Expat Life

Can you reclaim Inheritance or Gift tax?

• Print

European citizens can request the restitution of the Inheritance and Gift tax paid in Spain as nonresidents

The recent judgment of the Court of the European Union of 3 September 2014 on the discrimination against nonresident taxpayers and deceased in the Spanish Inheritance and Gift Tax with respect to Spanish residents who can resort to Autonomous Community Legislation, allows residents from the European Economic Area (the EU 28 and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) to request the refund of the excess tax paid in Spain.

Embassy advice about health care in Spain

• Print

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new animated video from the Department of Health and the British Embassy that gives official advice to British Nationals thinking of moving to Spain. You can watch this video called “Moving to Spain? Think about Healthcare!” on YouTube here http://bit.ly/1tk9lhz

You have probably already seen and shared the video on the EHIC that was launched last May 2014. However, the aim of this second video is to inform Brits who are coming to Spain to live permanently, as well as those who have recently arrived, to register properly with the Spanish authorities and ensure they are fully protected by the country’s state health system.

Game is up for suspected drug trafficker

• Print

A poker-playing fugitive was dealt a pair of handcuffs during a tournament at a bar in Valencia last night.

Robert Knight, aged 53, from Walsall, was tracked down as part of a joint operation involving the Spanish National Police, the National Crime Agency and West Midlands Police

Armed officers swooped as Knight was playing Texas Hold’em poker at Saffy’s sports bar in the port area of Calpe at 7pm Spanish time.

Benefit fraud team in Spain is recovering a record £5m of taxpayers’ money

• Print

Top three cheats this year had claimed over £200,000

More than £5m of UK taxpayers’ money lost to benefit fraud abroad is now being recovered by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) investigators in Spain.

The dedicated team in Madrid has investigated more than 1,250 cases of benefit fraud by British residentsover the last five years, and works closely with UK counterparts to bring fraudsters to justice.

Family or friends coming to visit this summer

• Print

Make sure they have adequate travel insurance if you don’t want to risk hefty medical bills

Travelling abroad uninsured can cost thousands if a trip goes wrong. Yet according to new research issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), more than one in three (38%)[1] young Brits[2]  think it is unnecessary to take out insurance when they travel overseas, often leaving their families to pick up the pieces.

Holidaymakers warned about highway robbers

• Print

The British Embassy in Spain is warning holidaymakers to watch out for ruthless gangs of modern-day highway robbers who are preying on people driving foreign-registered vehicles and hire cars.

Police in the Catalonia region of Spain have dealt with 126 British victims of robbery on the AP7 motorway between the French border and the Valencia region over the past two years¹.

British nationals overseas who need new or replacement passports

• Print

British nationals living overseas who are waiting for a new passport, or whose passport has recently expired or will expire soon, are being offered additional services to help with any concerns they may have about their ability to travel. 

Avoid leaving the renewal of your British passport until the last minute

• Print

British nationals wanting to renew or obtain a British passport should avoid leaving their applications too late. You currently need to allow at least six weeks for a passport renewal and eight weeks for a first time application, according to Her Majesty’s Passport Office. It’s also important to get your application right first time, to avoid the paperwork being returned and causing further delay.

Changes to birth and death registrations overseas

• Print

Changes to birth and death registrations overseas

British nationals living in Spain should note that from Monday 9^th June, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) is changing the way that it registers the births and deaths of British citizens overseas.