British citizens / UK nationals now have to follow the same process as other non-EU national citizens of third countries to get Spanish residency, i.e. first obtain a visa.
The minimum income required for a British Citizen / UK national to obtain a residency visa, is a lot higher than it was to get residency before Brexit. In most cases a single applicant needs to have at least €28k per year, whereas previously less than €7k income would have been sufficient.
You also have to obtain a police criminal check report, and medical certificates are also required for most visa applications.
To get an appointment to submit a Non-Lucrative Visa application at the Spanish Consulate in London, you must first send a request by email.
Attached to your request you must provide a sworn translation to Spanish of your Police Certificate (ACRO report).
Need help getting sworn translations? Click here
Requesting an appointment to apply for Non-Lucrative Visa at the Spanish Consulate in London
Nationals of non-EU countries require a visa to enter Spain, if the stay is intended to be more than 90 days. The Schengen visa in most cases cannot be used to apply for residency in Spain.
There is an exception when an immediate family member is joining a family member who already lives in Spain and holds Spanish residency. In all other circumstances a citizen of a non-EU country must apply for, and obtain a long stay visa through the Spanish Embassy in their home country.
Since UK has now left the EU, UK citizens / British nationals also have to apply for a visa if they want to live or work in Spain.
Once the visa has been issued, the applicant can travel to Spain and apply for residency and get their TIE, ‘tarjeta de identidad de extranjero‘.
The following is a summary of the main types of long stay visas that citizens of non-EU countries can apply for.
Non-lucrative residence visa
The non lucrative residence visa is for those who have means to support themselves without working whilst residing in Spain.
