Hey,
apologies, I know the visa questions get asked a lot but it would be useful if anybody has any first hand experience with the visa process from the UK.

I am married to a Spanish national and have a Spanish national child born in UK. So I know the family process is possible. Through family roots but we are both giving up decent careers in London for this change and having to be in Spain to start the process is problematic.

I have landed a decent job in IT Project Management. Unfortunately, I hadn’t realised quite how hard the visa process was going to be. Short of the company getting the certificate I think I should qualify for work or highly qualified work visa.

Any advice would be appreciated or if anybody knows if companies have success in getting the work permit portion.

I truly appreciate your time and know how repetitive these questions may get so thank you.

You don't need a visa or work permit to live and work in Spain as you are a family member of a Spanish national. Get a Spanish passport for your child if you haven't done so. Then all of you move to Spain and your spouse should start the process for registering as resident (get on the padron). Then you register as family member of EU (Spanish) citizen and obtain your EU family residence certificate. Then you are free to take up any job in Spain. Check up on health insurance requirement until you start work (which is normally covered by Global Health Insurance, which you can apply online in UK), when you and your family will be covered by Spanish health insurance (you will be making contribution to health and social care by deduction from your pay).

It looks like Joppa has covered it but more here

Read the Spanish government’s guidance for ‘UK nationals and their family members residing in Spain’.

that link from here

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-i...-and-residency

I guess I wanted to try and avoid giving up both of our careers with a 3 month + wait with no wages incoming. Im going to need to go back to the company and explain the situation. It makes the level of risk much higher because my job was potentially the hardest part to our move. Blooming brexit really made a mess of things for families 🥲 crazy thing is we were married before brexit.

thanks for your answers! I was afraid from my research that was probably the case

There was a change of procedure a few months back. You don't apply as the family member of an EU citizen if your partner is Spanish, you apply for Autorización de residencia temporal por circunstancias excepcionales. Arraigo familiar.

Advantages - no funds/income check or private healthcare coverage check. Disadvantage - ACRO check instead.

See earlier thread.

Officially once you have left UK intending to take up residence in Spain, or elsewhere, you cannot use an EHIC/GHIC for health needs

Not saying it doesn't happen because it does but each case will be treated differently by different medical facilities so it's by no means guaranteed, plus any money you do have to lay out you my not be able to claim back from the NHS.

excellent 👌 any recommendation on healthcare providers?

YOu use your UK health card for first 90 days whilst you sort out your residency then all healthcare will be covered as husband is Spanish. You don't need insurance.

Ah excellent - yeah this had me a bit confused. That’s €200 euros a month I had budgeted for I don’t need to spend.

I have to say that the cost of living there is really attractive and coming from London the rental / property prices are very good. Also childcare is unbelievable! Going from €2000 a month to 600 is enticing.

Your child can be registered immediately with doctor irrespective of your residency status as free healthcare is available for all minors and you will need to have that to enrol in school. Another thing to consider is to make voluntary national insurance payments to UK to make sure you get a full UK pension at 67. Once in Spain you will start paying into Spanish system and if you work for more than 15 years you start to qualify for that pension too. It is one of the great advantages of living in Spain for retirement. Two pensions!

what happens if I became a spanish citizen? I already have a half military pension aswell.

- you must renounce UK citizenship
- you loose DT access, ES main and only tax liability at ES rates

I don't see how the changing from a UK citizen resident in Spain to a Spanish citizen resident in Spain changes being taxed by the UK on UK income inside the UK and having to use the double taxation agreement that the UK has with Spain when being taxed by Spain on worldwide income.

Also, one more thing when you become Spanish, your last name changes to your father's surname followed by your mother's maiden name.

yikes 😦 I hadn’t realised that.

my mothers maiden name was quite unfortunate 🤣

UK Military (Crown) pensions are always taxed in the UK?