Is this the end for Expats that want to move from the UK to Spain post brexit?
 

Do people think that spain will close the door on potential British expats post brexit.? The visa system that people have talked about will affect many holiday destinations like Ibiza , Tenerife and Majorca which rely on summer workers floating in and out of the country. Will the Spanish make it harder for British people to invest , potentially loosing out to another expat destination. Will be interesting to see how these next few months play out. The tourism industry needs British next year more so than any other year on record.

Re: Is this the end for Expats that want to move from the UK to Spain post brexi
 

This is my personal observation and prediction, for what it is worth.
I don't see Spain going out of its way to make it easier for Brits to stay longer than 90-in-180 days (which probably meets most people's needs).
There is always a demand for Spanish holiday/second home/retirement properties, because of the excellent climate and lower costs, and any slack left by British buyers will be eagerly taken up by other Northern Europeans, especially Scandinavians, as it's happening now. Here in Nerja, Scandinavian buyers outnumber other nationalities including British, and there are new developments (urbanizaciones) of high spec targeted at Scandinavian market.
British accounted for around 18% of foreign tourists in Spain in 2019, so not insignificant but a lot of EU/EEA/Swiss citizens continue to be attracted so any drop in UK tourists and expats won't be as devastating as some people predict.

Re: Is this the end for Expats that want to move from the UK to Spain post brexi
 

Don't see why, anyone with an average employment pension should be able to comply with the financial requirements (if I had stayed at work till 65 my pension was estimated at around £30k a year based on current investment) and private health care is already needed for residency, it might be slightly more expensive but I can't see why.
Police checks are easy to obtain (my daughter did this for Australian residency)

Summer workers on short contracts may still be allowed as like the UK, the local young may not want to work the hours for little pay (although this may allow more eastern europeans into Spain instead) and the Uk has already said that migrant workers on short contracts would be welcome, so there could be some agreement there.

Spain and the rest of the EU cannot make rules to penalise the Uk, as the Uk will be treated as any other 3rd country.
So Uk citizens should be able to follow the same route to live here as an American or Canadian etc.

Tourists wont have a problem, they should have insurance cover anyway (although most rely on the EHIC card). I have (had) free worldwide travel insurance through the Nationwide by having an account for over 10 years.

Visa wise travelling to the the EU will become the same as anywhere else in the world. At the moment I have a USA, Canada, Australian and New Zealand tourist visas still active, the African and Egyptian ones have now lapsed.

Easy to get, although at a small cost.

Re: Is this the end for Expats that want to move from the UK to Spain post brexi
 

What about places like Benidorm and Ibiza. Places that have built up British communities. A lot of those places are seasonal so workers only work the summer months and go home for the rest of the year.

Re: Is this the end for Expats that want to move from the UK to Spain post brexi
 

Ideally I want to move to Spain in the new year with my girlfriend and daughter. My mum has an Irish passport and I believe i am eligible for one too. My gfs parents also want to move out there for good for early retirement. They have maybe 40-50 k in their banks. Will moving/living/working in Spain still be possible or will it be that difficult that it’s not worth even trying. I’ve lived in Spain before andhave my NIE. My daughter is due to start school next September so would have to get her into a Spanish school as soon as possible. I’ve also put a deposit down on a cheap little house , but after reading all this doom and gloom I don’t know wether to walk away. Any help on this subject would be appreciated.

Re: Is this the end for Expats that want to move from the UK to Spain post brexi
 

With your Irish passport, you and your daughter are covered by EU freedom of movement. Is your girlfriend your daughter's mother? Then she can be included too, but if she is not, you will either have to marry her or enter into civil partnership, or or she applies as third country national for a visa. It's quite difficult to find a job in Spain that pays enough to maintain a family. As for your girlfriend's parents, they need non-lucrative visas, and the requirement is for annual income of around 32,000 euro for a couple, plus private medical insurance.

Re: Is this the end for Expats that want to move from the UK to Spain post brexi
 

Yes she is the mother of my child. Also we don’t mind getting married in Spain quickly to try and help things out. That was on the agenda anyway before my daughter started school.I have a business idea which I think would be enough to support me and my family. Also have my own savings and rent from property I own. Most of the clients would come from the uk anyway so as long as short term tourism can continue I don’t see how it would be affected.Does the lucrative visa have an expiry? I think they have over that amount in funds. Just don’t think that they will have that as an annual income.

Re: Is this the end for Expats that want to move from the UK to Spain post brexi
 

You can get married if you want to (much easier in UK than in Spain), but there is no absolute need to, as your girlfriend qualifies as your family member, though being married may make life easier when dealing with Spanish red tape. If you want to run a business, you need to meet the requirements as autonomo - self-employed person in Spain, which can be complicated so I suggest you get Spanish lawyer's advice.
Non-lucrative visa is valid just over 3 months, during which you have to apply for residence permit. Financial requirement is in terms of annual income. There is also a Golden Visa with a minimum investment in Spanish properties of 500,000 euro.

Re: Is this the end for Expats that want to move from the UK to Spain post brexi
 

Do you know if I register as an Irish citizen wether I’ll be able to use my uk driving licence still?. Or at least would I be able to swap it for the Spanish document without taking the test?

Re: Is this the end for Expats that want to move from the UK to Spain post brexi
 

I don't know. UK citizen with UK licence has to initiate exchange by 31st December. If you have an EU licence (i.e. a licence issued by EU country), you can use it for up to 2 years in Spain before having to exchange it. If you can get Irish licence, it will make your life easier but you will probably have to live in Ireland first (you can ask the Irish embassy).

Re: Is this the end for Expats that want to move from the UK to Spain post brexi
 

Thank you for your help.

Re: Is this the end for Expats that want to move from the UK to Spain post brexi
 

If I were you I would ensure your right to to the Irish passport is secured asap. I believe it is not a quick process from someone who looked into it. I would make them enquires quickly especially given you are in process of buying a property .

Re: Is this the end for Expats that want to move from the UK to Spain post brexi
 

There's elitist for you, you grossly overestimate the average persons pension resources!

There are many here who survive on little more than UK state pension and maybe a few quid in savings to smooth out bumps.

If they have one at all the average UK personal pension pot is around £50k which 'invested' in an annuity will yield around £2,500 pa in pre tax income.

For the majority the post Brexit financial requirements might as well be a million a year!

Re: Is this the end for Expats that want to move from the UK to Spain post brexi
 

My mums father is Irish and born in Ireland so I think that entitles me to a passport. We applied for my mums and have all the documents ready to apply for mine like marriage and birth certificates. My mum got hers ok. At the minute the online passport application is closed due to Covid. Soon as it’s open I’ll apply.

Re: Is this the end for Expats that want to move from the UK to Spain post brexi
 

In that case you need first to register on the Foreign Births Register. There used to be a long delay and people typically waited a year or more till they got citizenship and passport. Irish government site says a typical delay of 12 to 18 months is expected after they start accepting applications.