Ten years after the Brexit referendum, Spain remains the number one destination for Brits looking to buy property and start a new life overseas, despite the extra bureaucracy.

That’s the view of Alex Radford, a dual-qualified English solicitor and Spanish abogado, who says demand from British buyers has remained remarkably resilient despite the end of freedom of movement.

Reflecting on the decade since the 2016 referendum, Radford said the biggest change for Brits has been the need to obtain a visa to live in Spain.

‘The morning after the referendum we all met to digest the results and there was shock and disbelief around the table,’ he recalled.

‘There were so many concerns and unanswered questions. Would Spain still welcome Brits? Would British people continue to buy property and move here?’

Those fears, he says, ultimately proved unfounded.

‘Ten years on from that fateful night of the referendum, Spain continues to be the chosen destination for Brits to buy property and relocate.’

According to Radford, the process of buying a property in Spain has changed very little.

‘The buying process and the costs of buying are the same for Brits as they are for Europeans,’ he explained.

However, the loss of free movement has meant Britons must now qualify for a visa if they wish to become residents, with many opting for the Non-Lucrative Visa or, more recently, the Digital Nomad Visa.

‘Yes, there are more hoops to jump through than before, but we believe it’s well worth the effort,’ he said.

The legal changes following Brexit prompted a huge surge in demand for immigration advice.

To cope, Radford’s firm created a dedicated residency department to help hundreds of British clients secure residency, obtain NIE numbers and complete property purchases before the Brexit transition period ended on December 31, 2020.

Even after the deadline passed, applications under the Withdrawal Agreement continued well into 2021.

‘By the end of 2020 we had acted for hundreds of clients applying for residency,’ Radford said.

‘The fears many of us felt on referendum night about work drying up and businesses built around supporting British residents in Spain not surviving proved to be unfounded.’

Brexit also triggered a sharp increase in applications for Irish passports among British citizens with Irish ancestry, while Spain’s now-scrapped Golden Visa became an attractive route for some non-EU buyers seeking residency through property investment.

According to Radford, demand received another boost during the Covid-19 pandemic as remote working made relocating abroad a realistic option for more people.

He also highlighted one tax difference that still affects British owners of Spanish property.

While inheritance tax rules are the same for Britons and EU citizens, non-resident income tax currently stands at 24% for UK nationals compared with 19% for EU residents.

Radford noted that this difference is currently the subject of legal challenges because it is considered potentially discriminatory.

‘Watch this space,’ he said.

Despite the additional paperwork introduced by Brexit, Radford believes Britain’s love affair with Spain remains as strong as ever.

‘Brits love Spain and want to find a way to live here and own property here,’ he said.

‘Life continues in sunny Spain, and we – along with thousands of others – think life is pretty sweet here.’