Before you begin reading my article on Spanish residency card:
- 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 2022 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
If you are from the United Kingdom, then this article is for you 
Article updated on 25 May, 2021
Click here to read about the new Spanish residency card for British citizens
Back on October 30, 1974 there was a historic boxing event in Kinshasa, Zaire between two famous heavyweight boxers: Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
Seven years before, Ali had lost his title accused of “draft-dodging”, so this was the second opportunity of his life to regain the heavyweight championship title.
(Muhammad Ali, the then-Cassius Clay, and The Beatles in 1964)
The bell rang, and, as History.com describes the events on its website: “Foreman began to pound Ali with his signature sledgehammer blows, but Ali simply backed himself up against the ropes and used his arms to block as many hits as he could.”
Foreman began to tire and turned exhausted in the eighth round, where Ali through a burst of punches and knocked him out, regaining the world championship.
Can you see the analogy with the Spanish residency card?
I have witnessed so many changes since I created Torrevieja Translation…
Back on 23 June 2016, a referendum was held to decide whether the United Kingdom should leave or remain in the European Union. Leave won.
The official date to leave was set for 29 March 2019, exactly two years after Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty was invoked.
A second deadline was proposed for the UK to leave the EU: 31 October 2019.
A third deadline on 31 January 2020 (The UK leaves the EU officially).
Then, a transition period which will end on 31 December 2020… a beyond this dates, everything is a total mystery.
Despite the different opinions about Brexit, there is one thing for sure: we’re near the end, only a few months away from the new deadline.
We are practically at the same point where Ali and Foreman wrote history, close to the final round.
Now Brexit is near to write its own history, and this is the point where you should counterpunch, as Ali did.
But why now?
Because of a simple reason.
As in boxing, every time life throws one punch it let its guard down.
For a fraction of second, you will have a real opportunity to counterpunch and hit the target.
Can you see it now?
Let me explain.
Imagine that the outcome of Brexit is the United Kingdom transformed into a complete non-EU country.
This means that, to live in Spain, UK citizens will have to apply for visas at the Spanish embassy in the UK (one of the possible visas could be the Spanish non-lucrative visa) and here are some of the possible requirements for that:
- High savings required (as of today it’s around €30,000)
- Private medical insurance
- Criminal records
- Doctor check-ups
- Letters of purpose explaining why you’d like to live in Spain
- Official translations
- Expensive government fees
- And much more
(As a non-EU country, it could bring more confusion to the Spanish residency card process)
Then, once you have your visa stuck into your passport, you’d be able to travel to Spain and apply for the non-EU Spanish residency card.
On the contrary, if you apply now, you will still do it using the same EU procedure, a much easier process without having to apply for any visas at the embassy.
It’s round 8, the time to take action
Forget about the contradictions from the news, about the predictions, about the likelihood of an exit, or whatever the wind seems to blow. Brexit is tired, exhausted, as George Foreman was that night.
It’s been years of high emotion, ups and downs, fear, anger. Brexit has its guard down. If you don’t take action now, the bell will ring on 31 December 2020.
The final round.
The end of the event.
It’s time to apply for Spanish permanent residency.
And what’s beyond that day… well, it’s a total mystery.
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: Galaviz, Lucille Pine
