Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Information and questions about the Law in Spain and Andalucia.
Unicorn
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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby Unicorn » Sun Mar 21, 2021 10:57 pm

I have to agree with some of the posts.

Personally I have always tried to be legal, got residency as soon as I could, ditto driving licence etc etc. Eventually I qualified for healthcare though the law a few years ago, re residency - prior to that I depended on private. I signed in at the town hall, even registered the dog there, as we are supposed to do, in Estepona anyway. I paid taxes on property sales etc etc.

Through that time people pilloried me for doing these things, implying I was stupid to not fly under the radar. I even get, even now, the 'why do you speak Spanish?' question (DUH!) But now I've got my Spanish nationality, and am delighted to have it. I am truly mystified at the British who have been here for years and can only cobble together a few Spanish words. I will not now help people now with admin things, which some people think I have been put on earth to do and would be delighted to do it - errr no!!!

I don't think any of the paperwork was/is that arduous, in fact that old chestnut of red tape is a bit of a myth these days. My last British passport took months to get, I eventually had to call an MP mate of my father's to get it though. My Spanish passport was done and dusted in about 6 minutes at the police station, there and then. I came out with the passport in my hand. My nationality came through in less than two months after application and cost peanuts compared to what it would cost in the UK, where it is treated as some sort of cash cow.

I haven't a clue as to why people did not forward plan, knowing that Brexit was going to happen. I sometimes sense a wiff of 'it doesn't apply to the English' and some seem genuinely amazed that UK is being treated as a third country, which is, after all, what they voted for.

I have heard, re the Covid jab, there are some arrangements for those not on the doctors' books, but I guess they have to be resident. If they are not, maybe they shouldn't be here.

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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby elusive » Mon Mar 22, 2021 9:47 am

Through that time people pilloried me for doing these things, implying I was stupid to not fly under the radar. .
------------------
I have found that aswell. You get looked at funny if you actually do things by the book like you are the daft one whos tried to educate yourself and are the one in the wrong! Then again maybe we are when you see people who do things by the book getting fished by hacienda!

But like you say people have had 4 years to get legal and many were in denial or thought we are bristish and special the third country rules wont apply to us. These are the same type of people who voted for it

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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby olive » Mon Mar 22, 2021 10:44 am

“These are he same type of people that voted for it. “

Sweeping baseless generalisation.

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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby Wicksey » Mon Mar 22, 2021 11:25 am

elusive wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 4:39 pm The only lee way i would give is for people who came here pre internet and didnt have all the info that is out there now. Then im sure it was hard but then there wasnt as many loopholes to jump through so swings and roundabouts. The paper work isnt hard if you research and plan. Thanks to cid and others I had my residencia ,S.S number and healthcare all registared within a week of arriving.
I am thankful for all help I've had over the years from this forum. I've been able to do things in recent years I never thought I'd be able to. Of course, if you cannot do it yourself then you simply have to pay someone else to do it, but that's no excuse not to have registered in the past four years knowing that Brexit is coming. I must admit we hadn't changed our driving licences until we had to as so much information said that as the UK was in the EU we didn't need to. I am all sorted now, along with my new TIE too, thanks to everyone on here.

We registered as residents and got onto the health service when we lived in France, before we had the internet and with little help, and if you think the bureaucracy is bad here you should try living in France!

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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby katy » Mon Mar 22, 2021 1:18 pm

My only concern is that I would be legal and pay taxes etc. Better to sleep at night. Knew quite a few who appeared to be illegal, Spanish too. How many have been asked if you want to pay IVA or not. Not heard of anyone boasting about it (they must be idiots). I do know one person who used a UK address to get pension credits after her Husband died, it is claimed there are more. Don't feel sorry for them except a little for those who have taken out health cover and misjudged the date.

These illegals do not take money from other expats and they must put a little money in the economy even on a low expenditure of 12,000 pa a couple of thousand in IVA will have been handed over. Look at the big fish, Juan Carlos and the big bankers who have misappropriated billions.

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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby elusive » Mon Mar 22, 2021 5:34 pm

olive wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 10:44 am “These are he same type of people that voted for it. “

Sweeping baseless generalisation.
An opinion based off those ive talked to or known of. Personal experience nothing more nothing less. Those people were quite happy to be able to enjoy the rights of freedom of movement but were equally as happy to take away that right from others in the future.

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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby olive » Mon Mar 22, 2021 7:13 pm

:thumbup:

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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby peteroldracer » Mon Mar 22, 2021 8:13 pm

On tonight’s itv news their roving reporter was in Mijas I think - one woman packing a van to drive home, another bloke who said he had lived here 2 and a half years but had left it late to apply, was appealing ( against what I am not sure ). Don’t know why but I could not shed a tear...
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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby El Cid » Mon Mar 22, 2021 8:32 pm

The woman packing the van was only here temporarily anyway. The other guy was an idiot.

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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby peteroldracer » Mon Mar 22, 2021 9:03 pm

The idiot’s excuse was that “there are millions of us”! I am quietly keeping an eye on two Britmobils - a flashy black Audi on a vanity plate, and a one parked locally at a house where there used to be a Brit van advertising mobility scooters, so running a business here certainly all the while since we moved here in 2017.
Do they not know, or not care?
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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby Pamela1 » Mon Mar 22, 2021 9:46 pm

When anyone makes a decision to move to another country it just doesn't happen overnight, i imagine everyone on here went through the usual process of thinking very hard about moving to another country, then comes the process of making it happen. I imagine it's like starting over, there is so much to do and so much to learn.I just can't get my head around the people who then seemed to just park their brains after they got themselves very settled. No matter how long they have lived in Spain they must know they are still British nationals living in a foreign country and have more reason than most to be concerned about how brexit may effect their lives. You would think an area like Mijas would be buzzing with Brit residents and getting your affairs in order would be a hot topic.What has gone wrong when there are people who are now finding themselves with huge problems..perhaps the laid back lifestyle has been too laid back and the matter of urgency just doesn't register.

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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby peteroldracer » Mon Mar 22, 2021 9:54 pm

Back before we made the move to Spain we holidayed a few times on the Costa del Sol. In the Brit bars of Benalmádena and Mijas there was open talk about going “home” to sign on, how to claim benefits then export them, then make their boozy way home in old Jags and the like.
It seems that little changed for some over the past 15+ years.
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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby markwilding » Mon Mar 22, 2021 9:57 pm

But if you get your information from a guy in the pub. Here it doesn't happen very often but I remember a guy from Liverpool who told me he'd rather not register. I wonder if he did eventually register or if he's having problems.

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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby spanish_lad » Tue Mar 23, 2021 8:46 am

When a town hall says "theres 20,000 foreigners registered here" .. they know theres many more who are not.

The undercover police in pubs and shops is a great idea.
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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby elusive » Tue Mar 23, 2021 10:12 am

I think its a mixture of many things. Laziness, ignorance and uneducated about the facts, those who think the law doesnt apply to them because they dont want to declare and pay more tax here or are still claiming benefits etc in the uk that they are not entitled to,those that simply cant be bothered and dont care and think ifs it been ok for years nothing will really change even with brexit so just carry on as before

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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby Pamela1 » Tue Mar 23, 2021 12:58 pm

I saw a story about a couple who were caught out through facebook, they posted pics of themselves enjoying their 2nd home. Meanwhile they were claiming housing benefit and other benefits in the UK. They had the rug pulled out from underneath them through being carless. I know Brexit comes with it's own problems but no one could factor in a pandemic and lockdowns, i imagine people on Uk benefits in Spain who have have got away with screwing the system in both countries may now feel like things are closing in on them from both sides.

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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby katy » Tue Mar 23, 2021 3:07 pm

Google and lots come up interesting how the authorities prove the case, this one they checked flight records.

Jones later acknowledged that she had moved to Spain as a resident in 2015 without informing the DWP. Flight information recovered by the DWP suggested Jones spent ‘the majority of her time in Spain’ between January 13, 2012, and September 10, 2017, Miss Bryan said. In total, she was overpaid a total of £41,467.19 in disability living allowance (DLA), housing benefit, and council tax benefit between 2012 and 2017.


Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/06/benefits ... to=cbshare

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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby elusive » Tue Mar 23, 2021 3:27 pm

Pamela1 wrote: Tue Mar 23, 2021 12:58 pm I saw a story about a couple who were caught out through facebook, they posted pics of themselves enjoying their 2nd home. Meanwhile they were claiming housing benefit and other benefits in the UK. They had the rug pulled out from underneath them through being carless. I know Brexit comes with it's own problems but no one could factor in a pandemic and lockdowns, i imagine people on Uk benefits in Spain who have have got away with screwing the system in both countries may now feel like things are closing in on them from both sides.
I know of someone who had been living here for years under the radar. Then decided to get legal because of brexit. Rang up the uk for their S1 and they were asked how long have you been living in spain. He said something like 15 years. A very short time later he was contacted inregards to the winter fuel allowance he had been claiming for as long as he hadnt been entitled to it. He owed them a large amount of money ontop of fines!

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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby Pamela1 » Tue Mar 23, 2021 4:15 pm

Assuming he also had an ethic card which he may have used on several occasions then he should consider himself lucky to get away with not being asked to refund any healthcare fees which the Uk had to pay.

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Re: Thousands of British expats in Spain remain “exposed and unprotected”

Postby elusive » Tue Mar 23, 2021 4:46 pm

Very true. Maybe that was the next on the list.As if they pulled him on one thing i can imagine they started looking at everything


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