We recently attended and made notes at a local meeting in Hondón de los Frailes about BREXIT. This was organised by the British Consulate, Alicante division. Our notes are below which may help some of you.
Yes, the situation as we write (Nov’ 2018) is still very fluid and subject to change and as yet there is no deal/ a deal is agreed between the UK and EU.
However, with time running out Brits abroad are worrying what they should do!
Of course Hondon Villas are no experts on what actually will happen, nor are we privy to any more information than anyone else. But we try to keep an eye on what could happen to protect our business and help new and existing clients.
With that in mind here are the things we picked out from the talk…
AIM of the Talk: For British citizens living in Spain to be ready for Brexit.
Citizens rights:
Brits that are over living here ‘legally’ can continue to do so as normal.
To be ‘legal’ you must hold a residencia. You can have lived here for less than 5 years but you still need a residencia.
Health Care:
If you have health care already in Spain via a S1 (pensioners) then you can continue to do so. If you have healthcare in Spain through any other means i.e S I P card then this continues also. The European health card ( EHIC) should not be used if you are living here permanently.
Time frames:
To achieve legal status (residencia) before December 2020 (if a deal is reached). To achieve legal status (residencia) before March 31st (if a deal is not reached).
Part time residents:
Maybe difficult for them to do 6 months Spain/UK. This group may have to choose which country they want to be resident in! Nothing has been agreed in the negotiations so far but may mean that if you are not resident legally in Spain there could be restrictions on the period of time they can reside per year.
Driving License:
Should not be driving on a UK driving license if living in Spain. You need a Spanish Driving license.
False info/scaremongering:
Anything written on any platform other than the Gov.UK site is not true.
Voting rights:
This was not included in the Brexit negotiations. However Spain and the British consulate are in discussions so hopefully Brits legally living in Spain will be able to vote in the local Spanish elections soon.
Spain/difficulties in registering:
This can be described as a bureaucratic country with regards getting your documents especially your residencia. However, this in the long term is good thing as it gives you a good footprint in Spain.
Gestores:
Due to the difficult nature/red tape of some of the paperwork needed to obtain some documents, the Spanish tend to use a Gestor who can, for a cost, sort out everything that is needed. Recommended, especially if yout Spanish is poor.
Other info
– Facebook page ‘Brits in Spain’
– Citizens Advice Spain – a voluntary website to help foreigners in Spain.
– Brexpats– Formed to assist the Brits during Brexit. Not for/against Brexit just works with the consulate to help get info out to Brits in Spain. Brexpats is a legal and regulated association in Spain with 5,500 members to date. They also work with international lawyers and are hopeful that they can achieve the voters rights for Brits in Spain to vote in local elections.
Join : More members needed to increase their voice!
The message clearly was to make sure you are a legal British citizen in Spain before Brexit….the only way to achieve this is to have all your documentation but most importantly your residencia.
As we do not know as yet whether there is going to be a deal…I guess it would be sensible to recommend that we all get our paperwork sorted before March 31st 2019.
I hope this is helpful to you. Please consult official channels and not the local bar-room chitter. You can share your experiences on the Hondon Villas Facebook page…
Thank you
The Hondón Villas team
Office Numbers: +34 622 314 244
OFFICE: Central Plaza, Hondon de los Frailes
