Jason Moore09/01/2017 00:00
TW
3

A growing number of British citizens living on the island are looking into the possibility of taking out Spanish nationality following the Brexit vote. Now, I would warn them that getting a Spanish passport is no easy task and I suspect that many will be disappointed. The possibility that Spain is going to embrace thousands of British citizens is simply not going to happen. I think there are about 300,000 Britons living in Spain and obviously they are deeply concerned about their status in the country following the Brexit vote.

A so-called "hard Brexit" which will lead to tighter border control in Britain would be bad news for British citizens living and working in the European Union bloc because it could herald the introduction of work permits and even visas for tourists. All I hope is that the needs and wishes of the thousands of British citizens living in the European Union are taken into account when the formal negotiations get under way. I am not too concerned because you have to take into account that there are thousands of Spaniards living in Britain so I suspect that a deal will be signed between Britain and Spain which does not really alter the status quo. All I hope is that the uncertainty surrounding the status of British citizens in Spain is resolved quickly. I do not know of any cases on the island but on the mainland many Britons are planning to move back to the United Kingdom because of the uncertainty. A sad state of affairs.