Register a UK Car in Spain

The UK is no longer in the EU and the process and costs to register a UK car in Spain are a lot more than they were before Brexit. This is because UK cars now are now treated as vehicles from third countries and must clear customs, have import duty and VAT paid, or get

Spanish Non-Lucrative Visa Applications in the UK handled by BLS International Visa Centres

All three Spanish Consulates in the UK have outsourced handling of Non-Lucrative Visa applications to BLS International. The consulates in London and Edinburgh were the first to make the switch at the start of summer at the start of the onset of Student Visa application processing. Manchester consulate continued handling Non-Lucrative Visa applications in house,

How to Check the status of Your Non-Lucrative Visa Application

Now that BLS International have taken over processing of Non Lucrative Visa Applications, it is no longer possible to track your application through the Spanish Consulate portal.  BLS have their own tracking system, however at the moment its being worked on so is not available at the moment.  We’ll update this page when it comes

Spanish Consulate Edinburgh and BLS International Visa Centre

There are three Spanish Consulates in the UK that issue Spanish residency visa.  The Spanish Consulate in Edinburgh covers the North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.  So if you live in one of these areas, you’ll take your application to the BLS International Visa Centre in Edinburgh which handles visa processing for the Consulate

Spanish Residency Certificate for Citizens of EU Countries

Spanish Residency Certificate for Citizens of EU countries All EU and EEA (European Economic Area) citizens and their family members have the right to visit, live or work in Spain.  A Spanish residency certificate confirms your status as a resident in Spain. For stays of up to 3 months there is no need to register

Register a Car from an EU Country in Spain

There are a few steps involved in the process to register a car from an EU country in Spain.  Fortunately because of European standardisation, or homologation as it’s known, in most cases, provided you know the steps, it’s relatively straight forward. The following is a basic run through of the steps and process.

Spanish Golden Visa for UK British Nationals

The Spanish Golden Visa offers residency to individuals who make a real estate investment in Spain of €500,000 or more.  The Spanish Golden Visa scheme has been in existence since September 2013 when legislation for the ‘residency by investment scheme’ was passed.  The aim being to attract foreign investors at a time when the economy

Getting a good deal on Currency Exchange

When buying holiday money or sending money abroad, many banks and brokers include hidden fees and or a mark-up in the exchange rate.  Not surprising, a recent study into international money transfers and payments found that 75% of consumers do not know about, or do not understand currency exchange rate mark-ups. In recent years specialised currency

Portugal Ends It’s Golden Visa Residency for Property Investors – Will Spain Be Next?

Portugal has ended its Golden Visa residency program for property investors. This announcement came just a week after Ireland terminated of its ‘Golden Visa’ Immigrant Investor Program. Both countries introduced Golden Visas in 2012, as did Spain, as they struggled to recover from the global financial crisis. The aim was to prevent banking collapse by

Spanish Residency Certificates Visas & TIE

If you’re not a Spanish citizen and want to live in Spain, you have to obtain Spanish residency.  The process that you have to follow to get Spanish residency depends on your nationality, whether you are from an EU country, and if not, what you plan to do whilst you are a Spanish resident. Nationals

Private Medical Insurance for Spanish Visas & Residency

A Private Medical insurance policy for Spanish visas and residency has to provide a level of healthcare cover equivalent to that provided by the state healthcare system.  For a lot of private medical insurance providers this will mean taking out their top level fully comprehensive policy.  Co-payments policies that have much lower monthly or annual

Goodbye Wealth Tax Hello Large Fortune Tax

Andalucía has become one the top 3 regions in Spain with the least taxes.  On the 21st September 2021, the regional president, Juanma Moreno, announced the scrapping of Wealth Tax in Andalucía. The tax has accounted for just 0.6% of income for the regional government (€95m annually), and Moreno believes the change will have a

Non Residents Property Tax

Aside from Local (IBI), Capital Gains, Wealth and Inheritance Taxes, non residents must pay tax on any income they receive that arises in Spain.  Income tax for non-residents is charged at a fixed rate of 19% if you are a resident in an EU or EEA country  For non-residents from the rest of the world,

Moving from UK to Spain and Planning For Spanish Tax Residency

When changing tax residency from the UK to Spain, there are potentially costly mistakes that can be made due to not taking advice, or getting the wrong advice, as well as advantages that can be achieved with well advised planning. Our legal, financial and tax professional associates assist our client with all the formal matters

Getting Set Up in Spain After Obtaining Your Non-Lucrative Visa

You have your non-lucrative visa, and you’re on your way to Spain to start your new life in Spain.  Congratulations! You now start the process of getting yourself registered and set up in Spain. Here’s our rundown of all the essentials that you’ll need to get done in your first few months of your non-lucrative

Spain Amends Overseas Assets Declaration Law Following EU Ruling Deeming It Illegal

Since the introduction of legislation in 2012, (LEY 7/2012, de 29 octubre, de prevención y lucha contra el fraude fiscal), Spain has required all Spanish residents to make an overseas assets declaration, notifying the authorities of the worldwide assets that they own or control. Under the Law, failure to make an overseas assets declaration, or

Withdrawal Agreement TIE for British UK Nationals in Spain

The TIE, Tarjeta de Indentidad de Extranjero, is the Spanish identification card for citizens from third countries (non-EU) who reside in Spain.  The Withdrawal Agreement TIE is a special version of this card, issued to British UK nationals who have retained EU rights under the terms of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. The qualifying requirements for

Spanish Residency & Planning for Tax in Spain

Understanding and planning fiscal residency and Spanish tax is a very important when making the transition to become a resident in Spain.  Tax in Spain is very different to the UK, and has become even more complicated since the UK left the EU as the way certain types of income are treated changed. Here we

ETIAS Visa Waiver and UK Passport Holders

The ETIAS Visa Waiver is a visa waiver program created by the European Union to protect and strengthen its borders.  It copies the US Visa Waiver Program which provides prior travel authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). ETIAS stands for European Travel Information and Authorization System.  The main goal of the ETIAS

Medical & Healthcare Requirements for the Non-Lucrative Visa

There are two main healthcare requirements for the Non-Lucrative Visa.   Firstly you must be free from any of the diseases listed under the International Health Regulations 2005, and secondly you need to have unrestricted access to healthcare in Spain. Doctors Letter or Medical Certificate for a Non-Lucrative Visa Application The first requirement is satisfied by

Document Translation Certifying and Legalisation

Fortunately these days, if you don’t know the Spanish language, translating basic documents is relatively easy.  There are abundant translation apps such as the popular Google Translate which a quite accurate.  Of course, if you need to have a Spanish translation of a more detailed or official document, you’ll need to get someone to do

Registering on the Padrón

The padrón de habitantes, is a municipal register of inhabitants maintained by the town hall. All full-time resident in Spain are required by law to register on the ‘padrón’, and certificate is the most widely accepted official proof of address. If you’ve arrived in Spain with a residency visa, it’s one of, if not the

Import and Register a Car From a Non-EU Country in Spain

The are quite a few steps and costs involved to import and register and car from a non-EU country in Spain. First and foremost EU conformity, import and registration costs must be taken into account as these can make the import and registration in Spain impossible or too expensive to be worth while. This said,

Importing a High Value Car from the UK to Spain Post Brexit

Importing a high value car from the UK in Spain post Brexit, now comes with added costs.  As the UK is no longer in the EU and the standard process to import and register a UK car in Spain now involves customs. This means on top of the registration tax which in most cases will

Golden Visa for Property Investors in Spain

Spain’s Golden Visa offers residency to individuals who make a real estate investment in Spain of €500,000 or more.  The Golden Visa scheme has been in existence since September 2013 when legislation for the ‘residency by investment scheme’ was passed.  The aim being to attract foreign investors at a time when the economy of Spain

British Citizen UK Nationals Require Visas for Residency in Spain

As of 1st January 2021 the United Kingdom was no longer a member of the European Union.  The transition period to negotiate future arrangements between EU and the UK ended on 31st December 2020, with a deal of sorts finally agreed at the last minute. As of the end of the transition period, privileges enjoyed

Spanish Visa Service Enquiry