# Working in the UK but living in Majorca!?



## minmatt32 (Sep 16, 2009)

Hi,

We are looking to sell up in the UK and move to Majorca with our 3 children age 8, 5 & 2.

Having read other posts it is fairly clear that the best education for them all would be state education, however hopefully we will pick up Spanish fairly quickly!!

Our idea is something a little different, we are looking for myself and the children to live there full time and my husband to still work in the UK (self-employed taxi driver) for 4 weeks solid then for him to join us for 2 weeks then come back to uk for 4 weeks etc.:confused2:

We have absolutely NO idea how this will work for tax purposes etc and would love anyone to give us some advice/tips on the best way forward.

Think we have decided that we would rent to start with then once we are sorted then maybe buy.

Obviously we would have to pay for healthcare which seems to be monthly however are there any restrictions regarding moving there with any pre-existing health conditions?

Any other pointers would be gratefully received as this is something we would love to do for the children and ourselves.

Many thanks
michelle & matt


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

This kind of thing is actually done a lot, but from the mainland cos flights are easier and cheaper. My husband works in the UK and commutes on a very irregular basis. I dont know if the tax is the same in Mallorca, but the rule here is that wherever you spend the bulk of your time is where you pay tax. So if your husband is in the UK for more than 183 days a year (and es they check FFS) thats where he'll pay tax and vice versa. Providing he does pay his tax and NI etc in the UK HE (not you) will still be able to claim child allowance from the UK

Jo xxx


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## minmatt32 (Sep 16, 2009)

jojo said:


> This kind of thing is actually done a lot, but from the mainland cos flights are easier and cheaper. My husband works in the UK and commutes on a very irregular basis. I dont know if the tax is the same in Mallorca, but the rule here is that wherever you spend the bulk of your time is where you pay tax. So if your husband is in the UK for more than 183 days a year (and es they check FFS) thats where he'll pay tax and vice versa. Providing he does pay his tax and NI etc in the UK HE (not you) will still be able to claim child allowance from the UK
> 
> Jo xxx


That is fantastic help Jo, obviously he will be sending the money out to me and the kids so we can live as he will be staying with his parents while he is in the UK. The other thing that I am not sure about how he would get the money to us in Euros?! I know we sound very green but we have to think about lots of things!!
Also what is the FFS?? What are the benefits of moving to mainland Spain rather than Majorca that you know about obviously apart from flights? Really quite unsure what to do for the best and really how to go about it so any points would help i.e healthcare (E111 card or local healthcare?), schooling, advantages, disadvantages :juggle:
Many thanks for your help it is invaluable
michelle & matt xx


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

minmatt32 said:


> That is fantastic help Jo, obviously he will be sending the money out to me and the kids so we can live as he will be staying with his parents while he is in the UK. The other thing that I am not sure about how he would get the money to us in Euros?! I know we sound very green but we have to think about lots of things!!
> Also what is the FFS?? What are the benefits of moving to mainland Spain rather than Majorca that you know about obviously apart from flights? Really quite unsure what to do for the best and really how to go about it so any points would help i.e healthcare (E111 card or local healthcare?), schooling, advantages, disadvantages :juggle:
> Many thanks for your help it is invaluable
> michelle & matt xx


he can just put the money in the bank & you can access it


FFS is swearing (which we're not allowed to do)


use your imagination


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## minmatt32 (Sep 16, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> he can just put the money in the bank & you can access it
> 
> 
> FFS is swearing (which we're not allowed to do)
> ...


Hi 
thats brilliant, thought it was some formal body that checks up on you!!! LOL have used our imagination and it makes sense now!!!!
so we don't have to change our bank account from a UK one, we can have the same one and use it there, that makes things easier!

Many Thanks
Michelle & Matt xx


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

minmatt32 said:


> That is fantastic help Jo, obviously he will be sending the money out to me and the kids so we can live as he will be staying with his parents while he is in the UK. The other thing that I am not sure about how he would get the money to us in Euros?! I know we sound very green but we have to think about lots of things!!
> Also what is the FFS?? What are the benefits of moving to mainland Spain rather than Majorca that you know about obviously apart from flights? Really quite unsure what to do for the best and really how to go about it so any points would help i.e healthcare (E111 card or local healthcare?), schooling, advantages, disadvantages :juggle:
> Many thanks for your help it is invaluable
> michelle & matt xx



I dont know much about Mallorca other than the winter weather is bad and the taxes are higher.... We chose mainland spain and the Málaga area in particular purely cos of the cheaper and more regular fights. Mallorca when we looked (cos we liked it too) seemed more expensive for property, cost of living and the flights.... but things maybe different now! 

The healthcare thing is all a mystery to me and my husband has sorted all that out, I think we have private insurance, but I think theres a reciprical agreement with the UK... I'm sure someone will come along and give you the details on all that.

My house keeping money that my oh sends over is done thru his bank account in the UK who have given us really good rates of exchange and charges a moment and its simply a standing order that goes into my spanish bank account every month. The exchange rate is appalling at the mo so it doesnt go far, but it varies every month. Anyway, I then draw it out when I need it, as you would in the UK

The one other thing to bear in mind is to make sure you're mentally prepared to be a single parent for long periods of time, I know lots of people are used to it and do it all the time. I personally find it quite hard. The kids play up when dads in the UK and I find it quite hard not having anyone to share the load with sometimes. Altho maybe I'm just a wuss! Afterall, mine are 12 and 14!!!!!!

(oh and FFS.... "for f**** sake!!) and it wasnt directed at you, it was at the pedanticness of the authorities to actually go to the trouble of counting the days when my OH is in Spain!!

Jo xxx


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## minmatt32 (Sep 16, 2009)

jojo said:


> I dont know much about Mallorca other than the winter weather is bad and the taxes are higher.... We chose mainland spain and the Málaga area in particular purely cos of the cheaper and more regular fights. Mallorca when we looked (cos we liked it too) seemed more expensive for property, cost of living and the flights.... but things maybe different now!
> 
> The healthcare thing is all a mystery to me and my husband has sorted all that out, I think we have private insurance, but I think theres a reciprical agreement with the UK... I'm sure someone will come along and give you the details on all that.
> 
> ...



Hi
I am on my own a lot with the children anyway as Matt works quite a lot of hours so if he works really hard for 4 weeks and then comes to us for 2 then it will probably work our that i see him more!!!
maybe we should look into mainland spain too then, perhaps come out for a couple of day and see what we think without the kids if poss so we can have a good look round. I think it would be nice to have an expat community so that I can make some friends and have a life too!! is the weather in Mallorca worse in the winter than mainland then?
how did you find out all the legal stuff as we have not much of an idea apart from the great help coming from this site?! fantastic by the way.:clap2:
we think that at the mo the best way would be to rent at first until we know that we are settled and happy there.

Michelle & Matt xx


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## Suenneil (Feb 17, 2009)

minmatt32 said:


> Hi
> I am on my own a lot with the children anyway as Matt works quite a lot of hours so if he works really hard for 4 weeks and then comes to us for 2 then it will probably work our that i see him more!!!
> maybe we should look into mainland spain too then, perhaps come out for a couple of day and see what we think without the kids if poss so we can have a good look round. I think it would be nice to have an expat community so that I can make some friends and have a life too!! is the weather in Mallorca worse in the winter than mainland then?
> how did you find out all the legal stuff as we have not much of an idea apart from the great help coming from this site?! fantastic by the way.:clap2:
> ...


Hi Michelle,Matt

Welcome 

The weather on the mainland (South Coast) is definitely better than on the Islands....Majorca has some pretty nasty stormy weather in Winter! A good place to start with the legal stuff you need to look at is the FCO website which has a page speciically for UK Nationals moving/living in Spain. I have posted the link for you below.
Also take a look at some of the "stickies" at the top of this page NIE Numbers etc ....

Look forward to having another newbie on the forum!

Sue lane: The British Embassy in Spain


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

minmatt32 said:


> Hi
> I am on my own a lot with the children anyway as Matt works quite a lot of hours so if he works really hard for 4 weeks and then comes to us for 2 then it will probably work our that i see him more!!!
> maybe we should look into mainland spain too then, perhaps come out for a couple of day and see what we think without the kids if poss so we can have a good look round. I think it would be nice to have an expat community so that I can make some friends and have a life too!! is the weather in Mallorca worse in the winter than mainland then?
> how did you find out all the legal stuff as we have not much of an idea apart from the great help coming from this site?! fantastic by the way.:clap2:
> ...


Yes, you should come over and have a look! There are squillions of expat areas in both Mallorca and the mainland, so the best thing to do is write a list of what you want and need from an area (like good airport links, transport, hobbies, near to a gokart track, gym, golf club, archery, good internet access... you name it....), then do a google search or look on this site and then when you've narrowed it down further, go and take a look!!! This is probably a good time of the year to look, cos you wont be "blinded" by the "Sunny spain" image!!?

I only know that the eather is bad in Mallorca cos I went there once in January and it rained and was windy the whole time we were there and the locals told us it was always like that in the winter, and I read a book called "Winter in Majorca" by George Sands and that was a recount of a dreadful trip made in the 19th century.

I dont think we have any regular posters who live in Mallorca, but some do pop in every now and again who may help?? 

Jo xxx


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Hail storms in Mallorca yesterday. Majorca has two seasons - HOT summer and cold, went, miserable winter. 

I had an office in Palma de Mallorca and if I'd not been working 24/7 the winters would have really hacked me off. What you see of Mallorca in summer holiday brochures is not the reality of the island. 

I'd have thought the mainland - near Alicante or Málaga airports - would be much better bets. Had a friend once who had a bar in the port at Benalmádena, he had to go back to Croydon to taxi every few weeks to make enough money to keep the bar open! In the end he lost the lot. He could not make enough to save the bar and his wife ran off with another bar-owner whilst he was away! Pity, nice bar with a good pool table.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

SteveHall said:


> Hail storms in Mallorca yesterday. Majorca has two seasons - HOT summer and cold, went, miserable winter.
> 
> I had an office in Palma de Mallorca and if I'd not been working 24/7 the winters would have really hacked me off. What you see of Mallorca in summer holiday brochures is not the reality of the island.


Mind you Steve it hasnt been much better on Mainland Spain this last week... torrential rain, storms, high winds............... 

Whats it doing where you live??? You've had bad weather in Sweden all summer havent you?

Jo xx


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Pretty gorgeous - no rain since Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Went for a drive yesterday - first time in weeks and not a ford to cross anywhere. I'll bring this home with me next week for you all. 

3º at night and snow tyres from next month though!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

SteveHall said:


> I'll bring this home with me next week for you all.


"home" as in the UK, are you going back???

Jo xxx


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Home will ONLY ever be Spain ..... as you well know, Jojo.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

SteveHall said:


> Pretty gorgeous - no rain since Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Went for a drive yesterday - first time in weeks and not a ford to cross anywhere. I'll bring this home with me next week for you all.
> 
> 3º at night and snow tyres from next month though!


Blimey, nice, whereabouts are you then Steve, I have friends in Sweden and have been there myself


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

20 kms outside Strömstad - 4kms from Norwegian border. Nearest Google Näsinge or Hälle.

Last year minus 28 was the worst I had ..... still feels warmer than Torrevieja house in February!


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## Hurricane (Aug 12, 2007)

SteveHall said:


> Hail storms in Mallorca yesterday. Majorca has two seasons - HOT summer and cold, went, miserable winter.
> 
> I had an office in Palma de Mallorca and if I'd not been working 24/7 the winters would have really hacked me off. What you see of Mallorca in summer holiday brochures is not the reality of the island.
> 
> I'.


Wow, I spent 12 years going sailing in Mallorca during the winter and I never saw any of that weather....


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Hurricane said:


> Wow, I spent 12 years going sailing in Mallorca during the winter and I never saw any of that weather....


... and your profile name is......... Maybe it was you sailing that brought the bad weather LOL!!!!!

Jo xx


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## Hurricane (Aug 12, 2007)

jojo said:


> ... and your profile name is......... Maybe it was you sailing that brought the bad weather LOL!!!!!
> 
> Jo xx


Oh yeah, never thought about that!


Most of the keen sailers went there during the winter months to take advantage of the better sailing conditions, but aside from the occasional heavy storm or rainfall winter was bloody lovely there.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Hurricane said:


> Oh yeah, never thought about that!
> 
> 
> Most of the keen sailers went there during the winter months to take advantage of the better sailing conditions, but aside from the occasional heavy storm or rainfall winter was bloody lovely there.



Well it wasnt when I went there for 10 days in January 1991, It was the worst holiday I've ever had!!!!


Jo xxx


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Mmmm, nor 2002,2003, 1989 ....


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## Hurricane (Aug 12, 2007)

SteveHall said:


> Mmmm, nor 2002,2003, 1989 ....


Glad to see Google is working Mr Hall


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

xxxx all to do with Google. More to do with me getting soaked through walking from the car to my office on a regular basis a few years ago.

1989 a very miserable month - trying to keep my marriage intact ..... and my wife away from another bottle. 

Bitter personal memories of Mallorca winters. If yours were better, I am happy for you. 

One of my favourite places on earth but not Nov-Feb/March


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## Hurricane (Aug 12, 2007)

SteveHall said:


> xxxx all to do with Google. More to do with me getting soaked through walking from the car to my office on a regular basis a few years ago.
> 
> 1989 a very miserable month - trying to keep my marriage intact ..... and my wife away from another bottle.
> 
> ...


Bit odd really, I even started to doubt myself so I emailed friends who have lived out there for years and they were a little confused as to what you were going on about.


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Hurricane, from a Spanish hotelier friend on the Island 

Hoy no llueve en Mallorca, eso es porque en los ultimos dias ya lo ha llovido todo y el cielo se ha secado..... 

Me voy


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

SteveHall said:


> Hurricane, from a Spanish hotelier friend on the Island
> 
> Hoy no llueve en Mallorca, eso es porque en los ultimos dias ya lo ha llovido todo y el cielo se ha secado.....
> 
> Me voy


Stevie, we're talking about the winter in Mallorca, not what the weather is like this week! But, you should translate things before you copy them onto here hun

Jo xxxxx


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

As I said, that was my final word on the subject, Jojo

I am sure Hurricane can make of it what he will.


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## Hurricane (Aug 12, 2007)

And as I said Steve, I could Google a dozen cases where I can show you some really nasty storms, in fact one time when I was out there we had amazing sailing for weeks, beautiful indeed, but then we came back to the UK and the very week we returned a storm brew up and some sailers were lost as sea...

What does that prove? That the Med can get stormy? That the weather is bad? No, it proves almost nothing.

If you asked me what the weather was like in the summer I would be hard pressed to tell you, I know its hot but thats almost it, you know why? Because most of my time spent in Mallorca was spent in the winter, therefore I am offering up my opinion.


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## clarebear (Sep 17, 2008)

Hurricane said:


> And as I said Steve, I could Google a dozen cases where I can show you some really nasty storms, in fact one time when I was out there we had amazing sailing for weeks, beautiful indeed, but then we came back to the UK and the very week we returned a storm brew up and some sailers were lost as sea...
> 
> What does that prove? That the Med can get stormy? That the weather is bad? No, it proves almost nothing.
> 
> If you asked me what the weather was like in the summer I would be hard pressed to tell you, I know its hot but thats almost it, you know why? Because most of my time spent in Mallorca was spent in the winter, therefore I am offering up my opinion.


just been to mallorca in february, came back with a tan! Lived there for 4 years winters were nothing very short and mild. Unless you're in Tenerife I'm sure you need a jacket in winter on the mainland too. I've been allover spain and you can catch a bad week anywhere.


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