buying an apartment in spain

[Phil.]

PF62 said:

Well you haven’t exactly shown a great love for Spain and the Spanish in your last few posts.

Take a look further back in this thread an all will be revealed even the reasons for my ‘choices’ without turning this in to a CV argument.

I want to be spending the best part of 6 months a year in Spain but am unable to do so. The point I’m making being, the Brits are being unreasonably restricted from entering Spain compared to other countries and it’s 100% political. And if they continue their anti-Brit politics I shall sell up and buy elsewhere because my family can’t visit our home, but that’s not our preference.

[PF62]

Phil. said:

PF62 said:

Well you haven’t exactly shown a great love for Spain and the Spanish in your last few posts.

Take a look further back in this thread an all will be revealed even the reasons for my ‘choices’ without turning this in to a CV argument.

You mean where you said -

Phil. said:

My wife and I are double vaxxed and recovered from Covid last summer. According to a NHS test we have plenty of vax and normal antibodies. We have therefore taken the decision not to get boosted as there is little or no health benefit. Our young adult children are both unvaxxed and have recovered from Covid. They have decided not to get jabbed as their is little or no health benefit and potentially some risks.

Your choice and as a result the consequences are you can’t go to Spain. Had you made a different choice then you could, so I am not sure what you are complaining about.

By the way the last winter I spent in Spain was lovely, but then I made different choices and they were happy to see me.

Phil. said:

I want to be spending the best part of 6 months a year in Spain but am unable to do so.

Why? Has your Spanish residency application been declined?

Phil. said:

The point I’m making being, the Brits are being unreasonably restricted from entering Spain compared to other countries and it’s 100% political. And if they continue their anti-Brit politics I shall sell up and buy elsewhere because my family can’t visit our home, but that’s not our preference.

No, you just seemed to be having a moan about Spain and the Spanish, and how they are enforcing their laws as they are entitled to do after the UK chose to leave the EU.

Again, choices have consequences.

[Phil.]

Oh dear, someone far more intelligent than me wants to pick an argument whilst deciding to avoid the point being made. Twist and turn. So PH these days. Continue to feel superior in your bubble.

[PF62]

Phil. said:

Oh dear, someone far more intelligent than me wants to pick an argument whilst deciding to avoid the point being made. Twist and turn. So PH these days. Continue to feel superior in your bubble.

You still haven’t mentioned why Spain declined your residency application so you could spend six months a year there. You did apply, didn’t you?

[Phil.]

PF62 said:

You still haven’t mentioned why Spain declined your residency application so you could spend six months a year there. You did apply, didn’t you?

No.

[PF62]

Phil. said:

PF62 said:

You still haven’t mentioned why Spain declined your residency application so you could spend six months a year there. You did apply, didn’t you?

No.

Time then to stop moaning and to pick up the pen and fill the forms in.

[WCZ]

you can love a country but hate decisions and policies that the goverment there has!

[rdjohn]

Phil. said:

Spain extend their discriminatory entry restrictions for the Brits until 15th May.

They also fail to agree to recognise UK driving licences for residents, the only EU country not to do so, meaning from today UK residents who have not already exchanged their licenses cannot drive again until they have passed a Spanish test.

They’ve also introduced daily drink limits for Brits on some islands, which I don’t have a problem with but does come across as anti-Brit in the press.

I wouldn’t be buying in Spain at the moment given their anti-Brit politics and will be selling if it continues much longer. The Portuguese appear far more Brit friendly and rational in terms of their entry restrictions.

https://spanishnewstoday.com/breaking-news-spain-e...

I am flying into Spain today from France and was thinking about your problems.

The Spanish Govt website said that I needed either needed an electronic certificate that I had to validate, or a passenger locator form. It did not say that it was not possible to enter.

I appreciate that you have done more research, but I don't think it is their intention to prevent families from taking holidays.

https://www.sanidad.gob.es/en/profesionales/saludP...

[Phil.]

rdjohn said:

I am flying into Spain today from France and was thinking about your problems.

The Spanish Govt website said that I needed either needed an electronic certificate that I had to validate, or a passenger locator form. It did not say that it was not possible to enter.

I appreciate that you have done more research, but I don't think it is their intention to prevent families from taking holidays.

https://www.sanidad.gob.es/en/profesionales/saludP...

I appreciate your concerns.

It’s a bit difficult to find on the Spanish entry site but quite clear on the UK Gov site that Brits can only travel to Spain for tourism if all the over 18’s are ‘fully jabbed’ or recovered from Covid within the last 6 months, all evidenced on the NHS App. Otherwise it’s illegal for Brits to enter Spain for tourism with a minimum of a 3k euro fine per person if caught.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain/ent...

Given the increasing number of countries removing all entry restrictions, I remain hopeful that the Spanish entry restrictions will be relaxed after the 15th May when the next review is due. I’ll be one of the first hopping on a plane to enjoy my home again.

[pincher]

Phil. said:

Given the increasing number of countries removing all entry restrictions, I remain hopeful that the Spanish entry restrictions will be relaxed after the 15th May when the next review is due. I’ll be one of the first hopping on a plane to enjoy my home again.

I do hope so - it feels as though more countries are ‘falling into line’ and things are opening up bit by bit. Croatia is one of the latest to scrap any entry criteria and I think that, before long, Spain (and numerous other countries) will have little option other than to change their stance if they don’t want to be the outlier.

I’m not currently allowed in and am due to be going in October for a few days of golf with friends - I’m confident that I’ll be able to go.

[Whistle]

Flew into Malaga last week and nobody checked our covid jab status, straight through the airport no checks at all apart from our passports.

[Chris Stott]

Same for my wife a few weeks back… flew in to Malaga via Frankfurt and no document checks other than passport.

[Phil.]

I’m hearing the same in terms of document checks at airports but is it worth the risk/fine? The easiest way to enter Spain is by road. No checks there. That’s my backstop come the summer if things haven’t changed. A bit of a pain though having just bought a Spanish car

[g40steve]

Regarding property in Spain what’s the procedure for passing on or gifting to Son where owners are UK based?

[Chris Stott]

Pretty sure you’d have to at least pay property tax on a transfer as if you were buying a property… so c.10% of market value, depending on locality. You’d also have full legal fees to manage the process… another 3% or so.

We looked at moving ours in to my sole name last year (for non Spanish tax reasons), and not possible to do this even when married without paying property tax.

Parents may also be liable for capital gains on any profit made against the purchase price if the parents are still alive… as non residents they won’t quality for the capital gains free sale that pension age Spaniards and residents do.

You need proper legal advice. I can give you the contact details of a Spanish lawyer if needed (we’ve used her for years and she’s very responsive and reliable).

[Phil.]

g40steve said:

Regarding property in Spain what’s the procedure for passing on or gifting to Son where owners are UK based?

If you’ve not bought already investigate the property being owned by a company. My UK neighbours had this set up and before the father died the shares were transferred to the daughter and she now owns the Spanish property. I don’t know the details (UK or Spanish company etc.) so professional advice would be needed.

If of interest also check if it’s possible to transfer an existing Spanish property in to a company. I’d be interested in that advice.

[rdjohn]

Phil. said:

rdjohn said:

I am flying into Spain today from France and was thinking about your problems.

The Spanish Govt website said that I needed either needed an electronic certificate that I had to validate, or a passenger locator form. It did not say that it was not possible to enter.

I appreciate that you have done more research, but I don't think it is their intention to prevent families from taking holidays.

https://www.sanidad.gob.es/en/profesionales/saludP...

I appreciate your concerns.

It’s a bit difficult to find on the Spanish entry site but quite clear on the UK Gov site that Brits can only travel to Spain for tourism if all the over 18’s are ‘fully jabbed’ or recovered from Covid within the last 6 months, all evidenced on the NHS App. Otherwise it’s illegal for Brits to enter Spain for tourism with a minimum of a 3k euro fine per person if caught.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain/ent...

Given the increasing number of countries removing all entry restrictions, I remain hopeful that the Spanish entry restrictions will be relaxed after the 15th May when the next review is due. I’ll be one of the first hopping on a plane to enjoy my home again.

When I arrived in Malaga yesterday, the same team in whites were positioned exactly where they had been when I entered last September from France and from UK in January. No one was being stopped, or checked in any way. It was not clear what they were there for - presumable checking passenger locator forms for the few people that need them.

For entry requirements, I would go with the official Spanish requirements rather than a UK Civil Servant’s interpretation of them.

[Phil.]

rdjohn said:

For entry requirements, I would go with the official Spanish requirements rather than a UK Civil Servant’s interpretation of them.

If you read the third-party entry requirements section on the Spanish web site it says the same as the UK Gov entry web site. The UK is classed as a third-party country post Brexit.

[Phil.]

Spain extend their non-health related political entry restrictions for the Brits for another month. At least we can enter France so it looks like I’ll be driving down this summer to spend time at my Spanish home as the road borders are open.

As well as the Brit driving licence issue for residents (the only EU country to have created this issue), the Spanish are now refusing entry to Brits at the Gibraltar boarder by applying excessive bureaucracy over another post Brexit political squabble. I don’t understand why the Spanish are now far more anti-Brit than the rest of the EU.

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/spain-to-ext...

[PF62]

Phil. said:

Spain extend their non-health related political entry restrictions for the Brits for another month. At least we can enter France so it looks like I’ll be driving down this summer to spend time at my Spanish home as the road borders are open.

As well as the Brit driving licence issue for residents (the only EU country to have created this issue), the Spanish are now refusing entry to Brits at the Gibraltar boarder by applying excessive bureaucracy over another post Brexit political squabble. I don’t understand why the Spanish are now far more anti-Brit than the rest of the EU.

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/spain-to-ext...

Given that link says -

Spanish Ministry said:

“The border order to be issued by the Minister for Home Affairs extends all current restrictions on Spain’s external land, sea, and air borders under the recommendations of the Council of the European Union due to the health crisis caused by COVID-19 until 24:00 hours on 15 June 2022, and replaces the current one, which expired on Sunday 15 May,”

can you legally?