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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

If You Planned to Retire in an EU Country what Are You Plans Now?

202 replies

ZaraW · 14/12/2020 09:26

Not really AIBU but interested to see what others plans are. I'm 50 next year and always hoped to retire to Italy when I was around 60.

Obviously, that's not going to happen. If you planned to do the same what will you do now?

A) Relocate within the UK to countryside, coast etc.
B) Retire to a country outside of the EU. I thought about Thailand as I love it but the heat and humidity would be too much on a permanent basis.
C) Stay where you and travel to Europe for the permitted time.
D) Other

Covid has got me thinking about future plans and I just don't know what I want.

OP posts:
nosswith · 14/12/2020 13:35

I'd had plans not in any detail to retire to the south of France, but abandoned any notion after June 2016. Likely to stay put, just travel abroad more in the winter.

Original poster
ZaraW · 14/12/2020 13:45

@MadisonMontgomery

Can’t you just go back & forth? My dad splits his time between here & Spain & he has said he will still be fine to do that post Brexit.
No. I would let my house out to help with living expenses whilst living overseas. I couldn't afford to maintain two properties
OP posts:
ElspethFlashman · 14/12/2020 13:51

Apeilx he would be the spouse of an EU citizen and therefore he could apply for residency based on your marriage. I believe he'd have to apply for residency within 3 months of arrival.

Europilgrim · 14/12/2020 13:56

@madisonmontgomery He will have to be very careful not to overstay though or he could be banned!

Maireas · 14/12/2020 14:07

Why do you want to retire to outside the UK? Is it the climate?
I would be cautious because of health and care costs.

FastMovingLuxuryGoods · 14/12/2020 14:15

@ZaraW

If Scotland gets Independence and rejoins the EU my problems will be solved. You never know it may happen....
This is our plan.

DH is from the NE coast, which is a bit chilly for me Grin. We plan to buy a lovely big flat like www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/87137035#/this in the centre of Glasgow instead and spend our retirement enjoying the city, entertaining family and friends and doing lots of walking in the beautiful countryside around.

I was hoping to do all of that in Italy, though...

Angeldust747 · 14/12/2020 14:20

My parents are currently retired in Spain, spending a couple months a year in a static caravan back here. Now it looks like they will be spending half their time in the static caravan!

Megan2018 · 14/12/2020 14:21

We have a vague plan to spend part of the year in Spain in retirement, DH lived there for half his life adult life. We’ll see though, long way off for us yet, at least 25 years. We should have joint pension and private income of £50k ish but who knows!

EnPoinsettia · 14/12/2020 14:24

@FastMovingLuxuryGoods I used to live there

Original poster
ZaraW · 14/12/2020 14:32

@Maireas

Why do you want to retire to outside the UK? Is it the climate? I would be cautious because of health and care costs.
Yes, mainly the climate. I have spent a lot of time working overseas in warm climates. I also love the Italian lifestyle.
OP posts:
Maireas · 14/12/2020 14:35

Parts of Italy are lovely, and there's so much culture to enjoy. Have you looked at Eastern Europe? It's a lot cheaper.

Original poster
ZaraW · 14/12/2020 16:11

Eastern Europe winters are too cold for me unfortunately.

OP posts:
Maireas · 14/12/2020 16:33

I was thinking of Croatia or Greece? Maybe more south than east!

Europilgrim · 14/12/2020 16:39

Most of Italy has pretty cold winters too though.

Original poster
ZaraW · 14/12/2020 16:44

@Europilgrim

Most of Italy has pretty cold winters too though.
I've been to Rome in winter I didn't mind it. The winters in The Baltics, Prague and Budapest were pretty brutal (for me).
OP posts:
Original poster
ZaraW · 14/12/2020 16:45

@Maireas

I was thinking of Croatia or Greece? Maybe more south than east!
Croatia is beautiful. Might be worth thinking about. Thanks.
OP posts:
WankPuffins · 14/12/2020 16:47

Luckily Dh also has an Italian passport (his mother is Italian), so we can go and live in his family home in Italy as planned one day.

Valkadin · 14/12/2020 16:50

I never planned to retire to a different country but we planned/plan to spend the depths of winter in warmer climes. To me that seems the best of both worlds.

lightyearsahead · 14/12/2020 16:54

I have dual citizenship so the plan is to certainly spend some time retired in a warmer country but probably keep a base here.

wimhoffbreather · 14/12/2020 16:54

I know you’ve said you wouldn’t want to go to Thailand because it’s too warm/humid, but you shouldn’t presume it’s easy for foreigners to retire there. There are quite specific laws and requirements for retiring in most countries Hmm

Squirrelblanket · 14/12/2020 16:56

We are hoping to retire to Cyprus in 14 years. Still hoping, it's far enough away that we will just wait and see. 🤷‍♀️

HiveHoofHole · 14/12/2020 17:00

IF you planned to retire in an EU country.

Should that not be rephrased to "I know we all planned to retire in an EU country, but......."

NoddyWithAVoddy · 14/12/2020 17:05

I'm not British, but my husband is. We came to live in the UK a few months before the Brexit vote, with the plan that we would return to my home country when we retired ( EU country )
At the moment we are having a debate because I want to go home now, but obviously there's work etc to consider, so I'm trapped at the moment and feeling more despondent.
The outlook is to stick to our original plan and return home when we retire, which is around 5 years away ☹️

Kazzyhoward · 14/12/2020 17:14

We're planning on moving to Northern Cyprus which is outside the EU.

Blue565 · 14/12/2020 17:14

We planned to retire to Italy, but that's another thing stolen from my family.

We are a point in our life where moving abroad right now is just impossible for many reasons. Otherwise we'd be out of here and never look back.

I'm still bitter