Tuesday June 23rd marks exactly ten years since the Brexit vote. This has had a particularly big impact on Brits living in Spain and those with homes here. We’d like to hear from our British readers to find out how their lives have been affected.
The Brexit referendum took place on June 23rd 2016, the results of which revealed that the UK (or rather 72.2 percent of registered voters) chose to leave the EU, by 52 to 48 percent.
This decision has a profound impact for many UK nationals, particularly those who had made Spain their home, as well as Britons who had plans to move here in the future, not to mention Brits with a Spanish property or those thinking of buying one.
Around 400,000 UK nationals currently reside in Spain according to official figures, and an undisclosed number thought to be in the tens of thousands if not higher own second homes here.
Brits living in Spain before Brexit came into force held on to their EU rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, while those arriving after have faced a very different reality.
Crucially, losing EU citizenship has meant losing freedom of movement, meaning Britons can no longer just move to Spain and easily gain the right to reside and work here, or simply spend time in the country more freely.
They must now apply for a visa to live in Spain like any other third-country national, requiring a certain level of income, a remote job, a company to act as sponsor or certain other more restrictive factors.
British people who are non-residents can now also only spend 90 days out of every 180 days in the EU. This means that anyone that has a second home in Spain is limited in the amount of time they can spend in it, as well as in other EU countries.
There have also been plenty of smaller general drawbacks for those who secured residency, such as extra charges for sending post to and from both countries, more bureaucracy to undertake within Spain, difficulties bringing over family members, problems renewing driving licences, and more.
We’d love to hear from our British readers about their experiences and how their lives in Spain have changed as a result.
Please let us know how Brexit has affected your life and time in Spain by filling out this quick survey below. If the question does not appear below, click here.
