Distant Horizons 
If you are moving to Spain with children, schooling is one of those topics that tends to get parked until late in the process. Visas get sorted. Housing gets argued over. Healthcare gets researched. Then suddenly you realise September is not that far away and you still do not know the difference between a colegio … Read more
It’s a common question, and one that rarely gets a straight answer. You’ve packed up your life in the UK, moved to Spain in June or July, and suddenly realise that the tax year doesn’t match. You’re halfway between two systems, both wanting to know where you belong. The short version is this: your UK … Read more
Wake up early, open the window, listen for traffic, dogs, scooters, whatever your nerves can handle. Make coffee. Try to book an appointment online with the town hall. If the form crashes twice and you still don’t feel like throwing the laptop, that’s a good sign. Walk down, ask the clerk what they really want … Read more
Start with the only question that matters: will you count as Spanish tax resident for the calendar year. If yes, Spain wants the whole picture. That includes UK pensions. Then the treaty decides who taxes what. Simple idea, big consequences. Plain split, no jargon: What to do this week if you’re moving or already here: … Read more
ou don’t want to pay tax twice. Nobody does. That’s the whole point of this agreement — to stop the UK and Spain both taxing the same money like a pair of jealous siblings. In theory, it works. In practice, it gets messy. Here’s what it actually means if you live in Spain and have … Read more
No one tells you this until you’re halfway through the mortgage paperwork, but a lot of Spanish banks will make life insurance part of the deal. Sometimes it’s “optional,” but with strings. Sometimes they won’t lend without it. And no — your UK life insurance policy doesn’t always cut it. Not always required. But often … Read more
Let’s start with the obvious — yes, you can get a mortgage in Spain as a British citizen. No, it’s not exactly easy. And no, you probably won’t get the same deal a Spanish resident would. But it’s doable. You just need to know what to expect. Foreign buyers pay more. End of. Residents in … Read more
If I had a euro for every Brit who said “It’s probably fine” two weeks before calling a lawyer in a panic, I’d have a villa. Not one of the good ones either — a rural mess with no paperwork and a goat in the swimming pool. You can get everything right and it still … Read more
Buying your dream place in Spain? Good. Now let’s talk about the bit that no one dreams about: the taxes. Spain has a very… let’s call it thorough tax system when it comes to property purchases. Brits moving over are often caught off-guard because it’s quite different from the UK system. Here’s your clear, practical … Read more
If you’re buying property in Spain as a British buyer, sooner or later, two figures will enter your world: the notario and the abogado. And unless you’ve been through it before, it can all feel slightly surreal. They’re both critical. They both wear suits. But they do very different things. And no, you can’t skip … Read more
