Spanish residency and matriculation tax

Peter Morgan

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Accepting this might have covered before. But looking for some advice regarding Spanish residency/visa etc. Currently looking at the NIE/TIE process. But the process seems to be aimed at long term residency, only looking for 2 to 3 years in Spain, but full time on boat. Will be moving around in summer. This route seems to have the issue of paying the matriculation tax as we live onboard and will be outside the 181 days. Other option seems to be the "retirement visa" but fails as requires a large lump of money to apply.
Apart from doing nothing and keeping our heads down, possibly not a good option. Any advice ways forward etc.
 

davethedog

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When you say only looking for 2 to 3 years, any stay more then 183 days in a calendar year means you must become a resident along with the possible tax implications etc etc

You can apply for an exemption for the matriculation tax on a vessel within 60 days of gaining residencia using the form Modelo 06 in this link:

https://www.agenciatributaria.es/static_files/Sede/Procedimiento_ayuda/G503/mod06_mi_MI.pdf

This requires you to get a document of some form, or have proof, that you were not living in Spain as a resident before. You also must have owned the vessel for at least 12 months and you can not sell the vessel within 12 months of getting any exemption (else you will become liable for the tax).

We are going through the residencia procedure now (In Gran Canaria) and it is not a quick and clear cut process as each region seems to have their own requirements and when you think you have it sorted....they ask for something else!

Good luck!
 

nortada

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Hi Peter,

Welcome to the forum.

I tried to PM you but unfortunately, I think you need a few more posts before you can be PM❓

Possibly somebody can confirm how many messages are required before you can receive PMs - pretty certain it is less than 12,138?
 
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Grehan

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This has been 'discussed' many many times before (including by me during the time that we were in Spain - and subsequently escaped pdq to Gibraltar) . . . although the laws/regulations and their application appear to have changed over the years.

2011 https://forums.ybw.com/index.php?threads/getting-round-spain.295705/
2012 Matriculation tax
2018 Any issues for Liveaboards based in Spain
2019 Spanish Matriculation no tax!

Alex is unquestionably the go-to guy for authoritative guidance -

Alex Chumillas
Tax Marine
Marina Port Vell
C/Escar, 18
08039 Barcelona
+34 667 663 521
+34 932 218 201
Website: www.taxmarine.com
Email: alex@taxmarine.com
 

cherod

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after the " witching hour " will not Gibralter be out of EU therefor be considered as a non Schengen country in respect of the 90 / 90 day rule ??
 

Grehan

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We did decamp to Gib, but we then stayed there for 18 months. Not sure everyone wants to arrange their lives to spend 1/2 the year in Gib. It's not where the boat lives, but the owners, onboard or not. Post 31st December, gawd knows.
 

ean_p

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Accepting this might have covered before. But looking for some advice regarding Spanish residency/visa etc. Currently looking at the NIE/TIE process. But the process seems to be aimed at long term residency, only looking for 2 to 3 years in Spain, but full time on boat. Will be moving around in summer. This route seems to have the issue of paying the matriculation tax as we live onboard and will be outside the 181 days. Other option seems to be the "retirement visa" but fails as requires a large lump of money to apply.
Apart from doing nothing and keeping our heads down, possibly not a good option. Any advice ways forward etc.

Try on this site and associated links; Brexit. Derechos de los ciudadanos. Ministerio de Trabajo y Economía Social
 

Grehan

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There are supposed to be 1 million Brits in Spain, only 350 thousand are registered.
Source for those figures?
According to the Spanish government, in 2017 there were 240,785 'registered' Brits down from a peak of 397,892 in 2012. So approximately 750,000 Brits are there under the radar in some way . . . . is that correct?
 

jordanbasset

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Source for those figures?
According to the Spanish government, in 2017 there were 240,785 'registered' Brits down from a peak of 397,892 in 2012. So approximately 750,000 Brits are there under the radar in some way . . . . is that correct?
I think it has risen since then to 365,967. I suspect it has risen again in the last 14 months
Number of Britons registered in Spain jumps 10% amid Brexit uncertainty
There are now 365,967 Britons officially registered in Spain. Figures provided by the Interior Ministry in response to questions from EL PAÍS reveal that the numbers are rising at an accelerating rate, and it is likely that they will go up even more quickly immediately before and after the Brexit deadline.
 

Grehan

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So that's an interesting article. I can well understand that the Brexit situation is 'encouraging' Brits to leave the UK for Spain and that those, plus those that are already there, had better register as residents now to protect their position for the future. A consequence of the loss of EU freedom of movement that we're all experiencing and having to deal with. The old informal life is becoming a lot more formal.
I'm still interested in the '1 million' figure and where that comes from, though!
 

jordanbasset

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I suspect the million figures is come from the number of British who currently own a property in Spain
Rights of British Second-Home Owners in Spain After December 31 - SchengenVisaInfo.com
'the number of those who own a home somewhere in Spain is between 800,000 and 1 million.'

In addition to those there are many who just rent.
Of course not all will be wanting to stay longer than 90 days in every 180 so would not need to get residency, but I suspect a lot will get residency or continue trying to live under the radar. It was quite common before Brexit, certainly from people I spoke to over our various winters in Spain. It was relatively easy to go unnoticed by the authorities and no hassle with registering, changing drivers licenses, registering vehicles, tax implications etc. Post Brexit it will not be so easy
 

reefknot

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In my village alone (4000 pop.) the majority of Brits are not registered.. They will be in trouble as the authorities are following up on electricity bills. etc.
 

Clancy Moped

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An update from the British Embassy: driving licence exchange

We have received the following email from the British Embassy and we would like to share with you:

“Dear All,

I wanted to let you know about a couple of updates that may be of interest to your members/communities.

Driving licences:

- As you know, exchanging your UK licence for a Spanish one is one of the key actions for UK Nationals living in Spain to carry out before the end of the Transition period. However, we know how difficult many people have found getting an appointment to do so in recent months. The Spanish Traffic office – the DGT – yesterday activated a new protocol to streamline the process for UK driving licence holders who have not yet exchanged their UK licence for a Spanish one. Further information is available on their website here Canjes, renovación y sustitución de permisos del Reino Unido
(Please note that you can change the language to English using the dropdown menu in the top right of the page).
- We put out a facebook post on this, which we would be grateful if you would share on your social media channels ( )
- The main points are:
o UK licence holders who wish to exchange must present an application to the DGT ‪before 30 December‬, either via a form on their online portal (this requires a digital certificate or CLAVE), or by calling 060. It may also be possible to take the form into the DGT in person, but we would recommend people check with the office by telephone ahead of doing so, particularly due to ongoing COVID-restrictions in many parts of the country. We understand that for this part of the process you do not need to have a residency certificate or TIE but you will need a NIE.
o You can also engage a third party (eg a gestor) to do this part of the process on your behalf.
o If they have not been contacted by the DGT in the meantime, after three days of presenting the application the licence holder can request an appointment with the DGT. This should be booked on the DGT’s website.
o As long as the application has been submitted within the timeframe, and the licence has been verified by the end of the year, the appointment to exchange with the DGT can be ‪after 1 January 2021‬. It must be within the first 6 months of next year. Please note that you will need a residency certificate/TIE to do final exchange, so if you are in the process of applying for residency you may want to choose a later date for your appointment.
o Irrespective of whether a UK licence has been verified for exchange by the end of the year, UK licence holders will be able to use the licence for 6 months to drive in Spain ‪from 1 January 2021‬.
o The future rules for recognition and exchange of licences are still subject to negotiation. Our advice remains that UK nationals sign up for the email alerts (Sign up to get emails - Living in Spain - GOV.UK ) on the Living in Spain guide to ensure they keep up to date with the latest.
o If a person already has an appointment booked with DGT, their website states that the person does not need to go through the process above and can attend their appointment as scheduled with all their supporting documentation.
- Hopefully this process will allow those who have been struggling to get an appointment to start the exchange process before the end of the year and be reassured that they can still exchange their licence for a Spanish one as per the process for EU licences.

Bank accounts:

- Whilst most UK nationals living in Spain will not see any change to their banking arrangements, some UK nationals living in the EU have been contacted by their UK banking provider as there will be changes to their accounts or financial products ‪after 31 December‬.
- For those UK nationals who have been affected and contacted by their banks, there is now further guidance (Banking, insurance and financial services changes after Brexit ) available on the Money and Pensions Service which may help them in considering their options. We are now linking to this guidance from our Living in Spain guide. (Living in Spain)
- If a UK national is not sure or is concerned about whether there will be any changes to their UK account or financial products, they should contact their bank or an independent financial advisor.”

#N332
 

Grehan

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Is it a can of worms or a buggers' muddle? Having floated around since 2003, lived in Spain for a few years, France a lot of the time, we've had to face up to getting regularised. We don't want to get roped in to everything, but we can't avoid wising-up and sorting ourselves out if we want to maintain the semblance of a right to be someplace outside the UK.
 

Pavalijo

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In addition to those there are many who just rent.
Of course not all will be wanting to stay longer than 90 days in every 180 so would not need to get residency, but I suspect a lot will get residency or continue trying to live under the radar.

If the situation in Spain is the same as in Portugal then for those who want to spend more than 90 in 180 but less than 183 in 365 a residency will not work.

When we went to apply for a residency in Portugal it was made very clear that we would be expected to live at least 183 in 365 in Portugal. We could not drive our U.K. registered car in Portugal and if we wanted to drive any car in Portugal I think we would have had to swap our U.K. driving license for a Portuguese one.

So we are in the group that want more than Schengen allowance but not a residency.

We are sitting back now to see what happens, with a plan for next year of 90 days on the boat and a late summer trip around Eire in the micro camper .....
 

ean_p

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I know this is getting a bit 'technical' but in terms of residence time in country would traveling and living in a camper still count towards your six months plus in country or do they need to have a 'registered' address. This of course post having acquired a residency document.
 
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