Making the Decision to Move to Spain

Making this type of decision will depend on you as a person. Some will find it easy others will find it hard. Some think they won't see their family enough, others will welcome their families to come and visit and see their new lives as much as possible.

One very important part of moving to Spain post Brexit is considering on what basis you are going to move to will it be part time as a holiday home using the 90 in 180 day Schengen rules or do you want to be a move permanently?

If you want to move to Spain on a permanent basis then you will need to consider on what basis you will obtain residencía.

At the moment most British people moving to Spain are doing so on either a Non Lucrative Visa (NLV) or using their citizenship from another EU country. Since Brexit there has been a huge increase in the application of Irish citizenship due to a parent or grandparent being Irish.

The main ways to obtain Spanish residencía if you are British

Non Lucrative Visa

Those applying for the NLV are mainly of retirement age. With the NLV you need to have a regular income or the savings at 400% of the IPREM* and 100% for each additional dependent. Additionally you will also need suitable healthcare coverage or insurance that is accepted for residencía in Spain. You can only apply for this visa at the Spanish Embassy in your current country of residence. The NVL does not give you the option to work.

*The 2024 IPREM rate remains at a daily IPREM of €2, monthly IPREM of €600annual IPREM in 12 payments of €7,200 and annual IPREM in 14 payments of €8,400. The latter is not used for VIsa purposes.

Investment Visa

There are some that come to Spain on an investment visa but those people are few and far between in Almería. You can only apply for this visa at the Spanish Embassy in your current country of residence. The income and healthcare coverage / insurance conditions are the same as the NLV. However, as it’s an investment visa you will need to invest a considerable about of capital in Spain. The main way of doing this is buying Spanish property to the minimum value of 500000.00€. This can be either one property and he one you will live in when you move to Spain or more than one property with a combined minimum vale of 500000.00€

Nomad Visa

The Nomad visa on the other hand has only just started and this is starting to spark attention with British people that remote work. The rules are very specific but basically if you work for a UK company dealing the majority of customers outside of Spain (80%) then this is fast becoming an option of those that are still wishing to work.

EU Citizen

If using EU citizenship the rules are different for income levels, the main one being that you will be able to work in Spain and therefore on this basis gain residencía. Alternatively you may be a retiree and just like the NLV you will need to demonstrate that you will not be a burden on the Spanish state by having income or equivalent savings on 100% of the IPREM and have health coverage from another country that will fund your healthcare in Spain or suitable health insurance.