Things that will affect resident brits after 31st Dec 2020

I am a brit living in Zaragoza Spain.
I am fairly ignorant about the whole Brexit thing in general and have not been following proceedings on the news.
Can anyone tell me any of the most important basic factors that will affect Spanish resident brits after 31st Dec 2020? I suppose the most obvious issues will be ease of travel throughout Europe after this date, any healthcare issues (we currently do have healthcare cards) and any other major issues that might affect us. Will one have to apply for some sort of new residency ID cards (we currently have NIE and uk passports)
This has probably been discussed on other threads but I couldn't find anything.

Thanks

Mark Briscoe

Nobody knows until a final agreement is reached and put into law.

"This has probably been discussed on other threads but I couldn't find anything."

This is surely a wind up?

If you can't find anything about it on this site, you could perhaps try the so-called Main Stream Media, or for specifics, just check the UK government website.

One thing many people may not be aware of is the possible impact of Amazon's recent FBA announcement, which may have consequences for anyone who regularly orders stuff from amazon.co.uk for delivery to Spain:

https://tamebay.com/2020/07/amazon-fba-brexit-bombshell-efn-and-pan-european-fba-ends-for-uk.html

Marc:

If you are already a Spanish resident, you will keep all current rights by virtue of this but it is advisable that you obtain the TIE

http://extranjeros.mitramiss.gob.es/es/modelossolicitudes/mod_solicitudes2/23-TIE_RU_JUNIO_2020.pdf

If you are of UK retirement age then you will see no difference provided you are registered as residents... you will still receive Spanish NHS care that the UK government will pay for ...to the sum of £4,700 per person per year if you fail to register as a resident befor January 2021 you will need private health in place to stay in Spain.if you are under UK retirement age and don't you have a legal job that pays your N.I contribution you will need to get your own private health insurance before January 2021 .the current UK EHIC will no longer be accepted across the EU...this also applies to Spain.

Windy, the future of the current EHIC is unknown, it may or may not be part of the exit agreement. Where is your evidence that it has already been decided it will no longer be accepted across the EU...this also applies to Spain.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-residents-visiting-the-eueea-and-switzerland-healthcare#european-health-insurance-cards-ehic

Unless there is a deal (increasingly unlikely) which includes UK participation in the EHIC, the default position is that the UK will no longer issue them.

Residents in Spain paying into the social security system should still be able to get one from the Spanish SS, but it won't cover you in the UK. For UK pensioners getting public healthcare in Spain by virtue of the S1, (i.e.funded by the UK) it's unclear whether they will be able to get one, as it is currently issued by the UK.

Kavanagh quite a few people living  in Spain don't seem to want to accept the fact that the party is over ...I hope for your sake you are not one of them...the so called EU don't want to give us a deal ... unless we give them unrestricted rights to  cross our borders and plunder our rich sea reserves without paying any Tax to the UK ..as you know this is not going to happen as  no country in the world would permit this...so I guess it's a no deal then.

Oh dear, it’s all back to BREXIT scaremongering and guesses.

Quite a lot of information out there on what will happen. Look at the UK gov site, the Moncloa advice site (preparing for Brexit) and loads of others. Healthcare for those who get it now and are residents will continue, as will other things including the right to vote in local elections. 

If you are a resident already and become a permanent resident (living here more than 5 years and actully registring as a permanent resident) then you will be entitled to healthcare the same as a Spanish citizen. You'll still get pension updates, you'll still be able to go on to the EU pension scheme (the one where you accrue years in different countries) and loads of other things.

The important thing is to become an official resident before the end of the year.

Everything else is guesswork. Scaremongering stories in the British press (from both sides) don't help but I guess it sells newspapers (or advertising) to those who hear what they want to hear. 

Lots of things will change, bound to. Those who not only wish the UK to do well (which we all do) but keep harping on about the collapse of the EU, the euro and more wishful thinking on the EU coming a cropper are being a bit stupid to wish harm on the biggest trading partner the UK has (and it will still continue to be an important one even after Brexit).

Lots of things are going to come crashing down with the amount this CV19 has cost countries. Adding the cost of Brexit will be detrimental to both sides. Hopefully, the govenments will see a bit of sense (though listening to Bojo today I don't hold out much hope) and agree on certain things.

But the question on what will happen to those living in Spain is reported on quite often. Just look around the interweb thingy and you'll find lots of questions answered. UK gov, Moncloa, EU webs and so on. You'll be surprised at what the Withdrawal Agreement actually lays down.

Like the thing people harp on about with needing an International Driving permit to come to Spain. Not according to official sites which still say you can use a Brit licence in Spain and a Spanish licence in UK for up to 6 months per year and that's already been agreed. (although you do have to change your licence if you're becoming a permanent resident and that's in both countries).

As a start, read the UK advice HERE

Then go on to the Spanish advice at THIS link

(If you use Google Chrome it will tranlate the latter one for you)

That should be a start.

"Unless there is a deal (increasingly unlikely)"

I bet there is one by the 31 Dec.

What can possibly affect British residents in Spain, deal or no deal.

The 2 important items are UK Pensions and healthcare.

UK Pensions private or state will be unaffected by BREXIT.

Healthcare. The S1 system of the UK paying Spain £4,700 or is it €s a year has always been a nice earner for Spain. Even the EHIC has been a nice earner, just bill the UK for every consultation and procedure. If it’s no deal Spain won’t want to end that lucrative arrangement.

Thanks so much to everyone for all the information and my apologies for not having replied earlier
We have been living here for nearly 20 years. We currently just have NIE papers and our UK passports as ID.  Maridav you said about becoming a ‘permanent resident’ would this be different to having the NIE and is it in any way related to the TIE mentioned by mariadecastro ?
Again we currently do have healthcare cards.

NIE is literally your foreigner ID number, which is essentially the same as a National Insurance number in the UK. This is not the same as residency, as even non-resident foreign property owners have one. It's more for tax purposes. On that note, you presumably are aware that you are fiscal residents, and as such are obliged to declare all your worldwide income in Spain?

I think Maria has pretty much already answered your question: "If you are already a Spanish resident, you will keep all current rights by virtue of this but it is advisable that you obtain the TIE" (my italics). Without having previously regisered as residents, it seems unlikely (although by no means impossible) that you would have obtained health cards, but since it seems that you either never did, or don't recall, registering, I would strongly suggest that you do apply for the TIE as soon as possible. I personally have experience of having my health card cancelled for no apparent reason a few years ago, despite having been registered as a resident and filing annual tax returns for many years (I can only guess it was due to the govt. looking for ways to cut costs - I had to jump through hoops to re-assert my right to healthcare). In the current circumstances, i.e. utter confusion over Brexit, combined with Covid related economic fallout for the government, I would want to make sure (as much as is possible) that my status and rights are fully protected.

There are reports of long delays for appointments to obtain your TIE. I recommend you start now!

Did your padron lapse, Roberto? A lady from the Torrevieja salud warned us that the SIP card is aligned with the padron and if we didn't renew the padron every 5 years as residents then the SIP  card would be invalid.

Been mentioned elsewhere that, after next year, the padron will have to be renewed every 2 years (like non residents now) but not sure if that is expat rumour control working again.

"Did your padron lapse?" No

"padron will have to be renewed every 2 years (like non residents now)" Non-residents should NOT be registered on the padrón. 

There are plenty of municipalities that allow non residents to be on the padron and they have to update them every 2 years. They even get temporary SIP cards valid for 3 months so they don't have to use their EHIC every time.

Yes, I know the gov changed and said you have to be resident to be on the padron but there are loads of municipalities challenging this interpretation of the rules. There are 3 municipalities around me that allow you to be on the padron as a non resident, just as there are municipalities around that don't allow it.

I am well aware of what happens in practice in some municipalities, and it has nothing to do with who is currently in government. 

I'm not judging anybody (apart perhaps from the municipalities which encourage non-residents to register in order to fraudulently claim funds for non-existent residents), but anyone who genuinely is non-resident should at least be aware that the  padrón is a list of people permanently resident in the municipality (equivalent of the UK census) and as such may have implications with regards to their tax situation.

Plenty of sources explaining this. One for example here http://cervantesalarcon.com/en/2017/10/25/why-non-residents-shouldnt-be-on-the-padron/

Btw, residents have to renew their registration periodically. Our town hall writes to us to let us know when.

Hello Roberto

I have made this post before. When I first became resident 12 years ago I went to the local town hall to register on the Padron, no problem, but when the clerk printed the new Padron off there were 14 previous occupiers to the property on it, I insisted he removed them, he was not best pleased.

Nothing at all will affect expats from the UK .. provided they are completely legal..if you have been living in Spain working cash in hand jobs and using the EHIC illegally ...then your days are numbered after January 2021 .