UK Pensions and Tax When Living in Spain
Spain continues to be one of the most popular overseas destinations for British retirees seeking sunshine not showers in their retirement. It is an accessible destination from the UK, it’s famed for its laid back lifestyle and relatively low cost of living, and what’s more, the weather truly is glorious for the majority of the year on the coast in Southern Spain.
If you’re planning a retirement to a Spanish villa or perhaps a finca in the countryside, we don’t blame you! In this article we’ll cover UK pensions and tax for you when you’re living in Spain. It’s important to know what your liabilities will be before you go so you can make sure you have all your planning in order before you relocate.
Moving to Spain? Your Residency and NIE Questions Answered
Despite the fact that property prices in Spain are falling and the media is having a field day publishing the fact that confidence has been lost in the Spanish housing market, it is not putting us off our love affair with Spain and we are still moving to live, work or retire in Spain in strong numbers each month!
But if you’re thinking of moving to Spain certain questions will arise that you won’t be able to get a straight answer to, and this may well be driving you mad! The most basic question about whether or not you need a visa to live in Spain and how you go about getting an ID card can seem impossible queries to get an answer to. So, if you’re moving to Spain, Shelter Offshore can answer all your residency and NIE questions.
Spain The Expat Survival Guide
A new book entitled ‘Spain: The Expat Survival Guide’ has come to our attention because it has received excellent reviews from our readers and because it’s edited by an old favourite of ours, Debbie Jenkins.
The author of the book is Yolanda Solo; Yolanda has lived the dream in Spain and seen other expats fairing badly in their new life in the sun, which is why Yolanda was driven to write this particular title. If you’re thinking of living in Spain and you want to ensure you avoid typical expat mistakes, this book will make essential reading!
Guide to Living in Seville in Spain
Located in Western Andalusia, Seville is quintessential Spain! With its fabulous historic centre, great literary history and strong cultural feel, Seville is a popular tourism destination and is becoming increasing attractive to expats who speak Spanish and who want to live and work in Spain.
This is our guide to living in Seville in Spain if you’re looking for a destination with strong appeal, a diverse range of employment prospects and a really good social life.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Living in Madrid
Located almost right in the middle of Spain, the capital city of Madrid is home to an increasingly large number of expats who are lured by the employment prospects, the relatively affordable cost of living, the high standard of living and the cultural and social side of life in Madrid.
But there are disadvantages as well as advantages to living in this exciting city which we shall now discuss, so that would-be expats can make their own mind up about whether they want to move to live in Spain in Madrid.
Essential Facts About Living in Barcelona
There’s no denying the fact that Barcelona is one of the liveliest, most culturally rich cities in the whole of Europe. There’s also no denying the fact that Barcelona is a strong tourism draw as well as one of the most attractive city based locations for expatriates of working age who are considering living abroad.
In this article we’ll look at the essential facts about living in Barcelona so that if you’re seeking an overseas destination that combines charm with vibrancy and an attractive climate with good employment prospects, you can add Barcelona to your list of locations to consider.
Cost Of Living In Spain Still Beats UK!
Is Spain still a cheap place to live in? There’s a great deal of evidence to show that the gap in the cost of living between Spain and UK has narrowed over recent years, yet in the main as long as you don’t move to Spain with the full intention of continuing to only purchase your favourite UK brands with no deviation whatsoever from your current UK shopping basket, you’ll find that with gentle changes towards a more localised shopping basket that living in Spain is still a far less costly option than staying in the UK.
As to exactly how much cheaper Spain will be for you personally, it does depend on your individual spending habits, how willing you are to adapt to the local products, your likes and your dislikes. Generally, the closer your life is to the life of the local population the cheaper it gets. If you’re happy to take a leisurely visit to the local markets for your day to day groceries you’ll comfortably reduce your shopping bill by up to 30%. On the other hand if absolutely you must have all UK name brand products and find yourself being drawn to the expat shops, with all of your favourite UK labeled brands you may well find that any potential savings in the cost of living will be lost in the additional import and shipping costs you’re now paying on UK produce.
Getting Help When Living in Spain
Moving to live in Spain is such a popular dream shared by so many British people – as a result, and fortunately for newly arrived expats, there are plenty of people who, having ‘been there, done that and got the t-shirt’, are able to offer help and support with aspects of every day life.
One of the most useful resources a newly arrived expat can draw upon the expertise of is the ‘Help and Advice Centre for Spanish Living’. In this article we’ll look at the work the group does and also give other top tips for getting help when living in Spain.
Living in the Canary Islands in Spain
The Canary Islands are quite possibly the only true winter sun destinations in the whole of Europe. If you go as far south as you can in Europe looking for a hot country you arrive in Cyprus, but even Cyprus is cold and wet and grim in January and February. So if you’re thinking of moving to live abroad and you want to live basking in warm sunshine all year round, why not think about living in the Canary Islands in Spain – after all, the islands are so close to the West African coast that they benefit from this continent’s climate.
A recent survey by the award wining Spanish property portal Kyero.com has shown that that the likes of Fuerteventura and Tenerife are topping the internet searches by four out of five holiday makers at the moment and even potential expats are examining the islands closely. It’s no surprise to us that the Canary Islands are so popular – after all, you have the benefit of living in Europe but you can add to this the advantage of living in almost year round sunshine.
Living in Spain and Setting up Home
Thousands of British expatriates now call the balmy shores or mountainous inland areas of Spain home. Buying or letting property in this European country is almost as easy as setting up a household within the boundaries of the UK. Still, many would be expatriates wonder exactly how to go about getting themselves settled.
In this article ‘living in Spain and setting up home’ we’ll take a look at some of the top recommendations for setting up a household in Spain. From what to bring to where to go to furnish a new home, existing expatriates often have very good advice to share.