# Can EU citizen move to Spain and keep working from distance for another EU based company?



## lonewolf (Feb 12, 2013)

Hello everyone!

I asked this question in another post but did not get any replies. So I would like to rephrase the question in case it was a bit unclear.

My situation is like this at the moment: I am based in Sweden and have been working from home for my company for the past 10 months which is also based in Sweden and does business here. Since I work from home and technically I could be living anywhere as long as I have access to Internet, I am considering negotiating with my company to permanently work from home and relocate to Spain.

My question is: can I simply move to Spain and rent an apartment as an EU citizen and keep working from Spain, or should I need to somehow obtain a permit or register with Spanish tax or any other agency. How practical and hassle free if even possible is to relocate to Spain and keep working for my Swedish company? 

I appreciate your answers a lot, even though at the moment from different posts it seems that our fellow British members have somewhat of a bigger problem and higher priority in the forum


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Yes it’s perfectly possible. you will need to register your residency as an EU citizen within three months if moving here, and prove you have health insurance and enough to live on. 

You will become Tax Resident (not the same thing) when you’ve lived here more than half of a calendar year. That means that in May of the following year (I.e. 2022 if you move now) you’ll need to do tax returns for 2021.

i assume you are Swedish or a citizen of another EU member state - if not, it gets much more complicated!


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## lonewolf (Feb 12, 2013)

Thanks for your response Alcalaina!

Yes I am Swedish citizen. 

Regarding the tax return, do I need to declare to Spain? Cause the system in Sweden is that the employer automatically deducts and pays tax and your behalf to Swedish tax agency. I would rather keep it this way cause it will be transparent to the employer and they will not need to do any extra paperwork which probably means they might be less willing to go through paper work for me in Spain?


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

lonewolf said:


> Thanks for your response Alcalaina!
> 
> Yes I am Swedish citizen.
> 
> Regarding the tax return, do I need to declare to Spain? Cause the system in Sweden is that the employer automatically deducts and pays tax and your behalf to Swedish tax agency. I would rather keep it this way cause it will be transparent to the employer and they will not need to do any extra paperwork which probably means they might be less willing to go through paper work for me in Spain?


You need to talk to an accountant or financial adviser, I'm not an expert.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Make sure your employer understands the possible implications of having employees in a foreign country (it might imply a legal presence and corporate income tax liabilities in Spain), and if they are fine with it, do whatever you need to do in Sweden to get the minimum tax deducted from your wages. 
As you will not be a tax resident there there is a possibility that you may even be exempt.
Then you will have to declare your gross income in Spain and pay the tax yourself as there will obviously be no deduction at source.

As Alcalaina says, you will need private medical care and your company in Sweden will probably not be able to make social security payments for you in Spain.


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## lonewolf (Feb 12, 2013)

Thanks a lot for your reply Overandout


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## Rich & Wendy (May 28, 2018)

Yes, you will have to pay the extra tax in Spain, over and above what you pay in Sweden...they like tax here 😊


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