retiring to spain.

Hi Good morning to all,
i would like to retire to spain very soon but i am only going to rent, My question is as i am only
going to rent can i buy and register a car in spain.

no problem but you will need a Padron and a rental contract and possibly an NIE

There are rules as to how long you can stay in Spain if you don't have Residencia..its only 183 days a year if you are not resident..I guess after the December 31st it will be harder to outstay your time

Cornishbug wrote:There are rules as to how long you can stay in Spain if you don't have Residencia..its only 183 days a year if you are not resident..I guess after the December 31st it will be harder to outstay your time

That is not quite true Cornishbug.

1 At the moment and until the transition period ends and without being a Spanish resident you may only stay in Spain for 90 days. However if you spend at least one 24 hour period in another country (Portugal, France, UK) the clock is reset and you can then spend another 90 days in Spain.

2. If you spend a cumulative 183 days in Spain in any one year, you cannot reset the clock as in 1. above, you may be deemed a fiscal resident in Spain and may need to complete a Spanish tax return. This 183 days is not the only way that you may become a fiscal resident in Spain.

3. After 31 December 2020 and you are not a Spanish resident, you may only spend 90 days in any 180 days in the Schengen area which includes France, Spain and Portugal. This is because UK will no longer be part of the EU and, although you don't need a visa, those are the rules of the EU. This means that if you are visiting Spain by driving through France, for instance, you must include the journey to and fro in the 90 day calculation. You may not return anywhere in the Schengen area until a full 90 days have elapsed since your previous visit. Passports will probably be scrutinised and stamped at airports and ports to enforce this 90 day rule, with fines and prohibition of future entry being the sanctions that may be imposed.

4. If you are the holder of a passport of an EU country, Southern Ireland for instance, then the restrictions of visiting Spain will be as in 1. above.

5. You may not become a Spanish resident merely to circumvent the 90 day Schengen rule, Spanish residency is only if you want to live in Spain and spend most of the year living in Spain.

Hi Good afternoon to all,
Many thanks this is very helpful info.

Stay safe,
Harold.

"However if you spend at least one 24 hour period in another country (Portugal, France, UK) the clock is reset and you can then spend another 90 days in Spain"

That's completly WRONG and you don't need a padron to buy a car either, only proof of where you live which can be a proper rental agreement but not a holiday let.

Sangamoura wrote:"However if you spend at least one 24 hour period in another country (Portugal, France, UK) the clock is reset and you can then spend another 90 days in Spain"

It would be helpful if you supply details/reasons why you think the information is wrong.

I have understood it to be, any 90 days in a 183 day period. It has been like that for decades. However during this time and up to present, it has been blurred by the fact no one checks the number of days non- residents are here for, so some people have flouted that law and stayed for probably years, without detection. From next year though, I’m guessing that rules will be much stricter, as U.K. is no longer in the free movement group of countries.

And also yes u can buy a car, u need an n.i.e. number and an address to register it to.