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

[ZaraW]

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.

[quote ZaraW]I've been looking at Ireland. This house in Donegal looks amazing....

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/80952539?currencyCode=GBP#/[/quote]
Wow, that view. Amazing price as well.

Moving to Ireland for five years has crossed my mind as well. I love Ireland. Right after the referendum I said to my husband that we should move to France or Ireland, I really, really wish I'd pushed harder for this, our window for moving has passed now though and won't open again for another seven years. We could have been four years settled by now.

I actually have an American friend who was able to get Spanish nationality because he traced his Sephardic Jewish ancestry back to the 15th century.

There are all sorts of random pathways to citizenship when you start really digging around!

There are all sorts of random pathways to citizenship when you start really digging around!

Kind of pisses on the chips of petty nationalists though ...

I probably have some Sephardic Jewish ancestry. I don’t think I have a strong enough connection to Spain, but if I could trace an ancestor back to Portugal, that might just work. The Jewish branch of my family has been traced back to early 19th century Morocco. I need to find a way to dig back further.

Oh yes, I'd really encourage you to do so @Cattenberg. It did take my friend a long time but there are a lot of resources out there apparently.

I will! If your friend knows of any useful resources, please let me know.

Will do :) Good luck!

I have a real mixture of nationalities in my family. My parents and both sets of grandparents were all born in different European/North African/Middle Eastern/West Indian countries.

Never done my ancestry as records for some branches of my family tree are most likely destroyed.

How lovely to have the money to consider buying property abroad.

@DesdemonaDryEyes

How lovely to have the money to consider buying property abroad.

Eh? Many people want to buy abroad because it’s cheaper than in the U.K. They can’t afford to retire here. They aren’t planning to have two properties, here and abroad.

[quote ZaraW]I've been looking at Ireland. This house in Donegal looks amazing....

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/80952539?currencyCode=GBP#/[/quote]
Right on the Atlantic. Great if you can cope with rain, howling storms through the winter and of course sea spray laden with salt. Brilliant when weather is good but it wont always look like the pictures on Rightmove.

So all the talk of how many months you can spend somewhere???

@DesdemonaDryEyes

So all the talk of how many months you can spend somewhere???

Yes, that’s the problem now because of Brexit - you can’t stay abroad. You would have to have two properties, here and abroad, in most cases. So again, it’s fine for the rich, not for the less well off.

So all the talk of how many months you can spend somewhere???

Some people have two houses, some don't. I know people who stay with family in the UK but have bought in the EU because they couldn't afford to buy in the UK and wanted to move their permanently in a few years' time. It's not as simple as "that's for rich people":

I'm another one who's holding out for Scottish independence and eventual re entry into the EU.

Playing the long game. 🤣

Fuck all choice in the matter like.

DesdemonaDryEyes

You don’t have to have a huge amount to be able to afford a property in the EU or the US

I don’t think the participants of Bargain Loving Brits are exactly millionaires

Absolutely. There are plenty of nice wee apartments around the forty to fifty thousand euros mark in Spain and the cost of living is a bit cheaper too. Ofc it was even cheaper previously when we got 1.30 Euros to the £ but well, Brexit means Brexit. Apparently.

I’ve got links to Africa which will likely see economic revolution....

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.economist.com/special-report/2020/03/26/africa-is-changing-so-rapidly-it-is-becoming-hard-to-ignore

One of my dream properties (price equivalent is 400k) but there are similar cheaper options in other parts of Africa.

www.property24.com/for-sale/de-waterkant/cape-town/western-cape/9141/109170759?utm_source=whatsapp

Disclaimer: Africa is a big place with 54 + 2 countries.

I also have a long time before I retire

It's unlikely that Scotland will gain independence and then entry back into the EU any time soon.

The Scottish Independence referendum was meant to be a once in a life time occurrence. Nicola Sturgeon can't keep having referendums until she gets the result she wants.

I've got twenty years. That's a generation.

It's not as simple as "that's for rich people":

I think it is after 1st Jan. After all, how many of us just on this thread, won't be able to afford to retire to Europe now but could as EU citizens.

It's our young people I feel for most though, especially the poor. It's not so bad if you're from a posh family and can navigate the paperwork to get short term youth or student visas. If you're a poor kid from a sink estate and failing schools without any fancy qualifications (that was me) you won't be able to just rock up somewhere in Europe and get a summer (or more) job. These life enhancing experiences are gone from our poorest young people.

I didn’t think you could just rock up and get a job anyway. There was still paperwork to be filled in

Well I did, did the (minimal) paperwork after I got there.