Gecko Towers
Update 09.04.24: An announcement has been made by the leader of the Socialist Government in Spain, that his government plans to amend or repeal the “Golden Visa” legislation. Currently no timetable for these changes has been suggested and there is opposition to any revision. That said, this discourse, that started in May 2023, may result in some material changes. We will endeavour to keep you up to date with these as we are made aware of them and their precise impact.
The English language has a curious tendency to use descriptive nouns to dress a person in familiar clothes but then refers to them by a completely different name. One such expression is an “ExPatriate” or the more familiar “Expat”.
The language seeks to distinguish the Expat from, perhaps, the more mundane “Migrant” or, arguably, the least glamorous, “Immigrant”, but is primarily nuanced on the basis that their stay in the host nation is, for one reason or another, regarded as less permanent.
Like the primary root of Spanish, the Latin-based origin of the word is reasonably straightforward. “Ex” means “out of” and “Patria” means “native country or fatherland.”
The simplistic interpretation is: “A person who lives outside their native country.” Curiously, by 1818 the expression, derived from the French “expatrier”, had come to mean someone who had been banished or exiled from their native land. However, by 1902, the word arrived at its more modern meaning as being someone who “chooses to live abroad”.
Whereas the notion of Expats can be traced far back into history, featuring diplomats, missionaries and merchants, its use has grown over the years and has been further refined over the last century or so.
Ernest Hemingway in his Paris-based memoire, “A Moveable Feast”, featured a post WW1 “Lost Generation” of, particularly, American Expats in the French capital. Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound et al. Displaced by social politics, perhaps, but the majority had chosen to leave their homeland, voluntarily and for good.
My own family history in formerly colonial Africa is peppered with the residue of a former era. Pre-Independence Tanzania was still the land of members of Hemingway clan, Colonial Officers, Memsahibs and my parents. Though by the time they left, not voluntarily but due to illness, my father, a good Swahili-speaker, had lived for more than a decade in East Africa but he still undoubtedly an Expat.
Certainly the evolved use of the word in contemporary times defines the retired – or the partially retired – particularly those from the UK or US, who have chosen to live their lives in a country such as Spain, Italy, France or Portugal. It now tends to describe someone who positively chooses to relocate, in tandem with an economic ability to realize their choice of a preferred location and usually fueled by an appreciation of the lifestyle offered in their chosen country.
More recently the Migrant Expat, regardless of origin, has become a powerful and well established lobby in the Expat world. Drawn by substantial economic opportunities, that could be found in, say, the Middle and Far East.
Since the mid-1970s the members of the UAE with their oil/gas rush and associated building boom ushered in a new breed of Expat who developed an enviable overseas lifestyle that aside from the arduous work in alien climates often featured sports clubs, specialist food shops and bars satiating any recurring pangs of homesickness with Gin and Tonic and Marmite.
With their children educated in the UK, as their own retirement or end of contract time approaches, their thoughts turn to where they would like to settle for their latter years. Having lived the Expat life in the burning sun and amazing air conditioning of the UAE for several decades the idea of returning to the UK chills them to their marrow. For many, the golden shores of the Mediterranean present a wonderful solution to this dilemma. The towns and villages of the Costa del Sol are the perfect alternative. Close enough to the UK but still unmistakably overseas with abundant opportunities for different experiences. They often are aware that the UK they left is not as it was and they’d prefer to retain their memories of that period prior to their departure.
While we acknowledge that the reliability of the weather is only part of a lifestyle choice if you are drawn to the golf greens, the tennis courts, the polo lawns or the ‘doma clasica” dressage arena then your opportunity to substantially replicate your UAE lifestyle in the slightly cooler climate of Marbella may be hugely appealing.
Of equal importance these days to the qualities of lifestyle, that may in itself determine a preferred location, are Residence and Tax. Many of you may have read about the Spanish Golden Visa rules. These allow a qualifying recipient to obtain a Schengen Visa in parallel, I am told, subject to the Tax Residency maximum days, with there being no necessarily to declare their world-wide income to the Spanish Tax authorities. This in itself, for the long-standing Expat, can be a very serious draw to Spain.
Please see our blog about this very attractive Golden Visa package by clicking here. Spain’s Golden Visa and
There is some cycle that seems to suggest that the offspring of an Expat seems to select an Expat lifestyle. I know plenty of examples of Army or Oil Brats, myself included, for whom the wanderlust of parts foreign are and will continue to be a massive draw. Godmother’s son herself an Expat in Africa, has been in Singapore very successfully for many years.
Whether our children will choose to settle in the UK or continue our family’s journey around the world is their call, but they already seem to be developing their professional lives, maybe even subconsciously, such that their skills are largely transferable to wherever they want to live. Perhaps that’s the perfect Expat Parachute!
There appears to a new sub-species of Expat that have been described as “Pandemic Nomads”. They seem to have particularly embrace the new counter couture of the last thirty years by pursuing their career from the comparative comfort of their “Home Office”. With the expression “WFH” (Working From Home) appearing in recruitment adverts aimed at those who simply don’t need to travel to an office to progress their career.
Now given, the potentially attractive price comparison between a smaller inner city apartment and a property in Spain with great amenities, which may be located in a coastal environment or more inland in a preferred location, many seem to be seizing the opportunity for a once in a lifetimes opportunity to make a real difference to their quality of life.
Please see below a couple of piece which also addresses your new Home Office. Home Office Your Lifestyle and Your Marbella Home and Post “the Great Unlocking”
As travel restrictions start to lift and those from the traditional markets of Northern Europe start to again show their passion for the Marbella Region, I do hope to welcome you here in the next few months.
Should you be interested in discussing the legal process involved in buying a property in the Marbella region, we would be delighted to assist you. Our team of bi-lingual, highly experienced and wholly independent team of Abogados are ready to help you.
Please call me, Mark FR Wilkins, during usual business hours on +34 600 343 917 or, if you prefer, please e-mail me at mark@roslegal.es
Please note that our posts are for general interest. They are no substitute for proper legal advice tailored to your specific circumstances as provided by a qualified Abogado who is experienced in the application of the Spanish Law.
Nothing contained in this article should be seen or taken as the writer or the publisher providing legal or financial advice.
© Mark FR Wilkins 2021 All rights reserved.