Northern Spain / Portugal relocation couple of questions

Marceline

Marceline

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Hi - were a UK based couple (currently in North Wales) and had tried/failed to make a move/residential to Portugal before the B deadlines. We ended up buying a house here instead and have been learning to sail (which we're loving) and starting to think again about relocating now there might be a possible with the new Digital Nomad schemes.

We've been thinking of a basic plan such as:
i) sell our home here and get a motorhome (we've cats who'll be with us for a few more years which we don't think will be good on a boat)
ii) have our UK address as our parents and swap all bank details etc for there
iii) apply for a digital nomad visa
iv) go over with the motorhome and work remotely, and tour parts of Northern Spain and Portugal and hopefully figure out if we can find a place to maybe buy a small renovation property to park the motorhome/work on making the property liveable over next few years (or maybe just rent if simpler)

ideally we'd love to be sailing at same time and so being close-ish to the coast would be preferable, and hopefully find a reasonable priced harbour we could have a boat

Our questions are: -

- we'd obvs need to choose which country to apply for the Digital Nomad Visa. Is sailing in the north of those countries similar, or is one more preferable to the other? (we do love the coastal mountatins here in North Wales, so wondering if maybe Northern Spain might suit us more - but we're only going off looking at online maps etc so would be glad of anyone's thoughts here)

- and our other is, would looking for an EU flagged sail boat (we're thinking about 34') there be a best strategy once we're settled, or is bringing over a UK boat (reg'd to our parent's UK address) ?

know VAT is such a complex issue (and many other things), so I guess we're just asking for ballpark answers to get us started with steer for more invovled research into the legal headaches etc

thanks for any suggestions (including any 'don't do it' replies)
 
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Galicia,north west Spain is full of old houses to renovate try GAlician Country Homes ……..your best bet is get the ferry from Plymouth and just drive along the north coast toGalicia ,you will see the area and what’s available harbour wise.Weather her bit like sw britain but warmer in general but global warming is having an effect
 
thanks for the replies and suggestions (y)

we were thinking of maybe getting the Eurotunnel and driving down through France (not sure how the cats will do with the long Santander Ferry) but its an option were thinking of ( its all very early days as yet figuring out plans etc)

I was planning to work remotely (tbh I'll have to anyway as we've not really much savings) so was hoping I'd be able to get a Digital Nomad visa. I know Portugal has very good broadband so thats a plus for there.

Our idea is basically to find a place while in the motorhome, then hopefully get a boat/harbour/mooring and day sail/weekends, and then sail longer/hopefully liveaboard most of the year once the cats have gone over the Rainbow Bridge (if I've not kicked the bucket before them)
 
I'd think about making the renovation property and the boat an either/or. Consider what happens when you get too old/decrepit to continue living on a boat (if that's what you end up doing). I too tried to get initial 5 year residency in Portugal before the end of the transition period, had everything in place but failed on account of it being impossible to get a NIF due to Covid where I was. Galicia sounds good, close to the Rias for sailing, meant to be stunning round there...
 
For some reason Galicia is attractive to many Northern Europeans it doesn’t have too hot summers the people are friendly and for a sailer there are innumerable places to sail.
 
Wansworth said:
For some reason Galicia is attractive to many Northern Europeans it doesn’t have too hot summers the people are friendly and for a sailer there are innumerable places to sail.
Click to expand...
I agree about the summer, but the winter can be very wet and sometimes stormy from what I understand from friends who tried living there, aboard and ashore for 3 years and then moved back south again. It depends what you are looking for with regards to climate.
 
We live inland and it canbe quite cold and wet but places like the ria de Vigo have micro climates …..but the water is cold even ona hot summers day😂But given the climate changes having too much rain is a blessing,even here there is much less rain than there used to be.
 
Wansworth said:
For some reason Galicia is attractive to many Northern Europeans it doesn’t have too hot summers the people are friendly and for a sailer there are innumerable places to sail.
Click to expand...
thanks so much for the comments, and liking this especially -

"doesn’t have too hot summers the people are friendly and for a sailer there are innumerable places to sail" are what we're hoping for :)
 
Renovating a dilapidated house that has not been lived in for a while and a lot that have takes time and money even doing it yourself, if you employ people then it takes a lot of money. If you are trying to work, sail and renovate a house at least one will suffer.
 
Portugal

Good morning, I am a new member of the Forum and this is my first post. I am considering relocating to Portugal under the D7 visa scheme, and have secured an annual berth in a marina; unfortunately the local council will not accept this as proof or accomodation, notwithstanding an explicit letter from the marina

Does anyone have any experience of this kind of thing?

Thankyou in anticipation
 
As it's a Digital Nomad visa, you need to have a non-EU employer willing to deal with Spain's income tax for you, or have enough guaranteed freelance work.

I'd also look at what happens if you lose that employment, presumably the visa is dependent on it?
 
thanks for the advice - I do have a UK based employer who I work for remotely,

guess the question to fully investigate is the "willing to deal with Spain's income tax for you" side of things
 
TheAncientMariner said:
Portugal

Good morning, I am a new member of the Forum and this is my first post. I am considering relocating to Portugal under the D7 visa scheme, and have secured an annual berth in a marina; unfortunately the local council will not accept this as proof or accomodation, notwithstanding an explicit letter from the marina

Does anyone have any experience of this kind of thing?

Thankyou in anticipation
Click to expand...
As you'll probably learn quickly, the rules in Portugal are national but the interpretation and application of the rules are very local. Marina addresses have been accepted many times over the past couple of years for people on here, many of them based further west i.e. Lagoa, Portimao, Lagos areas. Maybe Vila Real is one the places they apply the rules differently. Not much help to you but it explains why you are maybe getting knocked back.
It may be worth a try going to maybe Faro and re applying to see if you can get them to process your application instead of VR. Others on here may be able to give you a current state of play on this from other Cameras like Faro, Lagos etc. The problem is that having taken the contract with VR marina I think you now fall in their catchment area for your residence application but maybe not.
Maybe you can find out where they do accept marina addresses, cancel your contract and take a new contract out in that town for a year.?
The other solution is to rent a small place in VR to get an address for your application. Or, if you know anyone who lives in VR, they can give you written permission to stay with them (as a friend with no financial benefits), to allow you to use their address. I have a blank copy of that "contract" somewhere in my files if you need it. Let me know. Good luck.
 
greeny said:
As you'll probably learn quickly, the rules in Portugal are national but the interpretation and application of the rules are very local. Marina addresses have been accepted many times over the past couple of years for people on here, many of them based further west i.e. Lagoa, Portimao, Lagos areas. Maybe Vila Real is one the places they apply the rules differently. Not much help to you but it explains why you are maybe getting knocked back.
It may be worth a try going to maybe Faro and re applying to see if you can get them to process your application instead of VR. Others on here may be able to give you a current state of play on this from other Cameras like Faro, Lagos etc. The problem is that having taken the contract with VR marina I think you now fall in their catchment area for your residence application but maybe not.
Maybe you can find out where they do accept marina addresses, cancel your contract and take a new contract out in that town for a year.?
The other solution is to rent a small place in VR to get an address for your application. Or, if you know anyone who lives in VR, they can give you written permission to stay with them (as a friend with no financial benefits), to allow you to use their address. I have a blank copy of that "contract" somewhere in my files if you need it. Let me know. Good luck.
Click to expand...
excellent - thankyou for your reply

I may well end up cancelling the VRSA contract - particularly given uncertainties surrounding the IVA/VAT situation once residency is granted - and it may well be that Porugal is best viewed as a wonderful place to visit (for up to 90 days), but perhaps not somewhere to live
 
Livingfora while in northern Spain I would suggest at least a two week visit on fact finding holiday,then there is at least si month honeymoon period where everything is great and novel…..then there maybe a come down to a reality and whatever country you have chosen still has its up and down sides
 
I am currently in Portugal for a month on exactly the kind of fact-finding mission you suggest; unfortunately the facts I am finding are not especially helpful....
 
I am beginning to ask myself the same question. Some of the slightly frosty responses I have received to posts elsewhere in these Forums/a lead me to suspect that on YBW at least I am not necessarily amongst friends or kindred spirits
 
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