By Jason Moore
There was a school of thought that the lives of British citizens living in Spain would be unaffected by Brexit and to be a certain extent this is the case but those British citizens planning a new life in Mallorca in the post-Brexit era face a paperwork mountain.
Employment
Employers are now relunctant to employ British citizens because of the additional paperwork required by the Spanish authorities. Some businesses have replaced their British staff, which they recruit at the start of the season, with Irish citizens because as Ireland is a member of the European Union, the paperwork issue is relatively simple. Gone are the days when thousands of young Britons would come to Spain to work the summer. One local businessman told me that these days you really have to want to employ a Briton because of the expense and paperwork. (NB The new working conditions apply to those people who are moving to Spain not those who lived here before the Brexit deadline).
Driving licences
Many British expats could have to re-take their driving test in Spain to secure a licence because the Spanish authorities no longer recognise British licences for resident Britons. To be honest the Spanish authorities have introduced "grace periods" when the switch-over could take place but many missed the deadline leaving them being unable to drive legally in Spain. The British embassy is working on a deal with Spain which could involve a new "grace" period and a longer term agreement. (NB: the British driving licence ruling only applies to British residents of Spain not tourists).
90 day rule
This has hit second home owners hard because, as non-residents of Spain, they can only spend a maximum of 90 days or 180 days a year in two blocks of 90 days. Previously, non-resident holiday home owners, would spend long periods at their second home. It has also led to longer queues at airport immigrations desk because British passports are now required to be stamped on arrival and departure to show that they have not been in Spain for more than 90 days.
August 31, 2022 at 01:54PM
via Mallorca Daily Bulletin read more...
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