Re: Retiring to Spain during Brexit.
 

I believe the proposal from Dec was that FOM during the transitional period once that finished those that had complied legally would if they wish could apply to remain to comply with the 5 years required. I believe it is this that Mrs May is trying to go back on? I also believe this is a result of the hard line Brexit MPs in her party. I may be wrong.

Re: Retiring to Spain during Brexit.
 

It's worth reading the text itself because the press is reporting it in line with their political bias.

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...pean_Union.pdf

Articles 6-41 discuss the agreement regarding citizens' rights. It talks about guaranteeing the rights for life of EU citizens in the UK and British citizens in the EU on the 'specified date', defined as the date the UK withdraws from the EU, so 29 March 2019.

The EU has now invoked Article 5, the 'nothing is agreed until everything is agreed' bit, which states that nothing that has been agreed will prejudice any future agreement regarding a transitional arrangement or the final settlement.

So the UK's position is that this matter has already been settled and the EU's position is that everything remains up for negotiation. A cynic might say that the EU knows that the UK won't move on this (in the same way that the EU wouldn't move on any bits of the phase 1 deal that they liked) so it's merely adding an extra card to their hand to be 'negotiated' away for something more valuable further down the line.

Re: Retiring to Spain during Brexit.
 

As far as I am aware, UK citizen rights are protected until 31 December 2020

Re: Retiring to Spain during Brexit.
 

There are no guarantees apart from the fact that roughly 700,000 UK expats live in Spain and most contribute to the Spanish tax system. There are of course those that don't and hopefully they will be found and fined. Many building companies are owned or partly owned by British individuals or companies. In the latest figures nearly 25% of property bought here is bought by UK citizens. Will Spain want to remove all that income from us? No.
Try not to second guess 'WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF', just make a decision and go for it. If you waited for all the traffic lights to turn to green before you drove to town you would never get there.

Re: Retiring to Spain during Brexit.
 

That is very true advice, however while driving one has to be prepared to modify their driving according to road conditions including traffic light enroute. Same applies to brexit in my view.

Re: Retiring to Spain during Brexit.
 

Even if there is No Deal it’ll be up to individual countries to decide what their immigration policy will be. If Spain wants to recognise British citizens in their immigration policy as something other than just third country nationals then they can do.

Re: Retiring to Spain during Brexit.
 

Yes very true, but you are not driving the car, the governments are. So you can sit back and wait and wait and wait and wait and guess and guess and guess.
OR you can be decisive and DO something.
The Spanish government has no intention of removing British citizens, they want our money.

Re: Retiring to Spain during Brexit.
 

I don't remember saying wait for anything? I simply used the traffic light and driving analogy to say keep an eye on the drive for the possible changing lights which the government are in control of. Personally I am just planning my own way through the mess hoping that our dim government at least obtain a deal of some sort rather than simply walk away leaving many of us in limbo. Let's face it no one knows what the actual final outcome will be not even those negotiating which is something of a concern. Whatever the outcome is will affect everyone differently dependant upon individual circumstances.

Re: Retiring to Spain during Brexit.
 

Being decisive includes deciding not to do anything......

Re: Retiring to Spain during Brexit.
 

This explains all

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/advice-f...ghts-agreement

Re: Retiring to Spain during Brexit.
 

Re: Retiring to Spain during Brexit.
 

Only if there is a transition period.
In the event of no deal there will be no transition period either because negotiations will cease and there will be nothing to transition to. In that case the UK will leave the EU at the end of March 2019 and the new regime will start operating as of then. 31 December 2020 will have no significance in terms of Brexit. By that time the UK will be a year and three quarters into its glorious future, trade and services and people will be flowing to and fro across the globe in torrents (or not) between the UK and Africa, India, China, Japan, US, etc etc etc, unicorns will be grazing freely across the green and pleasant land and the EU and its quaint concept of freedom of movement for goods, capital, services and people will be long forgotten by Brits.