Over the past few weeks the British Embassy has been holding citizen outreach meetings. Here they share information and answer questions from the general public about Brits in Spain after Brexit. Volunteers from the BBF attended the meeting, which took place  on February 15, 2019 in Madrid.

Apart from reminding British citizens resident in Spain about the resources available to us via the government website, the Embassy was keen to reassure Brits living in Spain that there is a good working relationship with the Spanish government. The Embassy made clear this relationship will not be affected by the Spanish snap election set for April 29, 2019.

 

They gave out these handouts in the meeting:

Information for UK Nationals in Spain

Information for UK nationals in Spain

This outlines the steps you need to take to register as a Spanish resident

Living in Spain

A list of websites which includes everything from advice on how to recognize foreign qualifications to how to claim benefits for British nationals overseas.

Handout_living in Spain – V1 (002)

 

Q&A for Brits in Spain after Brexit

There was a Q&A session afterward the presentation.  People asked about the effects of a no-deal Brexit on our rights, our freedom of movement and our status as residents in Spain. The Embassy has very little information about a no-deal Brexit and all answers given were premised on the Withdrawal Agreement getting through parliament before the 29^th of March 2019.

The advice was clear. No matter what the Brexit outcome is, there are four steps every British citizen should follow as a matter of course if deciding to settle in Spain.

• Ensure you are registered as resident in Spain and that you are registered on the Padrón. Here is a link to book an appointment at the Oficina de Extranjería. Our next blog post will discuss how to register on the Padrón. Follow us on Facebook to receive a notification of when this information is posted.
  
• Ensure you have an S1 form. This allows you to claim the reciprocal right to healthcare if you are not working in Spain and/or have retired here.
• Ensure your driving license has been swapped to a Spanish one.
• Ensure your university and professional qualifications have been recognized by the Spanish Ministry of Education.

This blog will continue to post information to help Brits is Spain prepare for Brexit and to assist Brits in Spain after Brexit. We will provide information as soon as it becomes available. We will also share it on our Facebook page. If you wish to follow our Facebook page and receive notifications when we post Brexit related news, here is the link: BBF Facebook Page