# Moving to Lanzarote from uk



## Chlo259 (Oct 9, 2019)

Hi all, I’m confused as I’m really wanting to move to Lanzarote but with Brexit what will happen? Am I not going to be able to move? Or will it be visa?


----------



## Hepa (Apr 2, 2018)

No one knows yet. However prior to Spain joining the EU, many people moved to Spain from the U.K. my father being one of them.


----------



## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

Chlo259 said:


> Hi all, I’m confused as I’m really wanting to move to Lanzarote but with Brexit what will happen? Am I not going to be able to move? Or will it be visa?


No one knows. Those of us that live here still don’t know what will happen to us.

Odds are you’ll be treated as a non EU citizen so I’d start googling about the requirements for a Non EU citizen to enter Spain which are vastly different, and yes, will require visa to live and to work and will have a higher threshold of income levels


----------



## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Chlo259 said:


> Hi all, I’m confused as I’m really wanting to move to Lanzarote but with Brexit what will happen? Am I not going to be able to move? Or will it be visa?


Yes after Brexit as a 3rd country citizen you will be looking at a Non Lucrative Visa which means you cannot work in Spain but can still move
& live here provided you can support yourself and any dependents.
Not sure what the annual income from your independent means would be but you wouldn't be far out when looking at 25,000 Euros plus
any additional income requirements if your coming as a family.

They might even consider you living on your assets say if you cash in your home in the UK which typically range from 250,000 pounds upto
a million or more in London and the South East and lived on the proceeds while living in Spain - assuming you downsize to an apartment
costing around 120,000 Euros or rented of course.


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Hepa said:


> No one knows yet. However many people moved to Spain from the U.K. my father being one of them.


*prior to Spain joining the EU,*

That is what it's all about. After Brexit Spain will be a member of the EU, the UK won't.

Entirely different situation with different set of rules many of which will or may not apply solely to Spain.


----------



## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

mrypg9 said:


> *prior to Spain joining the EU,*
> 
> That is what it's all about. After Brexit Spain will be a member of the EU, the UK won't.
> 
> Entirely different situation with different set of rules many of which will or may not apply solely to Spain.


Many old lags on the run from the Police in the UK put Spain as their number one destination for retiring
with their 'ill gotten gains' in the days before Spain joined the EEC that became the EU.

Spains refusal to accept British arrest warrants was no doubt a big attraction back then.
The Costa del Sol didn't acquire it's reputation as the Costa del Crime for nothing.


----------



## Factor50 (Jun 29, 2019)

If there is a second referendum , would many expats return home to exercise their vote. Did many bother in the first place??


----------



## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Factor50 said:


> If there is a second referendum , would many expats return home to exercise their vote. Did many bother in the first place??


Expats who are registered to vote do not have to "return home", unless you have been out of the UK for over 15 years. In other cases voting can be done by post (although it is quite an effort to do so). 

I tried to vote in the original referendum, but I was living in Thailand and sadly, I missed a deadline to send documents due to the long delivery times to the UK.

I would not return to be resident in the UK just to be able to vote in a hypothetical 2nd referendum (which I would have to do as I have now been non-resident for 15 years).

It is easier to get Spanish citizenship and live as a European.


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Factor50 said:


> If there is a second referendum , would many expats return home to exercise their vote. Did many bother in the first place??


As Overandout said, we had no need to return to the UK to cast our vote in the first referendum. If registered as an Overseas Voter in the last constituency in which we lived in the UK, we could and did cast a postal vote (provided we had lived outside the UK for less than 15 years). If they prefer, registered Overseas Voters can appoint a proxy to cast their vote for them. The electoral officer for our constituency wrote to us a few weeks ago suggesting that, if a snap General Election were to be called, we might want to consider appointing a proxy as the timescale for sending ballot papers to us and us having time to return them would probably be very tight. We won't do so as we no longer know anyone in the constitutency we could trust to do that.


----------



## Factor50 (Jun 29, 2019)

Thanks for explaining this. In fairness it is very progressive and a very good system in comparison to other countries.


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Factor50 said:


> Thanks for explaining this. In fairness it is very progressive and a very good system in comparison to other countries.


Poland & some other EU countries actually open polling stations in Spain etc for their elections.


----------



## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

xabiaxica said:


> Poland & some other EU countries actually open polling stations in Spain etc for their elections.


I have had French friends in both Thailand and Spain, and in both cases they could vote in their national elections at the embassies.

My Spanish friends are horrified when I tell them that I do not have the right to vote in any country.

But just to be clear, I don't want or think I should have the right to vote for the national government of the UK. I pay my taxes and am bound by the laws of Spain, so it is the Spanish system that I have an issue with, even if it is in line with most other countries.


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Factor50 said:


> If there is a second referendum , would many expats return home to exercise their vote. Did many bother in the first place??


'Home' for me and most other immigrants posting on this Forum is Spain.
The UK ceased being my home when I left, never to return, fifteen years ago.

So I have no vote of any kind in the UK although I pay taxes to HMRC.
After Brexit I will have no vote in Spain although I pay taxes here too. Many of us ion this Forum are in a similar position.

That is one of the reasons I've started the process of becoming a Spanish citizen. I've got the tests on November 28th.:fingerscrossed:


----------



## Factor50 (Jun 29, 2019)

Apologies for high jacking the Ops thread here , I've certainly taken it off topic. However interesting conversation all the same.

Wish all those going for Spanish citizenship the very best.


----------



## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

mrypg9 said:


> That is one of the reasons I've started the process of becoming a Spanish citizen. I've got the tests on November 28th.:fingerscrossed:


Good luck!

It would be good if you could share your experience with the process. Have you presented the request electronically or in person?

Any issues with the documents presented so far?

Sorry for the interrogation! But one of the reasons that I don't complain too loudly about having no vote in the national elections is that I could of course apply for citizenship if I could be bothered! 
I really have to do it some day, but I need motivation (looking at you here Mry )


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

I would be interested in hearing about the tests, too. In particular, the language one and what it consists of. Good luck with them.:fingerscrossed:


----------



## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Lynn R said:


> I would be interested in hearing about the tests, too. In particular, the language one and what it consists of. Good luck with them.:fingerscrossed:


Indeed, I've done a couple of the "trial tests" available online for the cultural knowledge and I always pass that.
I just assume that I would pass the language test because I use Spanish as my first language in 90% of my day to day life, including work, but maybe I shouldn't be so presumptuous...


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Overandout said:


> Indeed, I've done a couple of the "trial tests" available online for the cultural knowledge and I always pass that.
> I just assume that I would pass the language test because I use Spanish as my first language in 90% of my day to day life, including work, but maybe I shouldn't be so presumptuous...


I've done the same with the cultural knowledge one, and "passed".

I wish I could say the same as you about using Spanish as my first language, but I can't. Listening comprehension tests are my Achilles heel as I have a real "cloth ear" and struggle to understand spoken conversations, especially if people aren't speaking directly to me or if there is background noise. Having said that, we were in Madrid last week and I had no trouble at all understanding people there, so maybe a lot of it has to do with the Andalucian accent and dialect. I suspect a lot would depend on the speed people talked at in whatever one has to listen to.


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Lynn R said:


> I would be interested in hearing about the tests, too. In particular, the language one and what it consists of. Good luck with them.:fingerscrossed:


The A2 exam consists of 4 parts. 

Written, comprehension, listening & speaking. 

These links give you an idea of the level required 

https://cvc.cervantes.es/ensenanza/...lar/niveles/02_gramatica_inventario_a1-a2.htm

and a mock exam

https://examenes.cervantes.es/sites/default/files/dele_a2_modelo0.pdf

I've been doing a lot of A2 exam prep recently with people taking the exams next month


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Overandout said:


> Good luck!
> 
> It would be good if you could share your experience with the process. Have you presented the request electronically or in person?
> 
> ...


I asked a Spanish lawyer friend to help. He is muy enchufado, having been Alcalde of our town and he has collected all nevessary documents....Passport, Residencia, NIE, Birth certificate..I think that was all I had to hand in plus Spanish and UK criminal record checks. That last one cost me £54.

I was then given thebdates for the tests. According to lawyer friend I shouldn’t have to wait long before the process is completed. Immigration and citizenship applications are his specialities, fortunately.
Ive no idea how much this will cost, I was told not to worry about it


----------

