Has anyone left Spain to live in the UK and then returned to live in Spain since Brexit? I returned to the UK in August after having Spanish residency since 2012, therefore a permanent TIE. I am not happy in the UK and seriously considering whether to return to Spain. I informed the relevant authorities in the UK and Spain on my return. I would like to know if it’s possible and if so how difficult is it?

Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, a permanent resident (ie somebody who was a registered resident for over 5 years prior to Brexit) is permitted absences of up to 5 years' duration.

Hard to give any meaningful advice without specific info.
You say "I informed the relevant authorities in the UK and Spain on my return.". What exactly did you do? When?

I when my home was sold here my solicitor dealt with everything. She informed the tax office. I signed off the padron. On my return to the UK after a few weeks about September I informed HMRC and the International Pension Centre, as well as my company pension.

I suppose first question is did you cancel your TIE or did you retain it?
If you retained it how long have you been resident in UK since leaving Spain?
I think if you have retained your TIE and been living outside Spain for less than 5 years you can return and simply re sign on the pardon etc? If you cancelled your TIE you would I guess need to re apply and prove that you had permanent residency with TIE under withdrawal agreement to get it reinstated? I would say you need to speak with a solicitor who specialises in residency law to be sure on situation and your circumstances.

If you kept your TIE is it still in date or expired?

No, your solicitor didnt deal with everything, she only dealt with financial matters.
Does you TIE state you got perm status? What is exp date of your TIE? Did you leave ES permanently in 2025?

Exactly, that is same info I was after. OP needs to provide details if he wants precise answers.

I think I need to speak to my solicitor to see what she actually did regarding my TIE. My TIE says Permanente and the expiry date is 25/20/2031.

Who did you inform in Spain and what did you cancel (if anything)?

Please check the expiry date on your TIE. On what date did you leave Spain?
The date (year) on your TIE would indicate that you were a permanent resident when you applied for your TIE on xx/xx/2021.

Just an update to my question yesterday. I’ve contacted my solicitor who has said my TIE(permanent) hasn’t been cancelled and it wouldn’t be difficult at all to return to Spain. Thanks for your replies

That's good news for you and as I thought