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BREXIT: How many Brits have left Spain and how many are staying?

Choosing between Spain and the UK is a dilemma on the minds of thousands of Britons who up until now have been able to enjoy life between both countries without limitations. But what does the official data say about British arrivals and departures in Spain as the Brexit deadline fast approaches?

Published: 22 December 2020 12:56 CET
BREXIT: How many Brits have left Spain and how many are staying?
A busy Rambla (pre-Covid) in Barcelona, a province which in 2019 was home to 14,000 British residents. Photo: Nikolaus Bader/Pixabay

For some Brits in Spain, it’s a no-brainer: Spain has been their home for years and they will continue being residents here after Brexit. 

For others who hadn’t previously registered, the decision hasn’t proved as easy, now that they have health cover and income requirements to meet for residency and the need to commit to one country has forced them to think hard about the future during these uncertain times.

And then there are the Brits who have decided to move to Spain for the first time as a result of Brexit, hoping that a life here as EU residents will be better than what awaits them in the UK.

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There are these scenarios and many more being played out currently, but is the balance tilting in favour of more residency registrations or cancellations?

How many are registering?

According to the website of Spain’s Secretary of State for Migration, the number of UK citizens with Spanish residence permits increased by 8.2 percent from June 2018 to June 2019.

The rate then increased a further 5.8 percent from June 2019 to June 2020, a rise of 19,977 British residents.

“More than 50,000 British citizens have applied for the new TIE card,” Hana Jalloul stated in a video message on December 23rd.

No official national body has published more figures since the summer, but regional and provincial authorities have.

Málaga’s government for example published data from their migration offices on November 11th 2020 which reported that 2,692 UK citizens had applied for residency there since July 6th, a marked upward trend.

Similarly, by mid- November, a further 3,000 Britons on the Balearic island of Mallorca had received their TIE card since July 7th, the day after the residency document’s launch. That’s out of a total of 5,000 applications, with 60 slots being made available daily over the five-month period.

In neighbouring Menorca, which only has a population of 96,000 (4,000 of whom are British residents), a further 300 UK citizens have applied for residency since the summer.

How many have left?

This information is harder to come by in official sources and would rely on the premise that all Britons leaving Spain for good before Brexit were cancelling their green residency documents, a document which doesn’t expire but will no doubt eventually be replaced by the TIE, which does.

That means that until then it may be hard to get an accurate idea of how many Britons have left over the course of the last year and since the Brexit vote, as it would depend on factors such as whether it’s residency documents or padrón registration at town halls which is used.

However, a recent article in Spain’s ABC newspaper titled “I’m going back: 50,000 Britons return to the UK due to Brexit” argued there has been a downward trend in UK residents in Spain in recent years.

Comparing National Statistics Institute (INE) data of Brits registered as residents in Spain from 2014 (two years before Brexit vote) and from 2019, the numbers did drop from 300,000 to around 250,000, although they had already gone down to 256,000 by 2016.

Did Brexit really spur thousands of Brits to stop being residents in Spain or could other measures such as the asset declaration law that was passed by the Spanish government in 2013 have had a bigger impact?

How many Brits are now registered as residents in Spain?

Spain’s Secretary of State for Migration reported that as of June 30th 2020, there were 366,498 UK citizens with a “certificado de registro” or “tarjeta de residencia” (both residency documents) in Spain, the third biggest foreign population group in the country after Romanians and Moroccans.

Their average age is far higher than for most other foreigners in Spain – 53.9 – and there’s an almost 50/50 split between men and women.

Alicante (86,407 UK residents), Málaga (63,571) and the Balearic Islands (29,532) hold the highest number of British residents in Spain.

However, the latest data from Spain’s National Statistics Institute states that there are 250,392 Brits registered in Spain, more than 100,000 fewer than the State for Migration’s figures.

Although INE are yet to publish any data from the whole of 2020, and the evidence suggests the numbers of Brits will be higher, it’s the fact that INE uses primarily local census information from the town halls (padrón address registrations, birth, deaths etc) rather than migration documents that could account for the stark difference.

READ ALSO: El Padrón: Your need-to-know guide about registering with the town hall

The drop in recent years of Brits registered as having their home address in towns and cities in Spain could have been also a result of their unwillingness to fill in asset declarations, or as a result of missing the deadline, or other fiscal and other matters, rather than solely because of Brexit.

Many took themselves off the padrón but carried on living in Spain.

Come January 1st 2021, Brits here will have to stay above the radar as third-country nationals in all circumstances, so only then will we get a true picture of how many have chosen to make or keep Spain as their main home.  

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VISAS

EXPLAINED: When you can exchange visas in Spain

There are several different types of visas and residency permits you can get to be able to live and work in Spain, but what happens when your situation changes and you want to exchange your visa for a different one?

Published: 30 April 2024 14:20 CEST
EXPLAINED: When you can exchange visas in Spain

There are many different reasons you may want to exchange the type of visa or residency permit you have. Perhaps you’re on a student visa and have completed your studies, but still want to be able to stay in Spain. Or maybe you’ve been on a one-year non-lucrative visa, but can no longer afford not to work and want to exchange it for one where you’re allowed to work. 

Read on to find out which visas are possible to exchange and which are not. 

Student Visa to Digital Nomad Visa 

The simple answer is yes, it is possible to exchange your student visa for the new Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) that first became available last year. This will, however, depend on your individual circumstances and what job you plan on doing.

Firstly, in order to apply for DNV you must either have a degree from the field you want to work remotely in or have three years’ work experience in that industry. If you’ve just finished your studies this could be possible, but if you were studying something different, it could prove difficult.

If you are an older student, you could definitely have three years’ work experience in the industry you want to work in or you may have gained the experience working part-time in Spain while on your student visa.

Secondly, you must make sure you have worked for the company that hired you for a remote role for a minimum of three months before you apply for the DNV. The main caveat is that the company has to be registered outside of Spain as you are not eligible for the DNV if more than 20 percent of your income comes from inside Spain. This means that you will have to secure a remote job in another country while still on your student visa, making sure that you stick to the 30 hours a week you’re allowed to work.

Non-Lucrative Visa to Work Permit or Self-Employed

Being in Spain on the Non-Lucrative Visa or NLV can prove to be expensive because you’re not allowed to work, but have to prove you have a significant amount of savings or passive income. If you want to stay in Spain, beyond the initial year, you may be considering a different residency permit. Luckily, you can exchange it for a work permit or self-employed permit in a process called residence modification.

During your last few months on the non-lucrative visa, you are able to apply for jobs in Spain, which may give you the possibility of being granted a work permit. There are many prerequisites, including having lived in Spain for a year and being offered a pre-employment contract.

You could also decide to become self-employed at set up your own business. In order to do this you will need to meet the requirements that current legislation requires for opening and operating your chosen business. You will also need to sign up to the autónomo system, pay your own social security fees and submit your taxes five times a year.

READ ALSO: Should I change my non-lucrative visa for another residency permit in Spain?

Student Visa to Work Permit or Self-Employed

If you’re living in Spain on a student visa, then it’s relatively straightforward to exchange it for a work permit or become self-employed, if you want to be able to stay longer. The main requirement is that you have to have lived in Spain for three consecutive years, before you exchange it. This means, it’s really only possible for those who are doing a long-term course, such as a degree at a Spanish university. If you’re simply here for a year doing a language course, then it won’t be possible.

If you have been here for three years on a student visa, you have two options – the first is to find a job and become an employee by getting a work permit and the second is to become self-employed. If you opt for the first, the easiest way is to get a job offer and apply for the permit that way. Because you’ve already had a student visa and been here three years, it will be easier for companies to hire you as they won’t have to prove that there isn’t anyone from Spain or the EU that can do it first or that they have a shortage of professionals who can carry it out.

If you want to exchange it for a self-employment permit, you will have to present a business plan in order to get approval and prove you have the correct qualifications and experience to carry it out. If approved, then you will typically sign up to the autónomo system.

Student Visa to Entrepreneur Visa

Student visas are the easiest visas to modify in Spain, meaning you have many different options to exchange them if you want to stay longer. The Entrepreneur Visa – Visado de Emprendedor is another option that will allow you to stay for a period of three years (with the option of exchanging or extending). It is, however, slightly more complicated to exchange to than simply getting a work permit or becoming self-employed.

The Entrepreneur Visa is especially for those who want to set up a business considered to be innovative with a special economic interest for Spain. Unlike becoming just an autónomo, you must agree to be able to create employment opportunities for locals in the future. You could also in theory exchange your NLV for an entrepreneur visa too, provided you can prove that you haven’t done any work while you’ve been living in Spain for the year on your NLV.

Non-Lucrative Visa to Digital Nomad Visa

Unfortunately, this exchange is not possible. The main issue is that you’re not allowed to work while on a NLV and the requisites of the DNV are that you must have worked for the company that hired you for a remote role (or your clients if you’re self-employed) for a minimum of three months before you apply.

If this is the case then you’ll be admitting that you were working while on your NLV, which could get you into trouble. This means will have violated the terms of your visa and will be highly unlikely to be granted another one. You may also face penalties and fines, depending on your circumstances.

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