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Benefits in Spain/ dual passports

Benefits in Spain/ dual passports

Old Apr 24th 2022, 9:17 pm
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Default Benefits in Spain/ dual passports

Hello!

I need more advice please and I know there are a lot of experienced people on here who are more knowledged about life in Spain and sometimes when I read up on info on the internet it can be mind boggling to say the least..

Basically as a British women residing in Spain with my Spanish husband and kids I want to clarify my actuall rights and benefits before deciding if maybe moving back to UK is a good idea.

Passports-Can my Spanish passport holding children go dual (British) ? Is it a good idea in these days given brexit ?

Pension-Retiring age is reaching 67 in Spain correct? How do I calculate how much state pension I would actually get after working until retirement (I started working here at 32)
​​​​​Uk state pension is about £142 a week I think? Is it better in Spain?

Widow-What happens if I'm made a widow? Will myself and my kids recieve anything?

Marriage-We are legally married in the UK...but our papers are not translated into Spanish here. Does this matter ? We have a family book and padron. Is it important for our marriage certificate to be converted into Spanish too?

Divorce-
What are my rights in Spain if we divorce?
House? Assets? Cars? Who gets what ??

life insuraninsuranceI've never had this...
​​​​whay does this do for me and my family and is it worth it?

A lot of questions I know ! It's always good to hear from other people's experiences so any feedback would be great !

Thanks !!


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Old Apr 25th 2022, 6:12 am
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Default Re: Benefits in Spain/ dual passports

If you apply for a Spanish passport you need 10 years uninterrupted residency in Spain. You need to have a spanish language test and a cultural test. There are folk here who have done it who have more detail. Remember it will take a bit of time. You dont automatically get it after 10 years. As far as possession of dual passports go- the Spanish dont like it so you have to give them your UK passport, however I believe the UK cant prevent you asking them for it back. Again I imagine it isnt fast. That said, if you have kids then most people would see it as giving them a bit of an opportunity in later life.

One thing about Spanish pensions is that you have to be working in the last 3 years before pension date to qualify for the full pension and the minimum period is 15 years contributions. UK pensions can be topped up if you have missing years however I'm not sure how many years you can miss. You need 32 years in UK. The top up is very small and easy to arrange.
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Old Apr 25th 2022, 7:44 am
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Default Re: Benefits in Spain/ dual passports

Originally Posted by britishlondon30s
​​​​​Uk state pension is about £142 a week I think?​​​​
If you qualify for a full UK pension it is more than that.

https://www.gov.uk/new-state-pension...nce%20record.The full new State Pension is £185.15 per week.

The actual amount you get depends on your National Insurance record.

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Old Apr 25th 2022, 9:36 am
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Default Re: Benefits in Spain/ dual passports

If kids were born in Spain, they have to be registered with UK embassy as British nationals before they reach 18y, otherwise they loose it.
Your marriage in UK should have been register with SP embassy by your husband.
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Old Apr 25th 2022, 1:07 pm
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Default Re: Benefits in Spain/ dual passports

Originally Posted by EU.flag
If kids were born in Spain, they have to be registered with UK embassy as British nationals before they reach 18y, otherwise they loose it.
Are you sure??

Citizenship if you have a British parent

Following the relevant links on there for the likely dates of birth of the children, I'd say they are automatically British citizens (unless their mother is in some category which disallows her from passing on citizenship).

If that is the case, it applies without the need for any further administrative formalities at all and they can proceed straight to applying for UK passports, at any age.
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Old Apr 25th 2022, 9:32 pm
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Default Re: Benefits in Spain/ dual passports

Originally Posted by Ronnyone
If you apply for a Spanish passport you need 10 years uninterrupted residency in Spain. You need to have a spanish language test and a cultural test. There are folk here who have done it who have more detail. Remember it will take a bit of time. You dont automatically get it after 10 years. As far as possession of dual passports go- the Spanish dont like it so you have to give them your UK passport, however I believe the UK cant prevent you asking them for it back. Again I imagine it isnt fast. That said, if you have kids then most people would see it as giving them a bit of an opportunity in later life.

One thing about Spanish pensions is that you have to be working in the last 3 years before pension date to qualify for the full pension and the minimum period is 15 years contributions. UK pensions can be topped up if you have missing years however I'm not sure how many years you can miss. You need 32 years in UK. The top up is very small and easy to arrange.
Hello! Thanks for your feedback. So if you are not working three years prior to receiving pension, how much pension will I receive here in Spain ?? More or less ?
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Old Apr 25th 2022, 9:35 pm
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Default Re: Benefits in Spain/ dual passports

Originally Posted by Red Eric
Are you sure??

Citizenship if you have a British parent

Following the relevant links on there for the likely dates of birth of the children, I'd say they are automatically British citizens (unless their mother is in some category which disallows her from passing on citizenship).

If that is the case, it applies without the need for any further administrative formalities at all and they can proceed straight to applying for UK passports, at any age.
Thanks ! Given that Spanish don't like the dual passports ..and that I would have to hand one passport into them...not sure if it's worth me getting and just keeping them with Spanish passports ??
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Old Apr 25th 2022, 9:40 pm
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Default Re: Benefits in Spain/ dual passports

This is the UK government web page, you can have a letter to confirm nationality or a passport.

Something not mentioned is registering a foreign birth which is what I did followed by applying for a passport which also worked.
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Old Apr 26th 2022, 10:55 am
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Default Re: Benefits in Spain/ dual passports

Originally Posted by britishlondon30s
Hello! Thanks for your feedback. So if you are not working three years prior to receiving pension, how much pension will I receive here in Spain ?? More or less ?
You might get something but I know it wont be like amount you get if you do the minimum 15 years and 3 are before retirement age. I'm sure one of the more informed posters will pop up soon and give a more detailed answer.
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Old Apr 26th 2022, 2:42 pm
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Default Re: Benefits in Spain/ dual passports

Originally Posted by Red Eric
Are you sure??

Citizenship if you have a British parent

Following the relevant links on there for the likely dates of birth of the children, I'd say they are automatically British citizens (unless their mother is in some category which disallows her from passing on citizenship).

If that is the case, it applies without the need for any further administrative formalities at all and they can proceed straight to applying for UK passports, at any age.
As usual, gov constantly changes rules. There used to be cut off age 18 for children.
From gov.uk:
"You were born outside the UKBritish citizenship is normally automatically passed down one generation to children born outside the UK.

For example, you might automatically become a citizen if you’re born outside the UK to a British parent. But your children will not automatically be citizens if they’re born outside the UK.

If you’re not automatically a citizen, you may be eligible to apply to ‘register’ as one."

You'll notice loose meaning words, "normally","might". It's safest to register child birth in nearest UK embassy.
Old rule that limits nationality inheritance right to only first generation is still in place.

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Old Apr 26th 2022, 3:13 pm
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Default Re: Benefits in Spain/ dual passports

I admit I haven't read every post above in detail, but I would add (correct) a few things - to get a full UK pension you now need 35 years of NI contributions. You can buy additional years but there are two rates, and you need to request/ apply for the lower Class 2 rate (£158 for 2021-22), which involves a few questions about your work history, and without that application you will default to the higher Class 3 rate (around £750-ish), also not everyone will qualify for the Class 2 rate. You'll need to contact the International desk at the DWP, but bear in mind that you can only buy extra years when you are actually resident outside the UK.

Life insurance pays a lump sum to your heirs (or other names parties) if you die during the period of the insurance contract, so obviously the cost varies based on your age, and sometimes (larger payout amounts) your health. In an ideal world you would have life insurance that would pay out enough to support the surviving spouse without your income and cover the costs of raising your children until they are adults and can stand on their own two feet. For most people under age 50, life insurance is relatively cheap, but obviously it depends on your own family budget as to what you can afford, but you might be able to find a €100k policy for under €20/mth, but larger coverage amounts are relatively cheaper.

Last edited by Pulaski; Apr 26th 2022 at 3:16 pm.
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Old Apr 26th 2022, 5:45 pm
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Default Re: Benefits in Spain/ dual passports

Originally Posted by EU.flag
As usual, gov constantly changes rules. There used to be cut off age 18 for children.
From gov.uk:
"You were born outside the UKBritish citizenship is normally automatically passed down one generation to children born outside the UK.

For example, you might automatically become a citizen if you’re born outside the UK to a British parent. But your children will not automatically be citizens if they’re born outside the UK.

If you’re not automatically a citizen, you may be eligible to apply to ‘register’ as one."

You'll notice loose meaning words, "normally","might". It's safest to register child birth in nearest UK embassy.
Old rule that limits nationality inheritance right to only first generation is still in place.
What you see as loose meaning, I regard as wording which caters for the fact that different scenarios are possible, as becomes apparent and comprehensively explained in the subsequent text.

It's not just completely arbitrary or discretionary, as your highlighting in the summary you quote makes appear a possibility.
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Old Apr 26th 2022, 10:27 pm
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Default Re: Benefits in Spain/ dual passports

Originally Posted by EU.flag
As usual, gov constantly changes rules. There used to be cut off age 18 for children.
From gov.uk:
"You were born outside the UKBritish citizenship is normally automatically passed down one generation to children born outside the UK.

For example, you might automatically become a citizen if you’re born outside the UK to a British parent. But your children will not automatically be citizens if they’re born outside the UK.

If you’re not automatically a citizen, you may be eligible to apply to ‘register’ as one."

You'll notice loose meaning words, "normally","might". It's safest to register child birth in nearest UK embassy.
Old rule that limits nationality inheritance right to only first generation is still in place.
Exactly!!
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