Living in Southern Spain and working in Gibraltar

Last activity 24 January 2023 by Cheryl

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mattiplerMember07 August 2015 11:36:21

Hello!

I’m a 34 year old man from the UK and I’m considering a move to Southern Spain whilst possibly working out of Gibraltar. My occupation is that of a IT Systems Engineer, with 15 years’ experience within the industry. The IT job sector seems to be one for which there is steady demand within Gibraltar. I’m getting married early next year and my fiancé and I are very interested in the possibility of starting a new life in the sun following our wedding. Gibraltar is a fantastic draw due to the wonderful year round weather and also the relative proximity to the UK - no 24 hour journey home as with Australia for instance. We do have however a lot of questions that I’m hoping that some expats currently living / working in Southern Spain / Gibraltar might be in a position to help us with (if you’d be so kind).

1. Education – my partner and I currently have no children although we plan to start a family in the next few years. Do expats living in Spain and working out of Gibraltar send their children to Spanish schools or send them to English, Gibraltar based primary / secondary schools? Are these schools public or private?
2. GP’s / Hospitals – does Gibraltar contain NHS GP’s / Hospitals that are for use by expats? If this is the case, if for instance in an emergency an expat is taken to a Spanish hospital for treatment, I’m guessing a bill lands on the doorstep afterwards?
3. Commute – what is the experience like for those that live in Spain and work in Gibraltar? Crossing the border for instance – are the Spanish trying to make this as tedious as possible?
4. Where to live – where in Southern Spain would be a good place to live? We’re both getting a little old to be too concerned about night-life. I believe our budget would be in the region of £200,000 to purchase and £1000 p/m to rent. Close the coast and not too much of a commute into Gibraltar would be preferable - an area where UK expats tend to settle would be nice.
5. Spanish – what are the Spanish generally like with expats?
6. Taxation – I can only imagine that the taxation of expats working in Gibraltar and living in Spain is very complicated?
7. Experiences – Any experiences of expats that have made the move over and currently live in Spain and work out of Gibraltar would be greatly welcome and fascinating to read. Was is it easy? Was it hard? Any regrets? What do you miss? What don’t you miss?

Is there anything else that anyone believes should be taken into consideration? Thank you greatly to anyone that has taken the time to read this post.

Kind regards.

GrumpyOldBlokeSerial expat07 August 2015 12:45:03

344

Hi

1) Education is free in state schools in both countries if you are resident there.

2) Both countries have their equivalent of the NHS again if you are resident, However if you are resident in Spain and work in Gibraltar you are entitled to some healthcare in Gibraltar but your family is not.

3) Yes

4) http://propertygibraltar.com/

5) Like everywhere they react to the way you treat them.

6) I don't believe in TAX

7) I've been here 40 years

Grumpy

mattiplerMember07 August 2015 14:20:31

Thank you grumpy!

So in order for children to attend a School in Gibraltar you have to actually be resident in Gibraltar. Bummer - property is really expensive in Gibraltar. Does anyone here live in Southern Spain and send their children to a Spanish school?

Roughly how long does it take to cross the boarder each day? Does anyone here have to do this on a daily basis?

Anyone work in Gibraltar and live in Southern Spain who has any experience with how complicated the tax system is?

Any experiences from people working and S Spain and living in Gibraltar?

Thank you to anyone that responds.

Kind regards.

mattiplerMember10 August 2015 07:21:04

No one?

gib1dayNew member10 August 2015 08:45:43

Hi Mattipler,
I read these forums everyday. Grumpy is the chap who is very knowledgeable of Gibraltar.
I too work in the IT industry, Programmer/Administrator & the missus is an accountant. We are getting married in Cuba in April then wanting to make the push to Gibraltar.

We have had trial sessions of living in Gibraltar albeit only for 2 weeks here or 1 week there and have met so many lovely people.

Even though it is expensive to rent in Gibraltar our plan is to stay there from the beginning. We work full time but have a small business that can be run from abroad to help support an income while there.

Regarding a job, I have read several times about going knocking on doors with CVs, & building a contact list of who to talk to. I thought I would submit my CVs to online agencies etc just before moving.

I know its unthinkable but if I was to fail we could always move back to the uk, get another job, save up & try again

Roll on National Day 2015

mattiplerMember10 August 2015 15:40:04

Cheers Gib1day! April / early summer is around the time that we too would be potentially looking to take the plunge! My plan too was to register my CV with agencies when we are in a position to start the ball rolling.

I thought about living in Gibraltar but 200k gets you an apartment whereas 10 minutes over the border it gets you a 5 bedroom town house with communal tennis courts and pools...

Would be interested to understand what crossing the border on a daily basis is like. I wonder if people just park their car on the Spanish side and then walk across... whether that is any easier....

GrumpyOldBlokeSerial expat10 August 2015 16:23:38

344

mattipler wrote:
Cheers Gib1day! April / early summer is around the time that we too would be potentially looking to take the plunge! My plan too was to register my CV with agencies when we are in a position to start the ball rolling.

I thought about living in Gibraltar but 200k gets you an apartment whereas 10 minutes over the border it gets you a 5 bedroom town house with communal tennis courts and pools...

Would be interested to understand what crossing the border on a daily basis is like. I wonder if people just park their car on the Spanish side and then walk across... whether that is any easier....

mattipier I don't know how much you follow the news with relation to Gibraltar, but over the weekend there has been a fair amount that displays Spains attitude to Gib.

With reference to crossing the frontier it is so unpredictable that it is hard to answer questions in relation to the time it takes. If I answered anything from 1 minute to 1 day would that be useful? However recently the queues have been fairly minor with the exception of a couple of days.

Parking their car on the Spanish side is what many people do and walk in, but again there is a time element.

I would suggest you rent in Gibraltar for 6 months and check out the situation before making any permanent plans, 10 minutes from the frontier to a 5 bed / pool etc property is very optomistic..

gib1dayNew member11 August 2015 08:04:21

mattipier, I think Grumpy is right to say that you cannot judge the crossing at the border.
I've had many short breaks on both sides of the border now, staying in la linea and various places around Gibraltar. Both sides have its benefits but if youre looking for the lease troublesome journey to work then in my opinion it would be Gibraltar for me.

My Partner & I have had many a one or two week holiday in Gib. We just walked and tried to meet as many people as we could. Sure we worked the Tourist traps also, but then we just relaxed and socialised, cooked meals etc the usual stuff you do at home. We have friends now that live in Gib which we keep in touch with everyday. It just brings us that little bit closer.

mattiplerMember11 August 2015 13:56:46

Thank you guys. I think you're correct. Renting in Gib and then getting to know the area and the surrounding area's would clearly be the wise-play. Yeah - it does seem the Spanish are getting more and more heated about our presence and trying to push the boundaries.

I'm drawn to South Spain over Gib solely due to the difference in "bang-for-your-buck" in terms of property.

gib1dayNew member12 August 2015 13:14:39

#10

Good Luck Mattipler,
Let us know how you get on.

HowardiknowMember09 November 2015 19:33:12

#11

Hey guys.. im also really interested in moving. Having looked around certain places my wife and I just feel gib is the favourable destination.
I have the same look as above with regards to living in south spain and working in gib and school in gib etc. But Im not sure if something like a visa would have to be obtained as we would be living in spain as apposed to living in gib. Not sure on this.
Also we would also prefer our children to go to school in gib.
Suppose the only option really is to rent in gib for a while and see where it takes us. But def more bang for buck in south of spain.
Suppose its research and more research lol.
Love to hear how people get on with their future plans.
If I find any info that may be of any help i will forward it onto here.
Good luck to all

GrumpyOldBlokeSerial expat09 November 2015 20:10:53

#12

344

Hi Howardiknow

There are no visa requirements assuming you are European as both countries are in the EU.

However if you live in Spain and want schooling in Gib then it will have to be paid for

Regards

Grumpy.

HowardiknowMember10 November 2015 11:57:54

#13

Cheers Grumpy.

I did think that since we are all part of the EU no visa would be needed etc but wasn't 100% sure.

Iván Martín MarcoMember23 January 2023 20:28:43

#14

hey Grumpy... here's a Spanish with the desire to move back to Spain, once qualified, and work in the NHS there in Gibraltar. I would like to know about taxes... obviously my plan is to live in Spain, and work in Gibraltar...but I am quite lost about taxes in Gibraltar...some help? cheers mate

CherylModerator24 January 2023 04:40:49

#15

12306

Hello Iván Martín Marco,

Welcome to Expat.com

Since you are looking for information on tax, I would advise you to start your own thread on the Gibraltar forum in order to ask your questions as this thread is quite old.

You will have a better chance of finding information if you follow my advice.

Cheers,

Cheryl

Expat.com team

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