Take note Spain! Surge in interest in French properties after 90 day rule is relaxed for Britons

I lived in Ibiza with my family in the 1960s and went to school there. Years later, I returned from UK to Spain to work as a teacher in Barcelona then Costa Blanca, where I worked and then retired. After Brexit I gained Spanish nationality and renounced my British citizenship, but my daughter in UK sadly can only come here for 90 days at a time, although my house is in her name. Brexit has totally screwed our lives and the people who voted for it got nothing for their betrayal! How absurd was that?

SaraDon’t you mean lives ?

Richard PearsonThere is a big difference between having the rights of an EU citizen, like the right of free movement and unrestriced travel, including also for example the European Health Insurrance Card - and not being a citizen of the European Union. Consider this wisely next time. The French cc declared art 16 of the Immigration Rules unlawful. This paper can now stop its campaign of raising unreasonable hopes for Brexit Cake.

Richard PearsonYes of course but this article is not about citizens of other EU nations. It’s about how things have become more complicated for British nationals due to Brexit. Those who voted ‘yes’ wanted more border control and now they’ve got it, but not just the sort they apparently expected. For some reason they seemed to think it would only work one way, not both ways, and those who voted ‘no’ are now having to pay the consequences. Are you perhaps one of those who lived under the radar and no longer can?

SaraAgain, correct me if I am wrong, but your last paragraph, except for the Brexit bit, could also have been taken advantage of by citizens of other EU nations, especially those who could drive to Spain in a relatively short period of time.

Richard PearsonI’m not too sure exactly what you are asking me…. However, anyone of any nationality who spends more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year is considered resident for tax purposes (ask Shakira!). And anyone who stays more than three consecutive months (90 days) has to apply for residence. In the case of EU citizens this is the green card/certificate, for others it’s the TIE. What I was implying by my last sentence was that prior to Brexit quite a number of Brits in Spain were living under the radar, never registered for the green card and thus avoided paying taxes here. As their passports were never stamped on entering and exiting the country this was fairly easy to do. No longer.

The Consiel d'Etat (French Constitutional Court) has turned down the extend visas as being unconstitutional. It was never going to fly and all the rubbish written that it was fait accompli has now been shown to be just that...rubbish. The only way back is via Art 49, those who think the EU is going to go down the exceptionalist route for Brits or any other 3rd country citizens are deluded.

Hola, my husband and I have owned property in Costa del sol since we retired, with the hope of spending 180 days a year but we can now only visit once a year as we travel by ferry with our little dog we are gutted

SaraCorrect me if I am wrong, but doesn’t this apply to ALL EU citizens, or am I missing something ?

Yawn! Same old fake news (France hasn’t approved anything). Same old clickbait to attract ad revenue but deceiving British homeowners. We really should stop commenting on this rubbish, myself included. In any case I really don’t know what all the fuss is about. You can spend 180 days in Spain each year, just not split up as you would like. If you plan to stay more then you are legally obliged to apply for a residence permit and of course pay your taxes here, which I suspect is the real reason behind all the fuss. But that was always the case even before Brexit.