A campaign group has been set up to help British people who used to spend several months living in Spain and the Canary Islands each year before Brexit, who have now seen their travel and residency rights changed since the UK left the EU.
Before Brexit, non-resident visitors and property owners from the UK could stay in Spain for up to 180 days a year how they pleased, but they have now found themselves facing a restrictive limit of just 90 days in a rolling 180-day period, and this rule applies to the entire 27-country Schengen zone, not just Spain.
The campaign group, called 180 Days in Spain, is led by Andrew Hesselden, who divides his time between London and his home in Mallorca. Andrew also travels frequently throughout the EU for work and pleasure and explains that while he was an EU citizen, he "made extensive use of freedom of movement".
Hesselden decided to set up the group to help people in similar situations to him. "After watching the results of the referendum unfold in 2016 and realising the impact a bad Brexit could have, I joined many British emigrant groups online and waited to see what Brexit would mean for people living for part or all of the year across Europe.”
“Many of the organisations set up to advocate for Brits abroad seemed to have a bit of a blind spot for people like seasonal workers or part-year residents who had made a home in two or more countries, so, I decided these people needed to have a voice.”
The online group currently has 5,600 members which include seasonal workers, second homeowners, retirees, freelancers, consultants, artists, business owners, students, remote workers, and the list goes on.
They are asking Spanish politicians to make changes that will let them regain the right to spend time in the country in more or less the same way as they could before Brexit. They are also asking for the same access for all British visitors to Spain as Spanish visitors to the UK enjoy.
"Spanish citizens can still visit the UK for up to six months at a time without any need for a visa. This means that Spanish people in the reverse situation are not affected by the loss of freedom of movement in the UK in quite the same way," Hesselden says.
"The tourism industry might begin to feel the impact of the 90/180 problem, because anyone who has a home elsewhere in Europe or travels a lot on business, may find they can't even visit Spain for a one-week holiday.”
Another negative effect is that youngsters (seasonal workers) can‘t come for the summer and work in bars or restaurants as they did previously because they need a visa which is causing staffing problems for businesses.
The Ministry of Tourism for Spain has indicated that it might "lobby for change in Brussels", adding that it is not in Spain's interest to have such strict rules. However, Hesseldon believes that there is a simpler way around the problem and argues that the two countries could sign a new bilateral agreement, or even grant a visa waiver specific to Spain.
180 Days in Spain is working closely with similar campaign groups in France, Germany, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus, all of which have similar aims. They have found that both Sweden and Portugal already "appear to have simple extension processes that British people can make use of", said Hesselden.
If you would like to find out more or join the group, find out more here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/180daysinspain
