Buying property in Spain after Brexit: what changed for UK buyers
Who this is for: For UK citizens. Irish buyers are mentioned wherever the rules differ for them.
Start with the good news: Brexit did not change your right to buy. A UK citizen can buy a home anywhere in Spain, with the same ownership rights as a Spanish national. No nationality restrictions, no residency requirement, no permission needed.
What changed is everything around the purchase — how long you may stay in the home you own, what you pay in tax each year, and what you must do to live there. This guide covers each in turn.
The rule that catches people out: 90 days in any 180
Since 1 January 2021, UK passport holders are non-EU travellers. Without a visa you can spend up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period in Spain and the rest of the Schengen area combined.
Two things about this rule surprise British owners.
Owning a home changes nothing. The limit applies whether you own a villa in Javea or have never been to Spain before. Property is not a residence permit.
The window rolls. It is not "90 days per half-year" with a clean slate in January and July. On any given day, the question is how many days you spent in the Schengen area over the previous 180. Ninety days in Spain from October to December means you cannot return until those days drop out of the window.
Days spent in France, Portugal, Italy or any other Schengen country count towards the same 90. Ireland does not: it is outside the Schengen area, and British citizens may live and work there freely under the Common Travel Area.
The border now counts automatically
This is the part that has changed most recently, and many guides still describe the old world.
The EU's Entry/Exit System started on 12 October 2025 and became fully operational on 10 April 2026. It replaces the stamping of passports. On crossing an external Schengen border, non-EU travellers are registered biometrically — facial image and fingerprints — along with the date and place of entry and exit.
For a British owner this means one practical thing: overstays are now detected automatically. Under stamping, an inconsistent stamp could go unnoticed. That era is over.
There is a second system coming, ETIAS, a pre-travel authorisation similar to the UK's own. It is not yet operational and no start date has been confirmed; the European Council has pointed at the last quarter of 2026. You cannot apply for one yet.
None of this stops you buying or visiting. It simply means the 90-day limit is now enforced as written.
Tax: where being non-EU costs you
Here the change is real but modest, and it helps to separate two things.
The purchase taxes are the same for everyone. A British buyer pays exactly what a Spanish buyer pays. They depend on the region, not your passport:
| Region | Coast | New build | Resale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valencian Community | Costa Blanca | 10% VAT + 1.4% stamp duty | 9% transfer tax; 11% over €1m |
| Andalusia | Costa del Sol | 10% VAT + 1.2% stamp duty | 7% transfer tax |
| Region of Murcia | Mar Menor | 10% VAT + 1.5% stamp duty | 7.75% transfer tax |
With notary, land registry and paperwork, allow around 12% on top of the price.
The annual tax is where Brexit shows. If you own a Spanish home, do not live in Spain and do not let it out, Spain taxes a notional income from having the property available. The base is 1.1% of the cadastral value where the municipality's valuation was revised from 2012 onwards, or 2% otherwise. The rate is where nationality enters:
| Owner's tax residence | Rate |
|---|---|
| Ireland and other EU/EEA | 19% |
| United Kingdom, since Brexit | 24% |
On a cadastral value of €100,000 at a 2% base, a UK owner pays €480 a year where an Irish owner pays €380. It is filed on form 210, once a year, by 31 December of the following year.
The same 24% applies to rental income if you let the property — and non-EU owners cannot deduct expenses from it, which EU owners can. For a buy-to-let purchase this is worth a conversation with a Spanish tax adviser before you commit, not after.
Residency: buying and living are two separate decisions
The route that used to join them is closed. Spain abolished the investor "golden visa" on 3 April 2025. Buying property — at any price — no longer leads to residency.
If you want more than 90 days at a time, you apply for a visa, separately from the purchase:
Non-lucrative visa — the usual route for retirees and anyone living on passive income. You must show sufficient means; the threshold is tied to Spain's IPREM index and is revised annually, so check the current figure with the Spanish consulate before you apply. You may not work while on it.
Digital nomad visa — for remote workers with clients or employers outside Spain.
Both are applied for in person at the Spanish consulate for your area in the UK, and both have tax consequences: living in Spain more than 183 days a year generally makes you a Spanish tax resident, taxed on worldwide income. Speak to an immigration lawyer before you commit to either.
The practical steps that are the same for everyone
NIE — your Spanish tax number. Every buyer needs one. UK citizens can apply at the Spanish consulate in London, Edinburgh or Manchester on form EX-15, or have a lawyer in Spain do it under a power of attorney.
Mortgage. Spanish banks lend non-residents up to around 70% of the valuation, against 80% for residents — so budget a deposit of at least 30% plus the 12% in taxes and fees.
Buying off-plan. Spanish law requires the developer to guarantee everything you pay before handover, by bank guarantee or insurance, from the moment the building licence is granted. Check the licence exists before your first payment.
Buying resale. The property answers for the previous owner's debts to the community of owners for the current year and the three before it. Ask for the administrator's certificate that fees are paid up, and for the land registry extract, before you pay a deposit.
Which coast, and why it matters for flights
For a home you will visit often, the airport matters more than the brochure.
Costa Blanca — Alicante-Elche airport, with direct flights from most UK airports. Torrevieja is about 40 minutes away, Guardamar 30, Orihuela Costa 50–60.
Mar Menor, Region of Murcia — Region of Murcia International Airport is much closer than Alicante: 22 minutes from Torre-Pacheco, 29 from Los Alcázares and San Pedro del Pinatar. Prices here are the lowest of the coasts we cover.
Costa del Sol — Málaga airport, and for the western end something most guides miss: Gibraltar airport, with its UK flights, is 46 minutes from Estepona and 1 hour 10 from Marbella — across the border, but often the quickest way home.
In short
You can still buy, with the same rights as before. Without a visa you can stay 90 days in any 180, and since April 2026 the border counts those days automatically. Purchase taxes are unchanged by Brexit; the annual non-resident tax is 24% for UK owners against 19% for Irish. Owning property no longer leads to residency — the golden visa ended on 3 April 2025 — so treat buying and living as two separate decisions.