Brit Expats In Spain To Get Informative Talks On Post-Brexit Life

Informative talks for British expat residents about post-Brexit life are to be held in November, December and January at Marbella’s Palacios de Congresos.

The talks, organised by the Delegation of Foreigners and given by a series of English-speaking experts, will focus on the in-depth effect of Brexit and its long-term consequences for British expats. It’s expected the content will be of crucial importance to the British expatriate community, with a spokesperson for local government saying it will continue to give all the help it’s able to offer. According to the town hall, Brit expats can now rest easy even should the worst scenario occur, as residence certificates will not be withdrawn but will simply need to be converted to a general residential document.

However, for Britons still planning to migrate to Spain should a no-deal Brexit result, the end of the EU’s free movement scheme will mean more difficulties as regards residence and visas may only be issued for a limited stay rather than for long-term retirement. For British investors wishing to set up businesses in Spain, job creation details and justification of the business plan will be needed, as all 27 remaining EU member states will demand more proof of finances and other requirements before visas can be granted.

Numbers of new immigrants from the UK have increased by 4.6 per cent since the 2016 referendum, as more Britons flee the expected after-effects of Brexit or bring their retirement dates forward. At the last count, official figures showed some 366,000 UK citizens are in Spain, the majority of whom are settled in Valencia or Andalusia. In addition, the numbers who’ve signed up as residents have soared by 10 per cent over the past year due to the British authorities’ campaign encouraging official registration. Some 33 per cent of new arrivals are retirees hoping to stretch their pensions further and avoid the UK’s worsening political and economic climate.