Spain digital nomad visa

[WTFH]

When you'll be on your deathbed, you won't regret being more compliant and taking less risks and maybe putting more on your pension. You'll regret not taking more risks.

"They say that true hell is when the person that you are meets the person that you could have been..."

What Tate-esque garbage.

This is not general, if you want to take a risk, try being professional for a change in these forums.

[Bluenose]

I've just read through this thread hoping to find out nitty gritty of how this works, but seems to gone off on a bit of a tangent.

Like many trying to look at ways to reduce this obscene 50% levels of taxation that we are now facing. Yes, we can stick it in a SIPP, but want to enjoy the money earnt on the here and now with family and kids whilst they are still growing up, not when I'm knackered and have no energy or zest for life or even live to enjoy it.

ok, so how does this work for someone working inside ir35 through an umbrella. What is the process:
1. Butter up the end client to allow you to work from overseas - assuming they give the green light
2. Fill in P85
3. Move abroad
4. Tell Umbrella you are now living abroad and no tax should be taken off your pay? - Umbrella maybe reluctant to pay into overseas bank account - can you still have it paid to UK bank account and then transferred abroad?

I realise above is quite simplistic and will brace myself for it to be ripped to shreds - but any info on what the process is would be greatly appreciated.
Was just thinking I could save years of working - if I worked abroad for 2 years - I would've have had to work 4 yrs in the UK to earn the same - so saved myself 2yrs free!

We are in uncharted waters here so its going to be unclear for the next 6 months. If you don't like risks then better to wait.

There are social media groups inside the usual sites that will give you a better insight as to what is going on. There is a check-list that some legal teams have created that you can go through.

What I would add to your list is that:

It appears that if you apply "in country" for the Nomad Visa within Spain rather than, online or, in a U.K consulate you will be granted a 3-Year visa in the first instance rather than, a 1-Year Visa but the in-country paperwork route/process is not yet active so, online appears to be the only route atm but you'll only get a 1-Year Visa, renewable after that up to the 5-year point. So, you will need to factor this decision into your thinking. If you want to go 'now' the only route is online.

If your missus is working, you need to factor that in, my missus is already 100% remote and her company does not have a Spanish presence so its easier for us but it is currently a legal grey area, as the Spanish law states that your partners are legally also able to work in Spain if you have a valid Visa but does not restrict teleworking to your partner

As far as I know you'll need to be paid into a euro dominated bank account, I have raised a question in the umbrella section about a potential market gap appearing for companies to do Spanish payrolls for contractors, I think its just a matter of time before someone makes it simple to do. Will all umbrella companies like paying into Euro bank accounts? No, but they will have to shift with the times like everyone else. As much as I don't like the owners, I am going Revolut and keeping my existing bank accounts, complete the move to Spain and then shift all my UK accounts out of the country.

[WTFH]

As far as I know you'll need to be paid into a euro dominated bank account, I have raised a question in the umbrella section about a potential market gap appearing for companies to do Spanish payrolls for contractors, I think its just a matter of time before someone makes it simple to do. Will all umbrella companies like paying into Euro bank accounts? No, but they will have to shift with the times like everyone else.

Well, it's not quite as simple as that - will they pay in GBP or EUR? What currency and rate will be on the contract to the end client? What currency and rate will be on the contract with you? If it's all the same currency, then it's not a problem.
Part of the shift with the times may be for the one or two contractors who successfully move to Spain on a nomad visa, that they learn to accept the additional costs of the currency conversions.

[GigiBronz]

What Tate-esque garbage.

This is not general, if you want to take a risk, try being professional for a change in these forums.

What colour is your Bugatti?

Joke aside, how being professional is working for people? You have to learn to take risks and understand life outside the box society and your employer tries to put you in.

Not a single employer will allow you to move somewhere where you gain more freedom, the fact that it is cheaper will mean that you will be less dependant on their paycheque. Harder to manipulate. You will have to be to some extent 'unprofessional' to break out of that.
At some point, one way or another you will have to force your hand.

I thought that being a contractor also implies having some business wisdom...

[NotAllThere]

I would still do it for the legal 3 months as a tourist.

That is correct. But you can still work from there and nobody will know. Only your client security team that would see you log-in with foreign ip.

So, you agree that your statement was wrong: you can't do it for the legal 3 months as a tourist. And if you get caught, you're liable to be deported and banned from the Schengen area for a few years. If you're happy to take that risk, go for it.

Bear in mind that this is a professional forum. Persistant inappropriate posting and advocating illegal activity will get you banned.

[Bluenose]

Well, it's not quite as simple as that - will they pay in GBP or EUR?

I see that no more as an admin problem, its not really a legal problem. You can just setup an offshore expat account in GBP.

Even if they (agency/end-client) pay in GBP to you, the FX costs between GBP/EUR are so slim, you can do the conversion yourself, I just would avoid having it paid into a U.K based GBP account.

It's all part of the shift abroad, sure many will be paid in GBP as this is ContractorUK after all but I do work and get paid in GBP, EUR and USD but its all (currently) paid into a U.K based GBP account.

[WTFH]

I see that no more as an admin problem, its not really a legal problem. You can just setup an offshore expat account in GBP.

Even if they (agency/end-client) pay in GBP to you, the FX costs between GBP/EUR are so slim, you can do the conversion yourself, I just would avoid having it paid into a U.K based GBP account.

It's all part of the shift abroad, sure many will be paid in GBP as this is ContractorUK after all but I do work and get paid in GBP, EUR and USD but its all (currently) paid into a U.K based GBP account.

Yes, it's an admin problem, not a legal one. But it's an admin problem that someone needs to consider and not just hoof the blame on elsewhere.

Your final sentence makes it sound like you think every single contractor in the UK is going to move to Spain, and that none of us have done contracts in foreign currencies before. Contractors have, for years, worked in different countries around the world. It's not a new thing. The new thing is the post-Brexit opportunity for a few who have the desire to move to Spain, where, for a few years, it didn't look like it was going to be easy.
If you are in a position to make the move and the clients/sectors you work in are happy, then it would be something to consider, but I don't think it's going to be most of the UK contractor market that follows you to Spain.

[oliverson]

I see that no more as an admin problem, its not really a legal problem. You can just setup an offshore expat account in GBP.

Even if they (agency/end-client) pay in GBP to you, the FX costs between GBP/EUR are so slim, you can do the conversion yourself, I just would avoid having it paid into a U.K based GBP account.

It's all part of the shift abroad, sure many will be paid in GBP as this is ContractorUK after all but I do work and get paid in GBP, EUR and USD but its all (currently) paid into a U.K based GBP account.

Current client is in the US. I invoice them in USD and get paid into my Starling USD account, then I move it over to my Starling GBP account if the rate is favourable, which tbh it has been VERY favourable the last year or so.

I already have a property in Spain, an NIE number and a Spanish bank account.

So what's stopping me from getting the visa? Baggage! Ltd company here, BBL, car lease, property, etc. I could possibly park the Ltd and try return the car but I really don't want to do that, it's a Model Y Long Range and simply the best car I've ever had. But having said that, I was holding fire to see if the 25% CT would come in, and it has. I have probably 6 months into the new financial year, before my projected profit exceeds £ 50k and then I get clobbered for 25%. Kind of hoping there is some enlightenment and success stories find their way into this thread within that time.

[jamesbrown]

and then I get clobbered for 25%

26.5%, sadly...

[brightondeveloper]

Has this Gov actually done anything favorable for small businesses at all? I'm googling the state of play wrt schooling in spain atm to asses whether or not I can move my family there - surely there's a lot more people considering this now? It's insane what's going on in this country