You can only spend up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period without a visa. | Archives

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Spain continues to welcome UK citizens to their communities, but it is under different rules and the process is more bureaucratic and complex.

Living in Spain before 2021?

UK nationals lawfully settled in Spain before the transition period ended can enjoy uninterrupted freedom of movement and citizens’ rights under the UK/EU Withdrawal Agreement.

If you have a holiday home or plan extended stays in Spain

Unless you have Spanish residence or EU citizenship, UK nationals can no longer come and go as they wish. You can only spend up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period without a visa. This applies across the EU Schengen zone, so you cannot pause or reset your days by spending time in another Schengen country.

If you want to spend more time in Spain, you have options:

• Apply in advance for a visa for each extended stay.

• Become Spanish resident.

Non-Lucrative Visa and residency permit

If you are not working in Spain, you can apply for a non-lucrative visa. You will need to:

• Demonstrate you have sufficient financial resources to support yourself and your dependents.

• Have suitable medical health insurance from an insurer in Spain.

• Provide a recent UK criminal record check and no police record in Spain.

• Apply at the relevant embassy or consulate in the UK with the relevant documentation in advance of moving.

• Renew the visa after one year at the Spanish immigration office, and after that every two years. You will need to provide similar proof/documentation each renewal.

After five years you can apply for Spanish permanent residency permit, if eligible.
This non-lucrative visa commits you to spending a certain amount of time in the country (generally 183+ days in a year). You will also be expected to register as a tax resident in Spain and meet your tax obligations, as required.

Making the most of living in Spain

If you do decide to move to Spain, you will need to adjust your financial affairs to suit your new situation. By becoming Spanish resident, it is highly likely you will also be deemed tax resident, so you will benefit from planning ahead. A locally based adviser with cross-border expertise is best placed to help you meet your obligations in the most tax-efficient way and take advantage of suitable opportunities in Spain.

All information is based on Blevins Franks’ understanding of legislation and taxation practice, in the UK and overseas at the time of writing; this may change in the future.

Keep up to date on the financial issues that may affect you on the Blevins Franks news page at www.blevinsfranks.com