Matty1683

Hi Everyone

Sorry if this has been asked before, me and my family are considering leaving the UK, we are currently in Essex and looking at the area of Moraira. We had a holiday home there up until it was sold in 2019.

My partner and I are 38, we have 3 daughters, 3 year old twins and a 10 year old. We really like the area and certainly feels like home. We have become fed up with UK weather, food and lifestyle. I think our daughters growing up would be benefit from this more relaxed lifestyle.

If anyone can share their experiences of the area, any pros and cons of upping and leaving the UK would be perfect for us to weigh up our decision.We are both self employed and can continue to run our businesses from home (Spain) as we have done here for the last 2 years.

Really appreciate the advice.

Thanks.

Matt

growinspain

Coming for a holiday and living here are 2 totally different ways of life..

Others will post on your requirements for a visa as a third world national...

Good luck and wish you well.

Matty1683

Thank you, yes totally get that, longest we have spent out there was 6 weeks, we had to live more like locals than holiday makers otherwise would of cost a fortune lol, totally loved it and didnt want to come home. So would like to think I've experienced a very small amount of what it would be like to live there, And flights to the UK are only 2 hours, so can get home in a hurry if i needed to.

agree_to_disagree

Putting everything else aside have you crunched the numbers so it is viable.

So that means

1. You know what the mandatory requirements on the Spanish side in terms of the required income for yourself and your family to be eligible move here?
2. You have a demonstrable means of income which is in excess of the above?

Before you consider anything else can you bounce ball park figures back us for 1) and 2) above?

Moses2013

I'm sure you have already done your research with visas, taxes and finances and you already know the area. Can't comment on UK as I'm in Ireland myself and have a place quite a bit further North from Moraira, but what is UK food and lifestyle? I can grow organic tomatoes in my own garden here and meat quality is not always great all over Spain.
Why did you sell your property in Spain?

Matty1683

yes, i read you need 2151 Euros per month plus an extra 538 Euros per child per month if applying as a family which we will fall in comfortably.

Matty1683

the property was a property in our business name, was only 2 bed and we need 4, so we sold it just as covid took hold. but always had intention to get back in the area.

I understand your point with food, can eat healthy anywhere so maybe didn't use the right words. Lifestyle however would be the siesta's, better and warmer climate.

growinspain

What scares me is the quote from you - flights to the UK are only 2 hours, so can get home in a hurry if i needed to.

You want to have Spain as your "home"... I would not say that to the person for the interview of your visa.

The 10 year old might have difficulties enrolled in a public school unless she can quickly learn the language or is enrolled in a pricey english or american school.

agree_to_disagree

Apologies, I didn't mean to pry into your income with the second question and requesting an indicative figure. Just sufficient that it is in excess of what is required.

I see that you state that you are both, "self employed and can continue to run our businesses from home (Spain) as we have done here for the last 2 years", then switching from paying tax to HMRC to the Spanish taxman will not be an issue and what every service you provide or clients you service, everything will be OK if it run from Spain?

If the kids do not speak Spanish then that will mean a private schooling and that is big bucks in Spain.

Moving to Spain is still perfectible doable but cannot be done spontaneously, as in the past. If you have a family in toe then obviously there are a few more things that need to be considered.

I would say that your biggest friends are planning, planning and more planning coupled with research, a shed more research and then a bucket of it on top.

Good luck!

Matty1683

I'm referring to getting home in a hurry for parents and grandparents or for other UK family emergencies, which of course is easier than being in somewhere like the USA or Australia and having to get home.

Whilst i appreciate your advice I prefer if you didn't try and pick holes in my words. I've looked at a couple of private schools and made some enquiries.

Anyway, all seems quite negative in here, thought there would be some positivity, im prepared for some cons of course but would be good to hear some pros as well.

Barriej

So you will be applying via the NLV which states you cannot work, you may need to rethink this.
Basically you will be in Spain even if your work is in the Uk or wherever, so you are working here...
This is the visa page with details of all visa types.

Visas (FAQ)

Wording from NLV.

1. The availability of sufficient financial means will be evidenced by the submission of original and stamped documents that verify the perception of a periodic and sufficient income or the holding of an estate that guarantees the perception of that income.
   
   If the financial means come from shares or participations in Spanish companies, mixed or foreign companies, based in Spain, applicants shall prove, by certification thereof, that they don’t carry out any work activity in suchcompanies and will submit an affidavit to that effect.
   

But if your income its high enough to satisfy that visa, then you should be looking at the self employed visa.
You will once resident pay tax and the spanish version of NI which as Autonomo starts low but ends up being nearly €300 a month no matter what you earn.

This details some of the costs.

https://www.selfemployedspain.com/ca...ents-in-spain/

Oh and lastly, driving licences.
There is still no agreement about exchanging so you may have to take a test...
https://www.dgt.es/comunicacion/noticias/dgt-brexit/
its in Spanish but chrome can translate.

I know of one couple who have moved here recently, they had a Uk business which also had customers in the EU (its been going for years).
The consulate informed them that the NLV would not be suitable as its mainly aimed for retirees and as pointed out no work allowed,
Spain has been slow in adopting a 'digital nomad visa'

They ended up going via the self employed route but had to close the Uk company and open a Spanish entity (the Uk is now just a branch not the home of the business).
The paperwork was quite involved to get the visa as they had to show a sound business plan (easy as they had an existing EU trading business.) and 70% of the trade was EU based before Brexit. They have also had to give details off how the business would 'add' to the local economy (again easy because they opened a small warehouse here).
His wife already speaks Spanish and is in the process of starting taking her driving test because she said why wait just in case an exchange is agreed.
So they are doing what they need but they are struggling because the paperwork here is ten times what they had in the Uk.

Its doable as is everything, most of us here are retired so we can only point out the differences that you will face compared with a couple of years ago.

And we are not being negative, just telling it as it is.
We could just say "hay come over, the birds all sing in the trees and the grass is the greenest you will ever see" but it aint the truth.

Matty1683

hi,

no problem, yes switching income is fine as well operate our business throughout Europe so our income would just come from a different division of the business.

Wont be doing this overnight, my intention would be September 2023 for the start of the school year., Found a private school locally and made some enquiries, they are pricy of course, compared to the UK they are cheaper though i must admit.

Matty1683

great info and links, thank you.

growinspain

The weather is better but can be brutal in the summer.

Matty1683

finally something positive. 😂