Registering as a resident in Spain

laurabw wrote:we have been in Spain on and off since May 2014 (11 weeks in total so far) and have been told we need to register as residents after 6 months (184 days)

If you intend to stay in Spain for more than 6 months in any year you should go onto the register of EU foreigners living in Spain.
1. what does this actually entail?
This is all explained on the website https://www.gov.uk/residency-requirements-in-spain

2. does this cost anything
If you do it yourself the cost is minimal, around 10 euro. If you don't speak Spanish it can be quite difficult so may cost around 50 euro to get someone to do it for you.

3. since I am retired and get my UK pension is this affected - I pay tax in England.
If it's a UK state pension then you should get the pension paid without tax in UK. You then have to complete a Spanish tax return but the allowances will put you in the no tax bracket on that basic pension. If it is a government pension then there will be no change.

4. my partner is younger than me and not retirement age so is not in receipt of UK pension yet - we live on my income - how will this affect him
Your pension will come under the allowance. His pension entitlements from UK will remain.

5. we do not want to become Spanish citizens and lose out on UK rights
You will not become a Spanish citizen nor give up your passport or anything. You will simply be on the EU foreigners register. If you intend to live in Spain you should be prepared for abiding by Spanish rules. If you do register, you and your husband will be entitled to use the Spanish NHS system free of charge (except for a 10% prescription charge up to a maximum of 8 euro per month). If you don't register you will not be entitled to any healthcare except emergency treatment which has a limited time span.

6. we own a British car which although 13 years old will last for many more years but have been told that we will need to register that when we become residents - also cars older than 10 years will not qualify so what do we do with our car?
Is the car permanently in Spain? In which case it should be re matriculated onto Spanish plates. Just like UK, Spain does not allow cars over 10 years old to be imported except under special circumstances. As this process would cost about a thousand euros then it might by better to change it. It will also need to be taken back to UK once a year to get MOT, vehicle licence duty paid and so on. It must be legal in the country of residence to keep it here including insurance. You can only keep it here for 6 months anyway without reregistering it in Spain.

Thanks to anyone who can help with any or all of the questions

Laura

laurabw wrote:Thanks very much for the most helpful advice

The only thing i am still unsure of is I get a private as well as a state pension and pay tax in England on the private pension since it takes over the tax limit. Will I have to pay tax on it in Spain as well or instead of?