Daveyboywill

Hi guys,
please help. I have just bought an apartment in la Duquesa which I intend to visit every 6 to 8 weeks this year, next year I would like to sell a property in the uk I own which would raise around 120k sterling and move to Spain full time,i understand I would have to apply for residencia,I’m hearing mixed stories about visas and was wondering if the process of leasing a bar/cafe is enough to support ourselves and actually help with the acceptance of our residencia
thanks for any feedback.

bob_bob

If you have a valid EU passport you can just move. If your on a UK passport its a whole new ballgame unless you have a job offer from a Spanish company that cannot find an EU national who can do the job. Retiring there means you need to prove an income of almost £30k a year just for you and extra for your spouse and FULL medical insurance that includes past medical issues. Don't buy a bar, just donate your £120k to charity rather than loosing it in a bar.

Lots of more detailed info on this site, take your time and read past posts and threads

spainrico

Maybe sorting out a visa first was a better plan than buying a property first?

As Bob said post brexit your rights here are limited - suggest you research here:-

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-spain

and https://www.pellicerheredia.com/en/open-library/

good luck.

Daveyboywill

Thanks for the reply,
it had always been a dream of mine to be able to buy a property in lovely sunny spain from my first visit there 25 yrs ago and last year I was in a position where I could afford it.
within the last 6 months I have lost both of my parents both suddenly and now don’t want to stay here anymore so why not move full time, all I want to know is if I were to lease a cafe stroke bar would that seal my application to move out there, like I say I would have around 120k Sterling and can take a 5 yr lease on a small bar for 40k leaving me 80k in the bank then obviously my income would come from the takings.

Daveyboywill

Thanks for the reply but not really helpful

Dxf

Hola

OH YES IT WAS - it is the best advice even though it is not what you wanted to hear - and whilst the pantomime season is past, I will continue to shout when knowledgeable people tell you the truth

Davexf

christmasoompa

Not sure who you're responding to, please use the 'quote' function so people can see who your responses are meant for.

But all of the above responses have been helpful surely? Just search the forum for other threads on opening a bar for useful info. The threads above contain the links you need but if you're talking about getting a visa before buying the bar then it doesn't sound as though it will work unfortunately, and you'll need to look at other routes to a visa. Alternatively, other countries? There are others that are easier than Spain, although depends on what stage your property purchase is at I guess.

Moses2013

Dreaming is one thing but being realistic is another.
The Visas are all here and a Visa is still no guarantee. You could end up losing all your savings and the Visa won't be extended.
Visas (FAQ)

Why the rush to move full time? Just enjoy the property every now and then and have the best of both worlds without throwing your money away.

tebo53

Being the owner of any sort of property does not add any weight to the residency application.

You will need to apply for a visa from the Spanish consulate before you can move over to Spain permanently. You will need to meet the income and healthcare requirements.

Steve

mikelincs

When I lived in Spain in the early 2000s there were so many bars changing owners every winter, being run for a summer then closing down, never to re-open or until new people would buy in, One coffee bar changed hands three times in just one year. A couple who ran a restaurant opened, and served escellent meals, we went there a few times, even taking others, but then one day it was empty, they had done a moonlight flit, gone, apparently to France, breaking their lease with no money to pay the lease holders. Those that did survive had Spanish owners who employed family, usually at a pittance to keep the bills down, A friend was offered a job in one, she was told the pay was €15, she thought this was an hour, no, it was for a 6 hour shift, no contract so no health cover. She walked out the first night.

agree_to_disagree

Bar I go to they work 6 days a week and maybe 12 to 15 hours a day. Less hours during the winter but during the summer longer hours.

Not sure what they get paid but the owner is as tight as a gnats ass based on the comments they make about him.

Bar work in the UK is one thing but it Spain it is a very different story. Typically they are open from cock crow (5:45am) to the early hours (3am) which means owners need to have someone they trust to watch the tills all the time so they don't end up getting fiddled by light fingered staff. But equally I saw the owners missus pocketing a large portion of a tip. Not sure what the limits on the hours are for a bar in Spain in a 24 hour period, but they just roll down the shutters a bit and the lock in continues for regulars.

To the OP having a bar in Spain is tough long hours seven days a week and unless you speak Spanish along with a few other languages they you are at a disadvantage from the start.

Nobody knows you on here and the last thing we want to do is discourage people pursuing their dream but on this idea of a bar in Spain a bit of reality needs to kick in before you waste you time and your money.

Rosemary

Every January and February we have new members asking about running a bar in Spain so the subject has been covered a great many times. Although things have changed due to Brexit the previous threads may help you to gain an insight so I suggest that you use the search facility, type in running a bar or something similar and read the results.

Rosemary

Lospacoshombre

Hi Davey boy,
Many people have thought the exact same as you over the years, and most have lost it all, all the uk equity and money built up over many years simply thrown away, the cafe bar/bar game is stitched up by landlords, when you pay your 40k for the lease, they cynically hope you fail, default and run home, then they can sell it on again for another 40k, as landlord these properties are a gift that keeps on giving.

taking visas apart, of which I’m no expert, a good trade out here is always welcome, tiler, plasterer, metal worker, plumber etc. As in my area they are either incompetent or robbers. They can make a living above all the bar owners, who sadly are pre destined to fail!

Brexit has at least stopped many really nice “innocent” hard working, good intentioned Brits from losing everything.
Your U.K. home will out perform Spanish property 3 to 1, keep it, if you can do six months in each place then do that!
The U.K. seems a drab, depressing place sometimes, but in Spain when the sangria hits the fan, you are on yer own mate, the U.K. seems like a caring, safe, fair place, where people are prepared to help in comparison.

all the best to you in whatever you do, but don’t risk all you have!

regards
Al

Lou71

I don't blame you for wanting to get out of the UK, I definitely would if I lived there.

Instead of investing in a bar which has a high risk of failure, you would be better off buying a property in the UK and renting it out. Your capital would grow and you would have an income.

A bar will not help you with your visa application.

Your life will be a million times easier if you are eligible for an Irish (or other EU) passport. It's very difficult for UK nationals to relocate to EU states in the dreaded post Brexit world.

steviedeluxe

I've known Brits who've run bars/Irish pubs successfully in Spain, but in big cities like Valencia and Madrid - which means they are busy most of the year but closed in August. They also tend to have a Spanish partner, which helps with local laws and traditions. Running a bar in a coastal tourist place puts you under stress straight away as you'll get no custom for x months of the year. And in either case the warning above (that you'll have long hours seven days a week) is spot on, although a lot of establishments choose to close one day a week. Given that many pubs/cafes have closed in the UK in the last few years, I can't see it being any easier in Spain. But if you're determined to go ahead, I think the best investment is to approach an owner of a successful cafe-bar, and pay them for a couple hours consultancy.