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Anyone currently living and working in Britain determined to move abroad upon retirement? Just in the last few weeks I've really begun to think of moving to the sun. Maybe Spain or Portugal.
Portugal has some good tax 'deals' to tempt those from the Northern climes.
I plan to buy a campervan, drive to mainland Europe and find somewhere that I like and move there. Don't know how it's going to work with Brexit?
I'd like to do that but post-Brexit there's the issue of health care on top of the question of having a residence permit.
Easier before the Brexperiment
Just pick somewhere where you get the annual pension uplifts to the state pension, of which Spain and Portugal count.
I did it, although when I was 30. top tip: Visit Fuengirola for plenty of examples of how not to retire to the sun. Learn the language, meet the locals.
I’ve never particularly regretted the decision…
https://twitter.com/nocontextbrits/status/1482709686562529287?s=21
Is that a photo of the Downing St garden?
Basically difficult to do now post brexit. You will need a visa and to take out residence. many countries you will need a minimum income and you will have to take out health insurance which is not cheap
Sorry, should have mentioned that I have an Irish passport.
Caher
Sorry, should have mentioned that I have an Irish passport.
Lucky bugger. Thinking of claiming a Dutch passport from 2 grand parents
Try lots of places and one day you'll find one you don't want to leave.
Should be a doddle with an Irish passport, pick your country and move.....the sensible option appears to be to go and rent for 6 or 12mths...to see where you are going to relocate to in all the seasons rather than just in 'holiday mode' (If it is for example The Algarve)
I always think this sounds nice, but then... what about your friends? Having a mate round the corner to go for a pint / curry with? Is the expectation that you'd just phone them now and again and hope to make new friends, aged 68?
I always think this sounds nice, but then… what about your friends? Having a mate round the corner to go for a pint / curry with? Is the expectation that you’d just phone them now and again and hope to make new friends, aged 68?
Which is how old I’ll be on my next birthday. The idea has occurred to me every once in a while, but I love the part of the U.K. I live in, I have friends I’ve known for most of my life fairly nearby, and trying to learn a new language has always been an issue for me, even more so now. Plus I love live music, and there’s quite a few venues within an hour or so’s drive, in fact I’m off to see Howling Bells in Bristol tonight, it’s the fifteenth anniversary of their first album, at the venue I first saw them at fifteen years ago! All those sort of things I’d really miss. For all its faults, this is my home.
My aim is to retire to Ireland, probably sell up in London but maybe not but the aim is Ireland.
what about your friends? Having a mate round the corner to go for a pint / curry with? Is the expectation that you’d just phone them now and again and hope to make new friends, aged 68?
Friends of ours, late fifties sold up and moved to a little village north east of malaga, plenty of expats from a variety of countries to make friends with.
6 months Ireland, 6 months in Spain would be perfect.
I'd prefer Portugal but that's my aim too.
If i have my way I'd be retiring to the Kootenays in BC. No idea if thats possible with the immigration rules, but a proper summer, a proper winter, a short spring and a short autumn ,with ample wildlife and riding available , in an area which lives for fun, not liked the rain -soaked misery of my part of the UK.
I could be wrong,but even with an EU passport the maximum time you can spend in any EU country in one go is 90 days.It may be possible to leave for a day and then re enter.
I am out in Spain at the moment maxing out my 90 days until March.
We used to have residencia as we worked here some years ago but i wouldn't have it now.
Brexit has made it more problematic,such as having to take the Spanish driving test rather than the straight swap it used to be.
Also looking at the complex tax system and our circumstances it would be a big financial hit.
But i love it here. Tiny Spanish village located in the mountains with all the outdoor activity you could want.I have known the "locals" for over 20 years but unfortunately over the years the population has reduced meaning that a feeling of isolation is creeping in.
Ideally i would like it to return to pre Brexit,where 180 days here was possible.
Yes I think you are wrong, eg Spain;
EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens have the right to live and work in the country without a Spanish visa;
If you’re staying longer than three months, however, you must register with the authorities and obtain a residence certificate. This requires you to prove you can support yourself financially and have Spanish healthcare insurance.
France
For EU/EEA/Swiss nationals, moving to France is easy. It’s no longer a requirement to register as a French resident at your local mairie (town hall) within three months of living in France, as long as you possess a valid EU passport and are either employed, self-employed, a student, a family member of an EU, or unemployed with proof of financial means (if you are under 65, you must have €537 per month if you are single with no children, and €805 if you are a couple with no children; rates increase for each additional number of children. Rates for those over 65 are €805 if you live alone and €1,247 if you are a couple).
Obviously brits are screwed, but blue passports
I could be wrong
You are!
Quite an enlighteing point though wrt Brexit, if people in the UK had no idea of the major benefits of being in the EU, no wonder so many happily voted to leave.
We have spent the last couple of winters exploring Spain and Portugal. Definitely prefer Spain. The food and countryside are better in my opinion. We're going to keep exploring each winter and are certainly thinking about whether we'd like to retire here but it's 15 years plus away. I think having friends about would be the only thing to stop us.
It's all a pipedream for me to be honest. I hope to be able to get away for winters at least in a few years but I'm pretty much stuck here longterm. And that is really depressing.
I could be wrong,but even with an EU passport the maximum time you can spend in any EU country in one go is 90 days.
Scary!
Scary
But incorrect, so less scary.
Not sure I would want to move 100% but I have the spare cash a cheap small place somewhere in Spain / Portugal for 3-4 month a year over winter sounds nice
But incorrect, so less scary.
It's technically correct. You're not meant to spend more than 90 days outside your country of residence within the eu before you need to register. Eg a German in Spain longer than 90 but as there is free movement across mostly unmonitored borders the rule is mostly ignored. We met Germans who've been living in Portugal for years on a campsite no problems.
The quote in question:
I could be wrong,but even with an EU passport the maximum time you can spend in any EU country in one go is 90 days.
This is not correct, it’s not even technically correct, it’s just wrong. If, in some states when you register you can stay as long as you like and in other eu states you don’t have to do anything until 6 months
I lived in Thailand for 10 years, and I'd love to go back there to retire. Mai di, I'm afraid, as the finances will not allow ... partly because of spending 10 years in Thailand!
It's still the dream.
I am technically correct. Myti stated the facts. After 90 days you have to register for some form of residencia.Because of the open borders and no passport controls its not checked up on.
Even before Brexit it was assumed that UK passport holders could stay in Spain for 6 months with no form of residencia/visa. It was actually 3 months then you had to go to a Police station or immigration centre with proof of means of support,medical insurance,etc. This was also ignored.
Mrs asbrooks & I have/had plans to go to the south of France after the kids have finished Uni. Still trying to work out the ins and outs since brexit.
She is a French national and I can go as her spouse. However, we still need to prove that we can financially support ourselves. That would have been much easier to do before brexit as I could have continued in my job and worked remotely. Now I can't do that because of tax reasons.
It's going to be a tough decision now but we haven't given up on the idea just yet.
I can get an Irish passport but have not previously bothered, mainly as I only ever travel with my family (who are not eligible). Swanning through the EU control at an airport is a lovely idea until I look over my shoulder and see my wife and kids in the queue!
If in the future my wife and I want to retire to Spain, will an Irish passport be any advantage then? Will my wife be able to piggy back on to it in any way? Our savings and pensions will cover the issue of evidencing an ability to financial support ourselves.
Bloody emigrants ruining other people's countries 😀 (joke BTW)...
No, the original quote was wrong because it was specific and limited . Details about when you need to apply, and it’s not ninety days in all EU states, exist but that wasn’t included in your original remark, which also had the absolute “ the maximum time you can spend in any EU country in one go is 90 days.”which even you disagree with.
Scary
But incorrect, so less scary.
Sorry, I'll write it out in full.
It's scary that someone in this day and age could have so little clue about what benefits the EU gave us.
Is the expectation that you’d just phone them now and again and hope to make new friends, aged 68?
Without being too morbid, I think a better quality of life is preferable to watching your friends pop their clogs (my parent didn't even make it to 66) & everyone got camera so you can "facetime" each other still... I wouldn't go as far as suggesting it would be easy though.
It’s scary that someone in this day and age could have so little clue about what benefits the EU gave us.
Hell yes, vote leave would’ve been better of putting on episodes of A place in the sun or Escape to the Chateau and saying forget about this if you vote leave.
Yep going to Spain when my Irish passport is sorted out, possibly 2 year process. If it doesn't work out long term I'll come back.
Frank Sinatra your wife my be able to reside in Europe by being married to an EU citizen exercising treaty rights. Used to be the case anyway.
I could be wrong,but even with an EU passport the maximum time you can spend in any EU country in one go is 90 days.It may be possible to leave for a day and then re enter.
It's not possible to leave for a day and re-enter. The limit is 90 days from 180. So if you spend 90 days in Jan-March in the country then you can't come back again until the end of June.
She is a French national and I can go as her spouse. However, we still need to prove that we can financially support ourselves
https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1764
She doesn't have to prove she can support herself and if you are married to her you can apply for a visa. There is no mention of resources in those documents. The main thing is to have a marriage that is recognised by the French authorities, pretty easy for Brits. Once legally in France you can seek work or sign up at a university, it's not expensive at all.
If I lived somewhere like Spain the first thing I would do is join some bike clubs 🙂 When I was contracting away from home I always did and do just this. Even if I am away for a day or two I ask about and take a bike. On my last mtb trip to Brachfa in Wales I ended up riding with the local pub landlord.
Audax clubs are always very relaxed I find.
Oh I was going to say. I have a couple mates in France and Switzerland, one running a high end holiday accommodation business in Les Deux Alpes, and the other at a posh school in Switzerland.
Both love the high winter and high summer periods but have a lot of crap in Spring and Autumn where they cant do squat and the weather is bad. They have both lost fitness and miss UK rain and 11.5 months ride-ability a lot
I moved to Austria 2015.
I love it here. I doubt I will ever return to the UK.
Both love the high winter and high summer periods but have a lot of crap in Spring and Autumn where they cant do squat and the weather is bad.
They must be proper fair weather fairies. I haven't been out on my bike for a couple of weeks, I've been out ski touring half a dozen times, been for a jog, swimming a couple of times... . When the ski season winds down I'll pick up with the biking again.
Have a look at the climatic records for where you intend to go, you'll have to work hard to find one worse than CYB in Wales.
Problem with moving to foreign country threads is some people think of solutions and others look for problems.
@Edukator, I'll take a closer look through those sites tonight.
My French isn't as good as it should be (you'd think being shacked up with a French lady up all these years I'd be fluent) to get a comparable job. I could have before brexit, worked remotely and still be paid through the UK. Now I believe that can't happen because our French office would have to pick my salary to pay tax in France. This would mean that their tax burden would increase for non of their benefit, they are not prepared to do. Clearly if I were retired it would be a different story.
We have three to years to pay off our mortgage which occurs at the same time our kids finishing Uni. So thing will be very different by then.
I pretty much detest everything about the UK and will leave at the first opportunity.
I pretty much detest everything about the UK and will leave at the first opportunity.
People who say this do make me smile. Whilst Covid makes it marginally more difficult to leave and Brexit has certainly made the logistics and paperwork harder, there really isn't much stopping you, if you really want to go. If you genuinely detest everything then you might as well get on with going - what's this sudden opportunity you are waiting for?
there really isn’t much stopping you, if you really want to go.
Says someone who clearly hasn't looked into moving anywhere in much detail, or is a top surgeon.
A successful move for most people means a new job (unless they are retired or have a lot of capital), learning a language for most of the world, a pile of paperwork for almost anywhere, selling up unless there's enough capital available to duplicate, integrating a new community, sorting out kids' education if you have them... .
The "opportunity" might be kids finishing education, a suitable job, saving enough cash... .
I quit my job, sold everything, quit my girlfriend and arrived in Royan with a rucksac when I first left the UK - about three months to sort everything out. If I wanted to move to Quebec now I reckon it would take years and I'd still be up shit creek without a paddle if they let me in.
I pretty much detest everything about the UK and will leave at the first opportunity.
Interesting. Do you mean ‘everything’? Any examples of anything you do like or not. If not, I’ve no idea why you’re still here.
Can’t be that hard to move. My mates lad went to NZ in January 2020, not sure what visa but he didn’t have a job when he went & the only qualifications he has is that he’s a 360 earthmover operator. He got a job on a farm within days & hasn't been back here since!
Suppose it depends on where you want to go though.
My mate's lad went to NZ too and got jobs on building sites using a working holiday visa, he's French so only had a year but Brits get two years. Age limit is 35.
+1 what Edukator said.
The 'just do it' crowd likely haven't tried to just do it themselves.
I'd hazard a guess your mate's lad is young, @esselgruntfuttock?
As above, might be on a temp visa, might have got sponsored.
I came back from Oz after a year there and was distraught to be back in the UK. I'd worked in a bar out there and no chance of getting sponsored. My mother informed me that I clearly wanted to come back because otherwise I would have stayed.
I nearly did a PGCE to become a teacher to get the points for a visa but couldn't go through with it. So yeah, it's possible but it's not easy and it's gets much harder as you get older.
If in the future my wife and I want to retire to Spain, will an Irish passport be any advantage then? Will my wife be able to piggy back on to it in any way? Our savings and pensions will cover the issue of evidencing an ability to financial support ourselves.
Due to EU rules you can go anywhere, yes there are rules that need to be followed, but not to the level of visas etc. The only thing to note, it is potentially easier to go to a country other than your partners passport. So if piggy backing on a French, go anywhere but France.
The reason, as a French national you have to abide by French rules in France, but in Germany you fall back on freedom of movement.
@Dogbone. Interesting choice. Quite an unusual part of (or not part of) Spain i thought when we visited last year. It wasn't very motorhome or dog friendly so didn't spend a lot of time round there but had some great surfs at Zarrutz and San Vincente.
I’d hazard a guess your mate’s lad is young, @esselgruntfuttock?
As above, might be on a temp visa, might have got sponsored.
Yeah late 20’s. COVID did help mind cos when his 1st visa ran out NZ couldn’t let him out so they renewed it. He was going to come back in May to ride the SSDT but didn’t get an entry so he’s staying over there.
Sounds like a temp visa to me and he'll eventually either have to make the points requirement or get sponsored or married or something. I might be wrong.
Anyhow, good luck to him. It's a wonderful country is NZ. That's where I'd live out of choice.
People who say this do make me smile. Whilst Covid makes it marginally more difficult to leave and Brexit has certainly made the logistics and paperwork harder, there really isn’t much stopping you, if you really want to go. If you genuinely detest everything then you might as well get on with going – what’s this sudden opportunity you are waiting for?
The days when you could go anyway are gone, it isn't just the UK that has made it harder. If you are rich, young and have a skill you have a chance, for most forget it. It isn't just paperwork, have you got the money for the visa, proof of income, a sponsor, a job, etc. For many countries if you don't fit into one of the in demand categories forget it.
Want to work as a holiday rep in Spain or in a ski resort, well there are plenty of English speakers in the EU so no need for a monolingual English person to do the job etc.
Anyway gives those of us with dual nationality more opportunities than those stuck with worthless blue passports.
An example of how easy it is in the US.
Whilst I agree that it can be easier to "piggy back", mrmo,France is a poor example as it favours regrouping of immediate family. You can bring a wife/husband in so long as you only have one. If you can think of anywhere easier than France I'm all ears.
We retired early to France nearly six years ago.
My best advice would be to try before you decide. We bought our house as a holiday home but then decided to retire a couple of years earlier and moved down. Whilst we both love the area and the house, had we known then what we do now, we would have likely chosen somewhere else. For me, it's far too quiet and lacking in like minded friends. It's all very well having other brits around but not if they are older in age, interests and attitude.
We live in a very rural area, 15 minutes from the nearest shop. Our neighbours are mostly french and are incredibly welcoming and kind. The attitude here is one of respect for each other, belonging to a community and ignoring what car you drive, what clothes you wear, it's all about you as a person. So very different to the UK we knew.
Someone mentioned Portugal has good tax rates, but sadly that changed a couple of years ago. In comparison to there, Spain (afaik) and France, France wins on income tax. We pay a lot less (as retirees) than in the UK.
Having our time again we would have tried southern Spain, Portugal and SW France, where we are now. Renting for at least 6 months should give you a good idea of what each area is like and whether that suits you.
SW France
I'm in Pau. MTB club, ski mountaineering and walking club, neighbours, friends made when junior was at school. Music has gone dead though as my regular jamming mate moved away. STW is what's left of my UK life. I don't get involved with the virtual world in Pau, I prefer real life, but enjoy the banter on STW with people I'll probably never meet.
I spent a year in Catalonia but wouldn't want to return. Northern Spain I like a lot but don't speak Basque and my Spanish is poor. Germany I enjoyed. If Berlin were where Munich is I'd be tempted for a year or two.
I prefer real life, but enjoy the banter on STW with people I’ll probably never meet.
I enjoy the banter too mate. Have a glass of wine on me. I'm drinking mine just now in a canalside pub listening to Carole King's Tapestry and marvelling at Earth Move Under My Feet.
Perfect wind down before tomorrow at the test centre...
Oh, and back on track, two years living in Havana for me. I'd go back in a heartbeat.
Not sure I would want to move 100% but I have the spare cash a cheap small place somewhere in Spain / Portugal for 3-4 month a year over winter sounds nice
Terribly expensive in Spain - the DoD batcave has a council tax of 46euros a year 🙂
The DoD Batmobile was showing an internal temp of -1c and a frosty roof at 10 this morning, although the winters are more pleasant its not exactly shorts weather every day(and I'm in the sunny bit)
I'm not retired and still listed as 'denied' on the residency status, although Im in the system so in theory they shouldn't deport me but if I left I may not be allowed in, (overstaying and all that).
It's funny being the other side of the fence.
(Sneaky Edit)
Here before Brxit so covered under the WA so its a bit different for me.