HI

I lived and owned a bar for a short while (6 months) in Spain in 2008 and had a financial disaster. I was paying NI and Tax to Spanish Gov for myself my wife and a lad who worked in the bar I owned I think it was around 600 euros a month, anyway I missed about 3 payments and also couldn't afford to pay our solicitor the money we owed him not sure now how much I think about 1000 euro due to a lot of problems we had this wasn't something we planned to do and we ended up handing back the lease on the bar and losing 25000 euros .

Would it be safe to fly to Spain now or would I risk being arrested as soon as I hand over my passport for non payment . Any help appreciated thanks

I don't think you would be arrested but I've got to ask, do you intend to pay these debts or are you coming to Spain with the intention of just staying off the radar in Spain ?

7 years ago! thats been written off m8.

Oh, they could still enforce it if he barges into hacienda screaming, "I'm back, betcha can't get me!". Otherwise, if he keeps a low profile, does everything legal, there probably won't be any reason to flag him.

There is a statute of limitations in Spain for four years. However, if the demand was issued within those four years it stays active indefinitely.

Everything in Spain is linked through your NIE number. If there is still something lurking in the system, then the first time your NIE number is logged it is quite possible that all the red lights will come on.

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

The only help I could offer is ... if you are planning to go back to Spain then pay what you owe and then you wont be looking over your shoulder all the time

Your problem would not come from arrest,but more likely from the possible sequestration of your funds if you open a bank account.I have a Spanish friend who has a similar problem to yours.He keeps his money as a credit on a Visa credit card rather than in his bank account,as it seems there are different laws governing card accounts.Don't know how accurate his information is,but he has been fortunate up until now.

Best advice so far

He hasnt been back since the day he asked the question, so he's probably doing it "his way"