Vinny17

Seriously - do you think Spain will prevent UK nationals or other wealthy expats from retiring or living in Spain after December 31? Why would they do that? And what about the 400,000 Brits that are there now? Spain stands to lose all of these people. Why worry? They will need you just as much in 2021 as they need you now. Patience, Grasshoppper.

Notdunroamin

UK nationals will still be able to relocate to Spain it's just that the financial demands will be greater.

Your figure of 400,000 is both out of date and misleading but whatever the number is I'm at something of a loss to understand why it is you think Spain stands to lose them eitber before Dec 31st. or after?

Only an estimate anyway 400,000 was the figure in 2012 since when it's reckoned to have declined to around 250,000 out of which, and this time according to official records, some 120,000 are pensioners the rest it has to be presumed being either of independant means or engaged in some sort of gainful employment in order to support themselves, some will be children too but all should be able to remain.

In it's own right 120,000 is a sizeable number but going forward the natural decline which will occur, either through death or repatriationis, is in the scheme of things pretty insignificant and highly unlikely to precipitate a one off change in the rules for Brits.

The way UK are going about dealing with Spanish there is hardly conducive to benovolence toward future would be Brit immigrants!

EuroTrash

Of course people can move from country to country. It's called immigration. Most countries need immigrants although some countries have more restrictive immigration policies than others. It's a fair bet it that after this year it will be easier for a Brit to move to Spain, than for a Spaniard to move to Britain.

amideislas

The perception that Spain (and other EU member states) are somehow dependent on Britain is nothing new. The belief that Spain will wither into economic ruin without British expats or tourism has been expressed often, not just on BE, but in the British press, travel forums, and just in general conversation at the pub.

I offer this anecdotal observation; In the past 5 years, virtually all of the handful of our British acquaintances have disappeared, either back to England or elsewhere. Nowadays it's even rarer to hear British accents when out & about (although English is an increasingly heard second language). The presence of resident Brits over here has always been underwhelming, but now it's even rarer. Yet the real estate market is still growing with Europeans still doing the bulk of the buying.

With tourism having now been reestablished with EU member states as the pandemic subsides, (but not the UK yet), it will be interesting to see how British tourism is affected. Obviously, when the UK's coronavirus situation improves, and even post-brexit, there will still be no additional barriers to UK tourism, but will the appeal of British "holidays abroad" still be affordable for the average Brit? Or even have the same appeal if the usual British resorts are now full of Europeans?

For example, even Magaluf is now being heavily promoted to European tourist markets, consistently being upgraded from its 3* legacy to 4* and 5*, increasingly imposing controls on irresponsible behaviours, limits on drinking, public sex, nudity, drunkenness etc., and increasingly being booked by European holidaymakers. It's not just for Brits anymore. Perhaps that could appeal to a certain segment of wealthier British tourists, but won't all that minimise its appeal to the average Brits who've traditionally dominated it? And does it really matter?

bobd22

You are without doubt right but such people will be under the radar. The op asked for information re legal and correct procedures. If one wants to live under the radar that's their decision, I prefer to sleep peacefully and not have to be afraid to deal with Spanish officials when I need to. Horses for courses as they say.

Fredbargate

People will not have to be under the radar but they may have to make a greater effort

bobd22

Sorry yes Fred some will be in a position to fulfill the requirements I may have misinterpreted the post. However most of us will know many that in the past lived under the radar it got more difficult for many in more recent years one thing that started highlighting them was driving licence change. Not sure after next year what requirements will be for UK citizens wishing to get residency etc in Spain? One presumes that it will be like for say usa citizen now, although yes some UK citizens will happily comply with that but many will find it difficult and costly so either will forget the idea or possibly try under the radar which would be difficult and in my view ever stressful.

Fredbargate

Hi bobd22 yes many were and still are living under the radar.
Here on the Gibraltar frontier where people were allowed to cross to work it was noticable how many didn't, possibly lacking paperwork to satisfy the Spanish frontier authorities.
Also many Gibraltar registered vehicles were confiscated or had fines imposed, one reportedly a fine of €18,000 serves him or her right.
Mind you I and my wife were allowed to travel to Spain during lockdown and there were many foriegn registered cars including British circulating.

Loafing Along

I think one thing that will deter people from the UK is the consistently low value of sterling. Gone are the days of when £1,- was equivalent to Euro 1,45 and post-Brexit I cannot see the current level of Euro 1,10 getting better only deteriorating to help keep the UK competitive . Today the cost of living UK / Spain is very similar and while property prices may be more resaonable the concept of a "Better standard/quality of living in the sun" combined with more restrictive residential requirements may discourage a lot of people from the UK . Not, of course other EU country citizens

Notdunroamin

A ridiculous assertion without a shred of foundation.

I accept that in the example below comparing Alicante to Peterborough might not be totally representative but nevertheless the differentials are stark.

Choose your own locations if you like.

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living...2=Peterborough

Fredbargate

I find some of your Peterborough prices astounding, they are more expensive than I pay in Morrisons Gibraltar for produce that has been transported to Gib from UK.

amideislas

Yes, I've heard that Spain is "so expensive". It's one of the reasons one couple we used to know moved back to England.

I see people on travel forums talking about how "they've raised prices so much it's just too expensive now". Yet actually, prices have remained much the same for some time now. It appears it is indeed the value of the pound that has contributed to that perception.

Also, if you choose to spend the premium for a flat in a British expat community/tourist resort and only shop at the "British shop", then yes, it will generally be 30%-50% more expensive than everywhere else, which could also make it appear as though the cost of living is about the same as England.

el collado kid

We do not think spain is more expensive than the uk.We shop in our local spanish supermarkets and the local fruit and veg market, drink in the local bars,living expenses local taxes ect. one for you road tax 35e.and utilities, prices in spain are much fairer i would say.

Notdunroamin

Apart from second hand cars and electricity, I can't really think of anything which is more expensive in Spain than in UK.

Perhaps those who contend that Spain is more expensive would care to cite some real life examples, and I don't mean in the so called 'English' shops.

bobd22

Without doubt the exchange rate affects us firstly it fell dramatically in the 2008 crash and had just got back to reasonable level when brexit and covid affected it again. It was great at 1.40 plus, good at 1.30 Ish OK at 1.20 but get below that and it has to affect any Brit who's income originates in sterling. That of course is always a risk when living in non sterling area, other Europeans incomers use Euro so no affect to them. As for prices I find some things are cheaper some dearer domestic shopping wise I guess Spain is a little better. One obvious winner in Spain is cost of alcohol. Utilities again some winners some losers in my view, rates/Council tax then Spain big winner, electricity I think UK is cheaper mainly due to spains standing charges, mobile phone pretty even possible slightly loower in UK, home Internet I think UK wins on cost for that. Overall I budget same for both countries and overall I think my money goes further in Spain however i guess we all socialise more here than UK simply because its great weather so we go out during which we buy odds and sods coffee beer etc. That's just how I find it but hard to really compare like for like as lifestyle in Spain is different to UK.