With Brexit looming less than 192 days away, what implications will it have for British subjects working in Ibiza. Ibiza has traditionally employed a sizeable British workforce, both in UK and Spanish owned businesses and with a “No Deal” hard Brexit looking increasingly likely, there is much uncertainty as to what will happen. Without a deal, the good news for those who have lawfully lived longer than 5 years on the island, or hold residency documents in Spain, is that not much will change. After Brexit, these people will be able to apply for indefinite permission to reside in Ibiza, what is termed “permiso de residencia de larga duración”. They will have to apply with the Spanish Consular Office in a place where they live outside of Spain, and confirm they hold sufficient health insurance, a clean criminal record and are not suffering from a serious illness. As with all things in Spain, this process is painfully bureaucratic, so expect delays and backlogs.
If a UK citizen has been living in Spain for less than 5 years and wants to lawfully work in the system, then they must apply for a visa with permission to work, which needs to be renewed every year. As an employee, it is most likely that the employer will be responsible for applying for the working visa but knowing employers in Ibiza, some may try to recoup these visa costs from paychecks or pass them on to your Gestoria. For self employed people, they will need to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to support their business, and comply with the current legislation for self employed or “autonomo” as its known in Spain. Autonomos can reside for tax purposes in the UK, but must pay monthly social security fees of €260 per month to the Spanish Government who are quiet adept at recouping monies owed to them. Any person who has had an embargo placed on their bank account will testify to this.
One hundred thousand of anti-Brexit supporters take part in People’s Vote march in central London followed by a rally in Parliament Square on a second anniversary of the Brexit referendum.
When a UK subject is in the system, via any lawful path they choose, they will be treated the same as any citizen of an EU member state. Taxes, rights and voting will be the same, and children’s rights will be the same as those who were born with the right to be Spanish and are living in Spain. Once any UK subject has been lawfully living in Spain for at least 10 years and can demonstrate they have integrated into Spanish society, including speaking the language and understanding the culture, they can make an application for Spanish citizenship. There are huge numbers of Brits who already qualify for Spanish citizenship, but until now have not considered making an application. Now, may be a good time for those long term UK subjects living in Ibiza, to apply for citizenship before the bureaucratic chaos begins next year.
Source; Solicitors in Spain
Recent Comments