to return.

The key to this matter is called 'Costa Esuri', and in its day it was the biggest urban complex created by the Galician promoter Martinsa Fadesa, which promoted the start-up of a tourist giant for which 624 million euros were budgeted, although the economic crisis and the one of the own company caused that never it was finished completely, but it was taken ahead enough to inhabit it with the necessary guarantees.

Thus, in this species of Huelva-based Marbella built six kilometers north of Ayamonte, citizens of different countries were set to rest after their working life, or Ayamontinos who were looking for a second home, attracted by the publicity of a place created to house 10,000 people, with, initially, two golf courses, hotels, a local police post, pharmacies ... everything a small city should need.

With all this, the British were the first to notice this tourist paradise from which a good part of the end of the Guadiana and the first towns of Portugal can be seen, and they began to arrive little by little to the town more to the southwest of the peninsular Spain , leaving behind its roots little by little, until registering in the town to be some ayamontinos more, 657 in total to 1 of last January, a figure that is striking, taking into account that in all the province of Huelva there are registered 912.

The weather or the proximity of the international airport of Faro (Portugal), located just over 20 minutes from the border of Ayamonte with the Portuguese town of Castro Marín, were some of the determining factors for them to come to settle in this corner of Huelva .

As explained by the City Council, for these people it will be a problem that the Brexit officially declare foreigners without legal permission to reside in Spain, although it is hoped that a formula will be reached so that these people can stay in the town even if they stop be full citizens and free movement of the European Union.

There is another problem arising from all this, which has more to do with the local economy itself, because if the British leave the village, they will lose almost 3.5% of their population, and the houses they live in will enter an urban limbo, which will mean another step back for Costa Esuri, a project that seems to pursue bad luck.

And all this taking into account the close relationship that Ayamonte has with its British neighbors, to the point that the current mayor, Alberto Fernández (PP), gave a rally in the campaign of the municipal 2011 in the tourist complex translated into English simultaneously, even though many of the people who were listening to him could not vote in upcoming elections

You’re welcome.

You are correct Michael end of January is the closing date. You need to be on the Padron and also the separate electoral list. I have been on the Padron since 2007 and have voted in all local elections since then. However when I asked at the Ayuntamiento if I was on the list for May they could not or woul not tell me!

You are correct Michael end of January is the closing date. You need to be on the Padron and also the separate electoral list. I have been on the Padron since 2007 and have voted in all local elections since then. However when I asked at the Ayuntamiento if I was on the list for May they could not or woul not tell me!

Last week we updated our Residencia Perminante and found that the fee had increased from €7.20 to €12 strange that just when several tens of thousands will be getting first NIE,S or updating existing. Then if Brexit happens we will all have to convert to Third Country papers I think called TIE another €12 all round.