Mattflynn

Dear Expats,
Firstly thank you for letting me join your forum I hope you are all living the dream.
So I would like your advice as I am thinking of moving to Spain in 6 months.
I will be travelling on an Irish passport, so I do t think the Schengen thing applies to me, and I restore antique Jewellery and will be taking my work to Spain , and all my clients are in the uk, but I would like to know….
1) will I have to pay IVA?
2) will I only be taxed in the uk?
3) what else will I have to pay? I know I have to pay about €300 social security but what about a fee for being “ autonomo?”
I would really appreciate any advice, many thanks in advance, Matt flynn

old.sparkles

Hey Matt,

I've moved your post to the Spain section, as you will likely get more responses here.

The members here are helpful people, who should be able to answer your questions

Good luck

agree_to_disagree

Hey Matt

Schengen area discussion is a red herring for you.

6 months is the critical threshold. If you spend one day less than six months in Spain then you remain a UK resident, all be it, with an Irish passport.

However, the Irish passport is key as that means you have a freedom of movement in the EU.

By the way if you are travelling thru customs with a pile of gold, best have receipts and evidence that you run a legit business. Otherwise they might seize jewellery you are carrying, if you have a lot.

With regard to tax again I think as long as you are here less than the six months, or the majority of you activity is in the UK, then you will be taxed in the UK. Six months again is the threshold.

Remember also that the six months is a rolling window.

Just an aside, if you have not grabbed a British passport, if you can get one do. It is useful at skipping queues at airports, depending on which direction you are travelling. I always carry two passports when I travel.

When you move to Spain best not start telling all and sundry that you repair jewellery, like gold and silver items. I would keep that one to myself in Spain. There are lots of crooks in Spain that would just love to pay you an uninvited visit and relieve you of all your valuables...

Good luck

Fred James

The 6 months for tax purposes is not a rolling window. If you spend more than 183 days in Spain in one Calendar year, you are tax resident. The fact that the jewelery originates in the UK is irrelevant. He would be treated just like any Spanish jeweller and pay tax in Spain on his total worldwide income.

Mattflynn

Thank you so much I really appreciate it, many best regards mattflynn

Mattflynn

Thank you for your very helpful messages. Bit confused though.
I thought there was a tax treaty between the uk and Spain meaning you can’t be taxed twice?
So like you said I can or can’t stay less than six months? If I go home for work every six weeks or so is that ok?
And don’t worry I wouldn’t tell a soul what I did

Fred James

Yes, there is a tax treaty. This allows certain types of income, notably pensions, to be paid free of UK tax. Other income arising from working in the UK is taxed in the UK even if you are tax resident in Spain, however you can offset one tax bill against the other which stops you being taxed twice.

If you carry out the work in the UK you will pay UK tax on it. If you carry out the work in Spain you wont pay UK tax on it so long as you are not tax resident in the UK.

snikpoh

After 3 months in Spain, you MUST register as resident which in turn probably means you are also tax resident.

You can't flip-flop between the 2 countries due to schengen rules

Bomber Harris

An oversimplification of tax laws, the only relevance of 183 days (6 months) is it being one of numerous deciding factors when there are doubts as to which country has primary taxation rights when the country of residence is in doubt.

Listen Very Carefully

Where exactly will you be when you do the work Spain or the UK ? That will determine which country will have first dibs at taxing you but in any evet if you are resident in Spain you will still need to declare your world wide income to Spain

agree_to_disagree

Yea but the OP has an Irish passport so does this 3 month Schengen rule apply?

Also if the OP becomes a resident he will also be faced with a 720 tax declaration in Spain, if he has investments or property worth over 50k euros in the UK or elsewhere outside Spain.

Bomber Harris

You are confusing Schengen rules with EU freedom of movement rules. The first limits non EU citizens to only spending 90 days in 180 in the Schengen area. The second allows EU member states to require EU citizens exercising their free movement rights to register their presence in another EU member state if they've been there for 3 months, Spain does require such registration.

Notdunroamin

The 3 month rule applies to everyone including other EU citizens, always has, it just isn't rigorously enforced.

Before Brexit Brits used to enjoy the same 'blind eye'.

Mattflynn

All very interesting, I’ll be working in Spain yes.
Ok people on another note going another way what would happen if I said the work
i was carrying out was a hobby and I didn’t earn any income from it?
I just survived on my English bank account?
Does anyone know how customs would react if I just told them the work I was bringing over was just for a hobby?
Thanks again

Moses2013

All info here https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp...=851&langId=en
it doesn't matter where your clients are and the rules of the country you are in apply. My clients are in Germany but if I'm based in Ireland, I'm in Ireland. As you say, working in Spain.