How has Brexit affected moving to Spain?

Once the UK left the European Union (EU) on January 1, 2021, freedom of movement between the two regions ceased to apply. Whilst Britain was a member State, UK citizens could travel to the other 27 countries with practically no restrictions, and the process of setting up home, retiring or working in any of these was much simpler. Following Brexit, the procedure is more long-winded and challenging.

This said, once you have successfully applied for residence in an EU country, your rights and remedies are largely the same as they would have been before Brexit.

What has changed since Brexit?

Broadly, the differences compared with when the UK was an EU member State are:

• You will need to apply for – and be granted – a visa. You can read more about what this involves in our article Visas for British citizens: An overview.
• You will need to prove a certain level of income or an annual lump sum which is much higher than EU citizens are required to show. To find out how this works, we recommend you consult our article Moving to Spain after Brexit: Income requirements.
• You will need valid health insurance, through an insurer authorised to cover you in your intended country of residence, which provides for all services available on the State national health system in that country. Britons on a UK State pension are covered by the National Health Service (NHS) for all their treatment, diagnostics, necessary check-ups and consultations when they move to Spain, but you must acquire documentary evidence of this from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) prior to making your visa application.

  If you plan to work in Spain, you will be covered for State healthcare through your job or your Social Security (National Insurance) contributions as a self-employed person or business owner. But you will still need health insurance to apply for a visa to get started.

• You will need to apply for a TIE (biometric residence card for non-EU citizens) within 30 days of moving to Spain. You can find out more on this in our article TIE: What is it, who needs it, and how to get it.
• You will need to acquire a Spanish driving licence to continue driving in Spain after six months of residence. Not all countries have an agreement with Spain enabling their licence holders to exchange these for a Spanish version – where this is the case, drivers need to take their test again in Spain. The situation concerning whether British licences can be exchanged in Spain remains under review and subject to bilateral talks, but be prepared that you may need to retake your driving practical and theory tests after six months of residence. If you need an English-language interpreter to accompany you for your test, you will have to bear the cost of this yourself.

What has remained the same since Brexit?

Relocating to Spain permanently, as EU or non-EU citizens, means you are required to:

• Obtain a foreigners' national identification (NIE) number. Our article NIE: what is it, what do I need it for and how to apply for one offers more detailed information on this process.
• Register on the local population census in your town (the padrón).
• Register with the tax authorities, even if you are not required to pay any tax (due to low income or taxes deducted at source where your funds come from your home country).

All this was the case for UK nationals moving to Spain before Brexit, and has not changed since 2021.

Is any of this likely to change for the better?

Fortunately for would-be Spain-bound Britons in the longer term, the Spanish national government and regional governments in cosmopolitan coastal areas are no happier about the greater restrictions on new British residents than you are. Officials at all levels in Spain have expressed their discontent with having to stamp passports for non-resident visitors from the UK, about the 90-day cut-off period for extended trips, and the extra hurdles faced by UK nationals wanting to move to Spain.

Unfortunately for both officials and future residents, the new requirements are a default setting caused by the UK ceasing to be a member of the EU. It is not a case of 'Spain punishing Britain for Brexit' – Spain is merely applying EU immigration law to third-country nationals in the same way it has always done for non-UK citizens outside the bloc.

But Spain's national interest in making life easier for incoming Britons means its government is campaigning hard at EU level to relax the rules. Firstly, it wants to see an exemption from the so-called '90-day rule', at least for holiday-home owners, and secondly, Spain is pushing to be allowed to take on British seasonal workers under much less-onerous terms, perhaps even visa-free for specified periods.

Any other improvements in flexibility would be in the hands of the UK government, present or future, as they seek to build closer ties with the EU without necessarily rejoining.

Finally, British citizens who have, or had, parents or grandparents eligible for an Irish passport might want to look into getting one for themselves. Irish nationality is compatible with British nationality, meaning you do not have to renounce your UK citizenship to obtain it. As the Republic of Ireland is an EU country, your rights and requirements when moving to Spain as an Irish citizen would be the same as they were as a Briton prior to Brexit. The Republic of Ireland is not in the Schengen zone, but the '90-day rule' for Schengen zone stays is not enforced for nationals of EU member States that do not form part of it.

But if you are not eligible for an Irish passport, we still strongly recommend you do all you can to try to face the challenges ahead of you as a post-Brexit future resident in Spain. Once you have acquired permanent residence status after five years in the country, your situation will be similar to that of pre-Brexit British residents – and the lifestyle Spain offers is very much worth the effort.

If you're tempted, you could start by checking out the type of homes on sale in Spain that might be within your budget and to your taste. You'll find over a quarter of a million on our page Property for Sale.