Weekender Alicante South Issue 116

14 FRIDAY 8TH NOVEMBER 2019
www.weekender.news
Business & Money
Sun Lawyers are the people
to go to if you are looking to
become a Spanish resident,
and even with the new Brexit
date of January 31st, there
really isn’t that much time
for you to get yourself legally
set up here in Spain, though
getting an appointment is
getting easier.
Come and see us first at
Sun Lawyers to get the advice
and help that you need
to go through the process.
It all may seem a bit
daunting, but here at Sun
Lawyers, we’ve lost count
of how times we’ve gone
through applying for a residencia
down the decades,
and it is straight-forward.
Sun Lawyers will do virtually
all the work for you to
give you peace of mind, and
make sure that you have all
the correct documents to enjoy
your time in Spain.
Delays earlier this year in
applying for a residencia have
been largely cleared up, with
a new quick appointment service
introduced in Alicante
City, and the good news is that
in the south of Alicante Province,
more appointments are
available in Orihuela City.
To get an Alicante City
appointment, you need the
following requirements:-
1. If you are pensioner, you
need your state pension
paid directly into a Spanish
account, which has
been used on a regular
basis for three months,
ahead of applying for a
residencia. You also need
a S-1 certificate.
2. If you are not working,
you need a seven thousand
euro average balance
per person in your
Spanish account over the
last three months.
3. Married dependant applicants
without their own
health care provision or
financial means will need
an up-to-date marriage
certificate(no older than
three months from the
issue date) plus a legal
translation from a Spanish-registered
translator.
Don’t forget that you
should apply for a Spanish
residency card if:
• You’ve spent more than
90 days in Spain.
• You want to be legal in
Spain.
• You want to be legible for
the Spanish healthcare
system.
Let’s examine those three
points in more detail.
EXTRA TIME FOR RESIDENCIAS
You’re staying in Spain
for over 90 days
It’s all down to the law, and
clearly states that if you
spend more than 90 days in
a 180 day period in Spain
(or any other country in the
Schengen area), then you
must apply for a residency
card, which in effect is a stay
permit. The embassies of
the EU have stipulated that
as long as no other citizens
from the Schengen area are
obliged to obtain a Visa for
the UK, then British citizens
will have a reciprocal agreement
to not require a Visa for
the Schengen zone, but the
90 day rule will still apply.
If you are from the UK,
the Brexit issue is clouding
the waters, but essentially
you have to get yourself covered
with a residencia, pure
and simple, and we at Sun
Lawyers can get that sorted
for you and your partner and
family.
The proposed UK-EU withdrawal
agreement allows
residencias to continue, but
they will then be swapped
over to a different card, which
the Spanish government said
earlier this year would be a
straight-forward process.
That looks like being the
case as well in a no-deal Brexit
scenario according to Madrid,
but you must get a residencia
right now, and time is
ticking by quickly, with under
three months to go before the
new January deadline.
You want to be legal
in Spain
This is a simple matter of
“peace of mind”, as doing everything
according to Spanish
rules can only bring benefits,
and Sun Lawyers have the expertise
to tell you what’s what!
As an example, an EU person
that is residing in Spain,
once you have obtained your
Spanish residency card, you
then you have a period to
switch your EU licence for a
Spanish driving licence.
Yes, EU driving licences are
valid in Spain (as long as they
have not expired), but since it
looks likely that the UK will
be leaving soon the EU, then
you will see on the British
Consulate website a recommendation
that if you are resident
in Spain, you need to stay
within the law and swap over
to a Spanish licence, rather
than going through all kinds
of hassles, some of which could
cost you time and money.
That’s just one example
over being legal, and we
at Sun Lawyers have the
checklist that you need to
make sure that you will be
fine for many years to come.
You want to use the
Spanish healthcare
system
Essentially there are two
main categories here:
• Limited and temporary
healthcare in Spain. At
present, this must be done
through the EHIC health
card, but this does not include
ongoing treatments
and as, yet no bi-lateral
agreement has been
signed to continue with
this for UK citizens once
the UK leaves the EU.
• Permanent all-inclusive
healthcare in Spain. Right
now, state pensioners
from other EU member
states can transfer their
rights to health care from
their country of origin
with the S1, E121 & E106.
In the future, we will see
if it is still the case for UK
citizens, depending on negotiations
between UK
and Spain in the case of a
no-Brexit deal and what
future deals are struck
with the EU.
Requirements for nonworkers
and early retirees
to qualify is to have proof
of Spanish residence during
at least a year and then
they can begin contributions
(Convenio Especial).
Sun Lawyers will sort that
out for you, once you have got
that residencia, and there are
countless people that we have
helped on that score, with
many years of experience on
how to do it.
Ready to act?
It is common for Sun Lawyers
to see people postponing
important decisions, like the
need to apply for Spanish
residency or sorting out the
taxes or buying a home with
a reputable lawyer.
Don’t plough on without
the right advice and experts
behind you and get in touch
with the English-speaking
Sun Lawyers team to apply
for your Spanish residency,
which is imperative that you
get right now!
If you have any questions,
then please send an email to
admin@sun-lawyers.com or
call on the office & ask for
the Relocation Department
on 965 321 193.
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