Splitting your life between Spain and home, and what it costs

Terms used

• Beckham — The Beckham law is Spain's special tax regime for some newcomers who move to Spain for work.
• IBI — The IBI is the yearly local property tax paid by owners of property in Spain.
• Modelo 720 — The Modelo 720 is the declaration Spanish tax residents file for assets held abroad.
• Beckham regime — The Beckham regime is a special Spanish tax regime for some newly arrived workers, taxing them as non-residents on certain income.
• Agencia Tributaria — The Agencia Tributaria is Spain's tax authority.
• INSS — The INSS is Spain's national Social Security institute, which handles pensions and health-cover entitlement.
• Convenio especial — The convenio especial is a paid public health scheme for people who have no other cover.
• Oficina de Extranjería — The Oficina de Extranjería is the immigration office that handles residence permits.

Key rules

• Tax residency: Spending more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year generally makes you a Spanish tax resident.
• Permit absence: Non-EU temporary permit holders risk losing the permit if they are outside Spain more than 6 months in a year without justification.
• Health card: Your health card follows your residence, so ending residence or moving responsibility to another country can end it.
• Costs: Plan for housing, travel, insurance and adviser costs in both countries, not one.

The short version

Splitting your year gives you two homes and two social circles. It can also leave you feeling you belong fully in neither. Before you settle into a routine, check three things: your tax residency, your public health cover and your permit. Each has a limit on time away.

Belonging and friendships

Many people who split the year say they feel like a seasonal visitor in Spain and slowly lose everyday contact at home. In Spain, friendships often stay mostly with other foreigners. Language and absence limit how far you join the local community.

The benefits are real too. People report better weather, better health and two social circles.

What helps most, according to people who live this way:

• Keep a regular rhythm, such as the same months in each place each year.
• Join local associations in Spain, not only expat groups.
• Be present for key family events at home.

Family at home

Family can feel your absence, most of all around illness, ageing parents and grandchildren. You may feel guilt or pressure to travel back. Talk about this early, and agree when you will be there, rather than reacting to each emergency.

What it costs

Housing is usually the biggest cost. Expect to pay for much of this twice:

• Rent or mortgage, community fees, utilities and insurance in both countries.
• Property tax (IBI) in Spain if you own there.
• Flights or fuel between the two, which can run from hundreds to a few thousand euros a year. Some households also keep two vehicles.
• Private health insurance or top-up cover.
• Advisers and double tax filing, often a few hundred to low thousands of euros.
• Bank and currency-exchange costs, and phone and internet contracts in both countries.
• Keeping an empty home looked after, such as a cleaner, caretaker or alarm.

Get current quotes for your own situation before you commit.

Check these three things first

Tax residency

You are generally a Spanish tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, or if your main base or economic interests are in Spain. Short temporary absences count as days in Spain unless you hold a certificate of tax residence from another country. Your spouse and dependent minor children living with you in Spain can also lead to a presumption of Spanish residence.

Residents are taxed on worldwide income. Non-residents are taxed only on income from Spain. Residents may also have to declare foreign assets (Modelo 720) and check wealth tax. If you use the Beckham regime, check how it applies to you.

If both countries claim you, the tax treaty between them decides. It usually looks first at where you have a permanent home, then where your personal and economic ties are strongest. Treaty wording differs by country, so ask a tax adviser or the Agencia Tributaria.

Public health cover

The Spanish health card is tied to residence. A short trip does not suspend it. A long absence can end your right if your residence in Spain ends, or if another country becomes responsible for your care, as with an EU pensioner with an S1 form. Some regions set their own limits on how long you can be away. Ask your regional health service and the INSS (Social Security) before you plan long stays abroad.

Some permits require private insurance. A paid public scheme, the convenio especial, opens after one year of registered residence.

Your permit

If you are not an EU citizen, long absences can end your permit. A temporary residence permit generally is not renewed, or can lapse, if you are outside Spain more than 6 months in a year, unless the absence is justified. An EU long-term resident permit is lost after 12 consecutive months outside the EU, or 6 years outside Spain. Renewal normally needs proof that you stayed in Spain, so keep records. Ask the Oficina de Extranjería about your permit type. EU citizens follow different rules.

Deciding

If these checks make a split life look hard to sustain, the decision below sets out criteria for staying, splitting your time or leaving. The timeline, documents and warnings below cover the dates and proof you need.

Stay, split your time or leave: choosing with criteria

Stay, split your time or leave

Should you stay in Spain, split your time between Spain and home, or leave?

• Stay in Spain: Life, money, family and status are all settled: you speak enough Spanish, have friends, your income covers Spanish costs, nobody at home needs you close, and your permit or nationality is secure.

• Split your time: Your permit and income allow long absences and family pulls both ways, such as ageing parents or children's schooling. Before you commit, check the tax residence threshold (more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, or your main base or economic interests are in Spain), the absence limits on your permit, and your healthcare and pension entitlement.

• Leave Spain: Health, money, family or status have turned against Spain: costs outrun your income, a parent or partner needs you elsewhere, your health care is not working for you, or your permit cannot be kept.

Score yourself on four things: life (language, friends, health, daily routine, climate), money (income against Spanish costs, double housing, tax, exchange rates), family (parents, children, partner agreement) and status (permit or nationality security, absence rules, healthcare and pension). If all four are settled, stay. If status and income allow it and family pulls both ways, split. If one or more turn against Spain, leave. Try your choice for a trial period before you make it final.

These criteria are general guidance. Check your own permit, tax and healthcare position with a tax adviser and your immigration office before acting.

Timeline and deadlines

• Count your days in Spain: more than 183 days in a calendar year makes you a Spanish tax resident: over each calendar year

• Keep a temporary residence permit safe by staying outside Spain for no more than 6 months in a year, unless the absence is justified: within any one year

• Show proof of your stay in Spain when you renew a permit: at each renewal

Documents you need

• Certificate of tax residence from the tax authority of the country you say you live in. In Spain, the Agencia Tributaria, Spain's tax agency, issues it on request. It proves where you are resident if both countries claim you, or if short absences from Spain would otherwise count as time spent there.

• Proof of your stays in Spain, which you may need when renewing a residence permit, since renewal normally requires proof of stay. Check with the Oficina de Extranjería, the immigration office, which proof it accepts for your permit type.

What to watch out for

• Long absences can end your residence permit: A temporary residence permit may not be renewed, or may end, if you are outside Spain more than 6 months in a year without a justified reason. You would then need to apply again from scratch. Keep your time away under 6 months a year, and ask the Oficina de Extranjería which absences count as justified for your permit type.

• Long-term resident status can lapse: An EU long-term resident permit is lost after 12 consecutive months outside the EU or 6 years outside Spain. Plan trips so you return before these limits, and check them for your permit.

• Renewal can be refused for lack of proof of stay: Renewal normally requires proof that you lived in Spain, so long absences can be grounds for refusal. Keep records of your stays in Spain, such as travel and rental or utility records, before you file.

Frequently asked questions

Can I lose my Spanish health card if I spend months abroad?

Yes, a long absence can cost you the health card if your residence in Spain ends or another country becomes responsible for your care. A short trip does not suspend it, but the card is tied to residence.

Which costs do people forget when they keep homes in two countries?

Many people forget the costs of keeping a home empty, such as a cleaner, caretaker or alarm, plus phone and internet contracts in both countries. Bank and currency-exchange fees and adviser fees for possible double tax filing add up too. Housing is usually the biggest item, and travel can run from hundreds to a few thousand euros a year.

What happens if Spain and my home country both claim me as tax resident?

If both countries claim you, the double tax treaty between them decides, usually starting with where you have a permanent home available. After that it looks at where your life and interests are centred, where you habitually live, and your nationality. A certificate of tax residence from the tax authority of the country concerned is your proof.

What helps most with feeling you belong in neither place?

Being there for key family events, keeping a regular rhythm of travel and joining local associations in Spain help most, according to what people in this situation report. Friendships in Spain often stay mostly with other foreigners, so local groups are a way to widen your circle.