Before you begin reading my article on Spanish residency after Brexit:
- Are you from the United Kingdom? Please read my 2022 guide all about moving to Spain from the UK
- Are you from the USA? Please read my 2022 guide all about moving to Spain from the USA
- Are you from Canada? Please read my 2022 guide all about moving to Spain from Canada
- Are you from South Africa? Please read my 2022 guide all about moving to Spain from South Africa
- Are you from Australia? Please read my 2022 guide all about moving to Spain from Australia
Or perhaps you would like to know more about:
The 2021 definitive Spain visa guide and types of Spanish visas for non-European Union citizens
Spanish residency for non-European Union citizens married/family members of European Union citizens
Are you ready to become a citizen of Spain? Please read my article Spanish citizenship
Otherwise, please read on 
NOTE: Article updated on 04 January 2021
Can you imagine how the Spanish residency after Brexit will be?
It looks like some kind of apocalypse, doesn’t it?
One day, you wake up; and there is no Spain.
No more sunshine.
No more gardening on your Spanish property.
No more great weather.
No more walks on a promenade by the beach.
No more driving on the right.
No more social life.
No more great Spanish healthcare.
Spain is whipped out.
Spain is not on the map anymore.
You can’t move to Spain anymore.
The happy retirement in Spain is gone.
The new life in the sun is gone.
(It might not be this kind of asteroid, but…)
The imminent (and metaphoric) falling asteroid
There is a fast-moving event about to hit Europe.
Maybe in a silent “nothing-changed” way.
Or maybe like the rock-made asteroid that it’s believed to be the cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Metaphorically speaking, of course.
The name of the asteroid?
You know it.
Brexit.
And its consequences are totally unexpected.
Because Brexit itself was totally unexpected a few years ago.
Because what Brexit will bring in the future is totally unpredictable.
Only by looking backwards, we will able to see the real aftermath, but only when we are in the future. Only then we will be in the position to confirm how the Spanish residency after Brexit will be.
In the meantime, you should get your Spanish documents right, and forget about…
The friend of the friend of the friend
I get emails almost on a daily basis from people asking what they should do, whether they should apply now for Spanish residency or wait to see what Brexit brings.
They have heard stories told by the friend of the friend of the friend.
They have been told that: “the Spanish residency after Brexit will remain the same”.
My question: How do the friends know whether the Spanish residency process will not change?
Day in and out, I am at the Spanish national police and immigration offices doing residencies and nobody knows yet.
- The police don’t know
- The Spanish government doesn’t know
- The Spanish tax office doesn’t know
- The local town hall doesn’t know
- The Spanish newspapers don’t know because they write about what the previous announce and publish
Therefore, as you can imagine: The friend of the friend of the friend has no clue.
My recommendation:
Get protected and apply for your Spanish residency card in Spain before 31 December 2020.
Why?
Because nobody knows yet how Spanish residency will be after Brexit.
Because beyond Brexit it’s all rumor, theory, hypothesis.
The only thing guaranteed is the way the Spanish residency is done now, today, in the present.
Here and now.
As water falling… here and now… no past, no future.
(This is the sound of your Spanish residency)
Brexit’s aftermath
Something is going to change.
Hard Brexit.
No deal.
Out of the EU.
It really does not matter what we call it.
It really does not matter how much we read about it.
It really does not matter how much we blame politicians.
There is an imminent change about to happen, and that is why you should get protected.
Many years ago, I found a text which says something like:
<<Some people read so much about tragedies that they become experts in tragedies.
Other people choose to read about solutions, about hope, about overcoming obstacles. Therefore, they become experts in those fields.>>
What side would you like to be on?
Would you like to be an expert in Brexit?
Or perhaps you would like to protect yourself, have your Spanish residency and see Brexit as an episode that did not stop you living legally in Spain?
(Write your own History before and after Brexit)
Spanish residency after Brexit: David’s prediction
I have heard some possible scenarios too… from official Spanish sources.
Here are the two ones I believe that could happen:
- Non-EU visas for British citizens (perhaps similar to the Spanish non-lucrative visa)
- Special Spanish residency ID cards for British citizens (which could start out with a visa… or not)
None of them will make the Spanish residency card process any easier than it is now.
- There will still be healthcare requirements.
- The financial means requirements could be dramatically increased.
- There might be criminal records required.
- Medical certificates to know the general health condition.
- Marriage certificate.
- Apostilles.
- Letter of intent.
- Everything that’s in English would have to be translated into Spanish in the official format.
However, if you have known me in person and have already read some articles on my websites, or any of my books, you will know that I’m a very pragmatic person when it comes to solving problems for living in Spain.
That I don’t like to play with variables, statistics, possible scenarios, interpretations (the list goes on).
That I don’t like to agitate people because there might be an unclear EU directive, a UN law, or an interplanetary law that goes against the Spanish way of proceeding.
That I don’t care about what the friend of the friend of the friend says, the forums, confusing websites (even the official ones) or Facebook groups full of anonymous and non-professional people (who can take you through a painful path due to their “free” advice).
I play with the Spanish rules, and more precisely with the relevant office’s rules.
Yes, I’m a problem solver.
I’m a plastic surgeon when it comes to relocation services for living in Spain, not a theorist
I’ve been dealing with the Spanish system for almost a decade, since 2010, on the ground, going through my own frustrating learning curve.
All that matters to me is solving the problem.
Getting things done.
Making you happy through my services (visit my “Hall of Happy Clients” under Testimonials, up on top).
In Spain, you don’t need somebody who will defend you from the dark army located in the evil woods, but somebody who grabs your hand and helps you bypass the evil woods (that’s me ?).
(The bypass is worthy… it will take you to similar paths)
So, what’s the ultimate point?
Getting your Spanish residency card.
Now.
As simple as that.
Being a resident is the beginning of your Spanish journey, which will allow you to stay in Spain legally.
My recommendation is to:
- Stop reading about Brexit
- Stop reading about how the Spanish residency after Brexit will be
- Stop reading conflicting and non-sense on social media
Have you made the decision to become a resident in Spain?
That is 50% of the process.
The other 50% is to find the perfect professional who can guide you through the process.
Are you ready to move to Spain?
You are either from an EU or non-EU country… and chances are you don’t know where to start.
But, good news, we are relocation specialists
Here is the starting point.
Please click / tap on the image below:
Coverage areas
Alicante Province
Costa Blanca: These are my usual in-person coverage areas in Costa Blanca Spain, Altea, Calpe, Orihuela Costa, Guardamar, Javea, Moraira, Alicante, La Marina, Denia, Pilar de la Horadada, Benidorm, El Campello, Santa Pola, and, of course, Torrevieja; as well as other towns near Alicante.
Inland Alicante province: Orihuela, Elche, Pinoso, Almoradi, Alcoy, Orba, Rojales, Crevillente, Los Montesinos, San Miguel de Salinas, Benijofar, Algorfa,
Murcia Province
Costa Cálida: including Costa Calida Spain: San Pedro del Pinatar, Los Alcazares, Santiago de la Rivera, , San Javier, Mazarron, Aguilas.
Cities and towns in Murcia province:
Cartagena, Yecla, Sucina, Totana, Alhama, Molina de Segura, Fortuna, Murcia city.
Other areas in Spain
I have collaborators almost everywhere all over Spain, so no worries, I can assist you anywhere you are in Spain, in cities such as: Zaragoza, Vitoria, Bilbao, Albacete, Almería, Logroño, Avila, Badajoz, Caceres, Majorca, Zamora, Barcelona, Burgos, Oviedo, Cadiz, Santander, Castellon, Pontevedra, Ciudad Real, Cordoba, Cuenca, Gerona, Granada, Guadalajara, San Sebastian, Huelva, Huesca, Jaen, Navarra, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gijon, Leon, Lleida, Lugo, Madrid, Malaga, Orense, Palencia, Salamanca, Segovia, Sevilla, Soria, Tarragona, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Teruel, Toledo, Valencia, Valladolid.
Credit Image: R. Davies, T. Topics, Free Images, Chris Luczkow, J. Bergmann
