‘An absolute nightmare’ – Britons with homes in Spain reflect on five years since Brexit
Britons with property in Spain want an end to the ‘misery’ of the 90-in-180-days rule
MADRID – Before Brexit came into force, Mike Watson used to enjoy free rein to travel between his homes in Britain, France and Spain.
Five years ago, on 31 January 2020, it all changed overnight. Britain’s exit from the European Union meant UK nationals could now spend only 90 days out of 180 in the Schengen area, which includes 29 countries.
Since then, like thousands of other UK citizens who divide their time between Britain and Europe, the retired banker has found his movements severely limited by Brexit.
“I am fortunate enough to have two houses in Europe. In 1997, we bought a house in south-west France, near Cahors, which was really our home. The local mayor officiated at my daughter’s wedding, and we are a part of the community. In 2014, we bought an apartment in Marbella [in southern Spain],” Mr Watson said.
“When we bought those places, we were living happily and going to these places. Now it is an absolute nightmare. We feel ignored and let down by an incompetent British Tory government. I always voted Tory but would never vote for them again.”
Mr Watson, who is in his sixties and lives in Hertfordshire, said he did not apply for residency in Spain or France because he did want to move to either country permanently as he would miss his family in Britain.
He can get a six-month visa to live in France but he says it is expensive and fraught with bureaucracy.
To get around this rule, some people have tracked down ancestors from Ireland or other EU countries and applied for passports from those countries.
“Just like Brexit, it was not properly thought out and needs revision,” Mr Watson said.
Andrew Hesselden is director of the 180 Days in Spain campaign, which aims to reverse the rule that limits Britons’ movement around the EU. He lives between London and Mallorca, in the Balearics, where he owns property.

“The 90-in-180-day problem affects highly mobile Brits with lives and families in European countries in a way that doesn’t impact Brits solely based in the UK. The latter can probably still travel wherever they want but a Brit with a partial life in Europe is left counting the days meticulously on a spreadsheet,” he told The i Paper.
“Most people are astonished to learn that EU citizens can still visit the UK for six months per visit, even after Brexit. But I am hopeful this travel misery could soon come to an end for people. It is encouraging to see tentative moves between the UK and EU politicians to address these problems.”
There are similar campaigns in France and other European countries to end the 180-day rule.
In 2022, Spain’s then tourism minister said Madrid wanted to convince Brussels to overturn the 90-day rule in an exclusive interview with The i Paper, but nothing has changed since then.
Mr Hasselden said other non-EU nationalities were not affected in the same way because historic bilateral agreements had created exceptions for them. Spain has agreements with 18 non-EU countries, including the United States, New Zealand, Canada and Japan that offer a separate 90-day visa waiver over and above any 90-in-180 days on the Schengen visa waiver. France and Germany also have some bilateral agreements.
Patricia Mathieson, a retired music public relations worker from Cambridgeshire who has a home in Spain, also said she had been inconvenienced by the 90-day rule.
She spends half of every year at her home in Mallorca and the rest in the UK.
Ms Mathieson, who is in her sixties, has one brother who also lives on the Spanish island and another who lives in Geneva, Switzerland.
When she is not in Spain, she rents out her home in Mallorca, providing work for local people managing the building and paying tax on the rental business.
“I think the biggest issue is if I have used up my 90 days and I had a break-in or a flood at the flat [in Mallorca] or something happened to one of my siblings, I would not be able to go back,” Ms Mathieson said.
“The fact that there are no extenuating circumstances for people who own property out there and are treated like tourists. I rent out my flat, I employ local people and when I go out there, I am using the local restaurants. I pay a year’s worth of tax [on the property] but can only be there for half a year.”