Moving to Spain as UK company Director
 

Hi,

I have lots of questions please bear with me...

I am planning to move to Spain (Valencia) in September with my girlfriend.

She will be teaching English, she's actually a French national.

I recently started a new ecommerce company (UK registered) and I plan to continue doing that in Spain, I'm lucky that I can work from anywhere.

It's a new business but I have savings from a sale of my previous company, if I need to validate my financial situation.

Will I have any problems getting a visa and what is the best type of visa to apply for?

Who will I pay tax to, considering that I'll be living in Spain but the business is UK registered?

Any pitfalls I should be aware of for business owners living in Spain? I may start a new company that is Spanish registered.

Lastly, whilst I appreciate nobody can provide can provide any guarantees how will Brexit affect my situation?

Any thoughts much appreciated.

Thanks

Ryan

Re: Moving to Spain as UK company Director
 

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst myself and BEVS moderate Europe. Please read the Site Rules Site Rules | British Expatriate Community adhere to them so that the site runs smoothly. Moderators are there to ensure that the rules of BE are maintained. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Re: Moving to Spain as UK company Director
 

I'll start the ball rolling - I presume you are an EU citizen?

Your girlfriend will have to get her own residency and will also have to be self-employed as well.

Re: Moving to Spain as UK company Director
 

getting your business registered in Spain is the way to go. Not being married will mean that you are both classed as separate for healthcare, taxation etc. You would both need private healthcare to start with. Is your girlfriend fluent in Spanish or will she be looking at getting a job in an International school?

Re: Moving to Spain as UK company Director
 

The Valencia region is very beautiful and rents are very affordable even in Valencia city centre. We relocated here and so far (18months) we are very happy.
We are also similar UK LTD company owners, I am just in the process of closing mine, having become Autonomo (self employed here)

My thoughts are -

As the UK is still part of Europe - at least for the next 12 months you do not need a Visa, as someone else has pointed out, but you will both need to apply for residency here well before Brexit and this will take a little time and effort.

Continue your UK company for the mean time and don't worry about the tax situation at the moment... You have a few hurdles to pass before you need to worry about that. You don't become a tax resident here until you have been here at least six months and you need residency first...

At the appointment for the residency application you have to show income, but they are only interested in your Spanish bank account... They will not be interested in your UK financial details.

The only pitfalls really are the higher rates of tax. The beautiful areas, lower cost of living, great food, great people, great weather out weigh this though!

Having done this in the last 18 months - although a couple of the steps were slightly easier for me, as we were buying property - here are a list of steps that in my opinion will help you understand this process of applying for residency.

1)open a joint non residency bank account - you probably want to do this at least 4-5 months before applying for residency.
1a)you have to prove income into your Spanish bank account for residency.
We are in Gandia (Valencia) and our Lawyer advised me that the civil servant at the appointment would want to see €6000 in the account and at least €600 per month per person as a minimum.

So all I did was transfer money from my UK account to the Spanish account on or around the same day each month (for the 3 months before my appointment) and on the transfer reference I put Salary and my name!

The bank can provide you with a certificate to take to the interview for residency - if you have used the term "salary" and your full name as the money transfer reference each time, it will make it easy for the bank to show your "Salary" on the certificate.

2)use a Gestor to apply for NIE numbers for both of you - this will make life easier for you, if you get the Gestor to do it.
You can open the bank account without the NIE (using your passport numbers), but the bank will need it ASAP.

3)find a flat to rent - you must have a tenancy agreement (in Spanish)

4)go to your local town hall with the tenancy agreement + passports and get on the Padron - you will need the Padron certificate so ask for it, if they don't offer one - each certificate is valid for 3 months and you will need one each.

5)take out SPANISH private health insurance for both of you - It's much cheaper than in the UK - if you are 40 or under with no pre conditions it should be €50 each or less a month for excellent coverage. Your Spanish bank will probably be able to offer you a quote.... Don't look at UK policies that might cover you in Spain etc....

6)use the services of the Gestor to guide you through the process of what is needed locally for residency. Following the steps above will give you everything you need in a timely manner.

The most important things to be able to show at the appointment - will be
1) NIE number Certificate + photocopy
2) Tenancy Agreement
3) Evidence of income into a Spanish Bank account - this must be a convincing amount compared to the rent you are paying etc
4) Private healthcare certificate - must be Spanish, current and a policy for 12 months + photcopy
5) Your passport + photocopy of details
6) 2 passport photos
7) someone that speaks Spanish - ideally your Gestor

As you are an unmarried couple, you will need to show income + health insurance completely individually - how you do this is up to you, but you will be apply for residency individually.
If either one of you are turned down on the first attempt, you need to try and find out why. Don't get cross with them, be polite, as you will be dealing with the same people on your return. Your application can be turned down for the simple reason you forgot to bring photocopies etc.