# move from the UK to canary island



## ukmovingtocanaryisland (3 mo ago)

Hi all, 

We are the UK citizens with two school age daughters. We are thinking about moving to Canary Island to retire. Our situation is that we have a property business in London to produce sufficient income to support our living and we do not need to find a job in Canary Island. 

1. how to apply for a long term visa in our situation? thanks. 

2. buying properties / land - do I need a NIE card before I can buy properties to live? 

3. renting properties - do I need a NIE card before I can rent properties to live? 

4. I read on the internet that there are some British Schools on Canary Island. Are these schools private schools? How much is the school fee? 

Hope these questions are clear. Happy to hear from you. 

Regards, 

F


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

You need to do a bit more research so you clearly understand how things work. First there is no NIE card. It is a number similar to NI number in UK. The card you will need is a TIE. However you can get your NIE easily and you will need that for most things in spain including buying property. To get your TIE card you will need visas for whole family. This visa will allow you to obtain your TIE card which is your right to residency. Various financial conditions need to be met plus medical healthcare plans need to be bought for everyone. Your visa will not allow you to work in Spain nor work in UK. Given you say you have a property company in UK and are looking to buy property to rent in Spain suggests that you probably have fairly sizeable assets and possible incomes from these. I suggest before anything else you get professional tax advice- Spain will tax you much more than in uk and you need to have a good idea of those figures.
Private international schools are common. Fees are around 10.000 euros to 13.000 per year. Be aware that depending on your children's age that if they don't have Spanish qualifications of some sort they won't go on to higher education in Spain. Returning to UK means they need to be there before 2028 to avoid being classified as international fee payers with no access to financial loans from UK. This could be very expensive. So you must do alot of reading before you make your mind up- unless of course you are financially well off and are not too worried about tax issues. Good luck


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

ukmovingtocanaryisland said:


> Hi all,
> 
> We are the UK citizens with two school age daughters. We are thinking about moving to Canary Island to retire. Our situation is that we have a property business in London to produce sufficient income to support our living and we do not need to find a job in Canary Island.
> 
> ...


This needs to be your first stop to take a look at the various visa options. Consular services


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## ukmovingtocanaryisland (3 mo ago)

Hi Kaipa, your reply is brilliant! Many thanks. Indeed further research is needed with your your guided message. Your point on international students are very helpful - we still want our kids to be educated in the UK. I think the mid way is to get NiE and buy a holiday home here. Also, you mentioned no working in both UK and Spain. I presume that no working means no employment. Is that right? This also means that running my company is not prohibited. Many thanks again. F


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## tebo53 (Sep 18, 2014)

ukmovingtocanaryisland said:


> Hi Kaipa, your reply is brilliant! Many thanks. Indeed further research is needed with your your guided message. Your point on international students are very helpful - we still want our kids to be educated in the UK. I think the mid way is to get NiE and buy a holiday home here. Also, you mentioned no working in both UK and Spain. I presume that no working means no employment. Is that right? This also means that running my company is not prohibited. Many thanks again. F


To be able and legally run your uk business from Spain you will need to apply for a Digital nomad visa. 

The Digital nomad visa is not yet available in Spain. 

It is the non-lucrative visa does not allow you to work or earn an income in Spain.

Steve


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Depending on the level of Spanish investment you could get a golden visa which possibly avoids certain restrictions- other members who know more about this will advise


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## ukmovingtocanaryisland (3 mo ago)

Thanks. Agreed. Could sell uk holding and get Spanish golden visa. Your point on international students is brilliant! I never read that elsewhere in the media and I think it is still important to consider moving to Spanish region after the kids have finished schools in the UK. I think this is then really a holiday home question. Do you prefer buying a house or buying a parcel of land and building yourself? Any insights? Many thanks. F


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

I only discovered the 2028 cut off date as my son is intending to return to UK and it is a result of Brexit. Expats who already live in USA or Canada have been subject to this ( international fee rates) for a long time but their children live in English speaking countries so the effect is not so bad. UK nats in Europe had always been able to return as home students even if not born in UK but since we are now a 3rd country that no longer applies which is why there is a grace period that effectively allows children who started secondary schools before Brexit to not be effected. The problem now is that UK families with children who effectively school them in international schools with only English as the teaching language could find themselves unable to enter university in their resident country if the dont have the language but equally unable to cover the costs of international fees in uk with no resort to any uk loans!!!


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## ukmovingtocanaryisland (3 mo ago)

Many thanks for your grace message! This is really helpful!  F


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## Hepa (Apr 2, 2018)

Have you decided which island ? I live in the Canary Islands and have done so for many years, so might be able to advise.


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## ukmovingtocanaryisland (3 mo ago)

Hi Hepa, it is good to hear from you! I am on Lanzarote island!  I have heard that the other two islands, ie Tenerife and Gran Canaries, are probably more popular than Lanzarote. The island is lovely - the weather is really generous. Happy to hear your thoughts. F


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## Hepa (Apr 2, 2018)

I have visited all the islands, including La Graciosa, I live on the most southerly and westerly island, the meridian Island of El Hierro, we bought our house here in 2000, it is very peaceful here, with a small population, little crime, few tourists and very few residents from U.K. or northern Europe, English is rarely spoken or used.

MY first choice was Gran Canaria, having first visited in 1962, then I found this place, way out in the Atlantic. 

I would advise that you visit and research all the islands, all are so different, you should consider renting at first until you are absolutely sure of your chosen destination. Steer clear of the tourist areas and act only on expert advice.


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## ukmovingtocanaryisland (3 mo ago)

Hi Hepa, many thanks for your kind message! 1962! You are the expert on this topic. Do you know a solid property sales agent which you can recommend? Appreciated! F


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## Hepa (Apr 2, 2018)

Cannot personally recommend an Estate Agent, not having bought or sold property through an agent for many years. However I have friends in Las Palmas the wife, Laura Leyshon, is an estate agent, she no doubt will be able to help, try this link, https://laspalmasproperty.com/https://laspalmasproperty.com/


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## ukmovingtocanaryisland (3 mo ago)

That is most helpful! Brilliant! I will get into touch soon. Cheers! F


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## Yorick (Jul 4, 2017)

We've been on Lanzarote 7 years. Ask away if you need anything.


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## ukmovingtocanaryisland (3 mo ago)

Hi all,

Happy New Year!

I am back to the forum! I have been away for 2 months busy working in the UK. I have just landed in Malta for the New Year! The weather is fantastic, but it still a bit chilly during the night. More importantly, it really reminded me of the fantastic weather in Lanzarote in Oct. I just checked Lanzarote weather now, it is still fabulous! 

I am now going through the key points and summarising below.

I think moving permanently to Lanzarote is probably an unnecessary dream, at least not for now. There are many tax implications, business implications and this might affect university bills. We think the most important thing here is a place to stay during the UK winter to get away from the cold any time. We could rent, but the better choice is probably to buy a place, a cheap house or a flat, on Lanzarote. We can potentially rent out on a weekly basis to generate some income during the summer and keep the place for ourselves during the winter.

The funny thing about Lanzarote property agent is that they are willing to tell you any details about the fee, charges and taxes. This is very different experience compared with the UK property agents. I make call and they are probably wanting to give me a full lecture on these details. When I was asking about the building costs, the property agent asked me to ask lawyer, and when I asked the lawyer, the lawyer asked to go back to the property agent. 


what I am learning so far is that I will pay somewhere near 10% of fee and other costs on top of the agreed price before I can complete the transaction. Is that a fair amount? thanks.
do you prefer to buying a house or flat on the island? why? Is there any strong reasons for doing so? Many thanks.
after buying a flat, do you have to pay any ongoing costs, e.g. service charges, council taxes and any other charges, to maintain the property?
after buying a house, are there any similar charges? In the UK, buying a free hold house is a better choice if possible. It can reduce the service charges to 0. The flat management is ripping people off really.
do you know any good agent who would like to give me some details on these topics? I wrote an agent, saying that we would like to buy a commercial property, but I heard nothing back when I told the agent that I am in the UK.

Happy to hear from you! And stay in touch! I am most likely to go back to Lanzarote for a week during the Feb school half term.

@Yorick, I am seeing your warm reply. Can I drop you a line separately? We might talk about some of these details.

@Hepa, many thanks for your reply as well. I will get in touch with Laura Leyshon soon to learn more details.

Many many thanks!

Regards,

Fei

/SNIP/


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## Yorick (Jul 4, 2017)

ukmovingtocanaryisland said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Happy New Year!
> 
> ...


Sure, fire away


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## ukmovingtocanaryisland (3 mo ago)

Many thanks Yorick, I have dropped a line in the private chat. Regards, F


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