Moving to Spain after Brexit: Everything Brits need to consider before deciding
Moving to Spain since Brexit came into force has become considerably harder for UK nationals, with everything from visas, to healthcare, taxes and other matters to weigh up before deciding whether it’s worth it. Here are 24 detailed articles that will help you decide.
Is it possible to move or retire to Spain after Brexit?
Yes, but it’s become increasingly complicated and it’s not possible to do it on a whim anymore.
Since the beginning of 2021, Britons who have wanted to move to Spain have had to factor in that, as they are non-EU nationals now, they have to abide by more stringent rules, just like Americans, Indians, Australians and other third country nationals.
As a result of Brexit, UK nationals no longer have the freedom of movement, access to jobs, guaranteed healthcare and other perks of the EU framework that give Europeans flexibility and ease when moving to another EU country.
What paperwork and requirements do Brits need to move to Spain after Brexit?
Before Brexit, UK nationals could move to Spain without hassle, even if they had few savings, no job waiting for them and if they hadn’t set up their healthcare yet.
Now they have to get a visa at the Spanish Embassy in London if they intend to spend more than 90 out of 180 days in Spain.
Visas such as the non-lucrative visa and the golden visa (€500K property purchase) are good options for those with considerable financial means to cover their life costs, private healthcare and possibly a property.
Spain also has a work visa and a business visa for those who intend to work for a company or become self employed, but Britons need to be aware that these also have tough criteria, such as there being no EU candidate for the job or a comprehensive business plan and job creation.
A student visa is also available for UK nationals who want to enrol at a Spanish university or educational institution.
The following articles will help you to decide which visa is best for you.
- How Britons can live and work in Spain after Brexit
- How much money do Britons need for Spain’s non-lucrative visa in 2022?
- What you need to know about applying for Spain’s non-lucrative visa
- Pros and cons: What foreigners should be aware of before applying for Spain's golden visa
Do Brits moving to Spain after Brexit need to get a Spanish residency card?
Yes. Whichever visa Brits obtain will entitle them to enter Spain and effectively make them residents, but they must still apply for Spain’s Foreign Residency Card for non-EU nationals, the TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) within the first month they’re in the country.
Britons who were living in Spain before Brexit are now also being encouraged to get this biometric card even if they have the old green residency documents.
You can find out more about the TIE card here and how to apply in the links below.
- What Brits in Spain need to know about the new Brexit-friendly residency card
- What are the steps to apply for a TIE residency card in Spain?
What do Brits need to know about healthcare if they move to Spain after Brexit?
UK nationals moving to Spain for the first time in 2021 and onwards have to have total healthcare coverage in Spain, with no co-payments or shortages. This can be through public or private healthcare, depending on your situation.
The following articles should help you decide on the best option for you.
- How Britons can access Spain’s public healthcare if they’re not pensioners or working
- What are the best private health insurance options in Spain for Brits after Brexit?
- Healthcare in Spain: the steps to apply for the S1 form for UK state pensioners
- TSE card: How Brits can get a Spanish European Health Insurance card
Roda de Berà in Catalonia. Photo: Alberto Frías/Unsplash
What other important matters should Brits moving to Spain after Brexit consider?
UK nationals need to know that when they take up residency in Spain, they are also becoming fiscal residents in Spain and ceasing to be a resident of the UK.
There are other matters to consider from the lack of dual nationality available to them, the reasons for losing Spanish residency and other questions which we’ve covered in the articles below.
- Q&A: What Brits in Spain need to know about tax and residence after Brexit
- What foreigners should be aware of before becoming residents in Spain
- Do I really have to give up my British passport to become Spanish?
- How long can Brits stay in the UK without losing their EU residency?
- How post-Brexit bank changes could affect British people in Spain
If Britons move to Spain after Brexit, can they drive with a UK licence?
Yes, but as things stand only for a period of six months, just like other non-EU nationals in Spain.
The UK and Spain are having ongoing discussions about whether they’ll allow the exchange of all British licences for Spanish ones after Brexit, talks that have gone on for over a year and with the latest extension to UK licence validity in Spain set to end on February 28th 2022.
As things stand Britons who didn’t register their intent to exchange their UK licences will have to sit their driving test again in Spain, unless a deal is finally reached. The following links cover what you need to know in more detail.
- Driving in Spain for UK residents: what’s the latest on the licence exchange?
- Driving in Spain: Who can exchange their licence and who has to resit the exam?
What do Brits moving their belongings to Spain after Brexit need to know?
Brexit has ushered in a host of extra rules and restrictions on imports to Spain from the UK, but Britons moving to Spain in 2021 can bring belongings into Spain duty free. Here's what they need to know about this and the different paperwork and processes.
- Which items are exempt from duty for Britons moving belongings to Spain after Brexit?
- How Britons can import belongings into Spain duty-free post-Brexit
- New licence needed to bring vans and trailers from UK to Spain
- How to import a vehicle to Spain from outside of the EU
Is it worth it for Brits to move to Spain after Brexit?
That really depends on your personal assessment of the pros and cons that are covered in the articles we've linked to, and in many cases whether you can meet the visa requirements.
Spain consistently ranks amongst the highest for quality of life in expat surveys, with fantastic weather, food, people, history, nature and more. It's also an integral part of the EU, to which you'll have easier access as a Spanish resident.
Ultimately it's up to you and your circumstances, but our recommendation is that a move to Spain after Brexit is certainly still very much worth it.
- Brexit: Six facts Brits in Spain have become acutely aware of in 2021
- Can Spain legally offer more than 90 days to non-resident Britons?
- Can second-home owners automatically get a residence permit in Spain?
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See Also
Is it possible to move or retire to Spain after Brexit?
Yes, but it’s become increasingly complicated and it’s not possible to do it on a whim anymore.
Since the beginning of 2021, Britons who have wanted to move to Spain have had to factor in that, as they are non-EU nationals now, they have to abide by more stringent rules, just like Americans, Indians, Australians and other third country nationals.
As a result of Brexit, UK nationals no longer have the freedom of movement, access to jobs, guaranteed healthcare and other perks of the EU framework that give Europeans flexibility and ease when moving to another EU country.
What paperwork and requirements do Brits need to move to Spain after Brexit?
Before Brexit, UK nationals could move to Spain without hassle, even if they had few savings, no job waiting for them and if they hadn’t set up their healthcare yet.
Now they have to get a visa at the Spanish Embassy in London if they intend to spend more than 90 out of 180 days in Spain.
Visas such as the non-lucrative visa and the golden visa (€500K property purchase) are good options for those with considerable financial means to cover their life costs, private healthcare and possibly a property.
Spain also has a work visa and a business visa for those who intend to work for a company or become self employed, but Britons need to be aware that these also have tough criteria, such as there being no EU candidate for the job or a comprehensive business plan and job creation.
A student visa is also available for UK nationals who want to enrol at a Spanish university or educational institution.
The following articles will help you to decide which visa is best for you.
- How Britons can live and work in Spain after Brexit
- How much money do Britons need for Spain’s non-lucrative visa in 2022?
- What you need to know about applying for Spain’s non-lucrative visa
- Pros and cons: What foreigners should be aware of before applying for Spain's golden visa
Do Brits moving to Spain after Brexit need to get a Spanish residency card?
Yes. Whichever visa Brits obtain will entitle them to enter Spain and effectively make them residents, but they must still apply for Spain’s Foreign Residency Card for non-EU nationals, the TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) within the first month they’re in the country.
Britons who were living in Spain before Brexit are now also being encouraged to get this biometric card even if they have the old green residency documents.
You can find out more about the TIE card here and how to apply in the links below.
- What Brits in Spain need to know about the new Brexit-friendly residency card
- What are the steps to apply for a TIE residency card in Spain?
What do Brits need to know about healthcare if they move to Spain after Brexit?
UK nationals moving to Spain for the first time in 2021 and onwards have to have total healthcare coverage in Spain, with no co-payments or shortages. This can be through public or private healthcare, depending on your situation.
The following articles should help you decide on the best option for you.
- How Britons can access Spain’s public healthcare if they’re not pensioners or working
- What are the best private health insurance options in Spain for Brits after Brexit?
- Healthcare in Spain: the steps to apply for the S1 form for UK state pensioners
- TSE card: How Brits can get a Spanish European Health Insurance card
Roda de Berà in Catalonia. Photo: Alberto Frías/Unsplash
What other important matters should Brits moving to Spain after Brexit consider?
UK nationals need to know that when they take up residency in Spain, they are also becoming fiscal residents in Spain and ceasing to be a resident of the UK.
There are other matters to consider from the lack of dual nationality available to them, the reasons for losing Spanish residency and other questions which we’ve covered in the articles below.
- Q&A: What Brits in Spain need to know about tax and residence after Brexit
- What foreigners should be aware of before becoming residents in Spain
- Do I really have to give up my British passport to become Spanish?
- How long can Brits stay in the UK without losing their EU residency?
- How post-Brexit bank changes could affect British people in Spain
If Britons move to Spain after Brexit, can they drive with a UK licence?
Yes, but as things stand only for a period of six months, just like other non-EU nationals in Spain.
The UK and Spain are having ongoing discussions about whether they’ll allow the exchange of all British licences for Spanish ones after Brexit, talks that have gone on for over a year and with the latest extension to UK licence validity in Spain set to end on February 28th 2022.
As things stand Britons who didn’t register their intent to exchange their UK licences will have to sit their driving test again in Spain, unless a deal is finally reached. The following links cover what you need to know in more detail.
- Driving in Spain for UK residents: what’s the latest on the licence exchange?
- Driving in Spain: Who can exchange their licence and who has to resit the exam?
What do Brits moving their belongings to Spain after Brexit need to know?
Brexit has ushered in a host of extra rules and restrictions on imports to Spain from the UK, but Britons moving to Spain in 2021 can bring belongings into Spain duty free. Here's what they need to know about this and the different paperwork and processes.
- Which items are exempt from duty for Britons moving belongings to Spain after Brexit?
- How Britons can import belongings into Spain duty-free post-Brexit
- New licence needed to bring vans and trailers from UK to Spain
- How to import a vehicle to Spain from outside of the EU
Is it worth it for Brits to move to Spain after Brexit?
That really depends on your personal assessment of the pros and cons that are covered in the articles we've linked to, and in many cases whether you can meet the visa requirements.
Spain consistently ranks amongst the highest for quality of life in expat surveys, with fantastic weather, food, people, history, nature and more. It's also an integral part of the EU, to which you'll have easier access as a Spanish resident.
Ultimately it's up to you and your circumstances, but our recommendation is that a move to Spain after Brexit is certainly still very much worth it.
- Brexit: Six facts Brits in Spain have become acutely aware of in 2021
- Can Spain legally offer more than 90 days to non-resident Britons?
- Can second-home owners automatically get a residence permit in Spain?
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