Wealth relocation — get the money side right before you move.
Becoming a Spanish tax resident changes how your savings and investments are taxed — and some of the smartest moves are only available before you arrive. We introduce you to regulated Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) who plan the cross-border move properly, and keep it in step with your legal set-up.
The view from the terrace is the same whether or not you planned the tax. The bank balance, over the years, is not.
What to think about before you move
None of the below is advice for your situation — it’s the map of questions a regulated adviser will work through with you. The point is simply to raise them early, while you still have options.
Tax residency changes the rules
Once you spend more than 183 days a year in Spain you generally become a Spanish tax resident, taxed on worldwide income and gains. Investments that were efficient at home may be treated very differently here — worth reviewing with a regulated adviser before you move, not after.
Some UK shelters don’t travel
Certain UK products — ISAs are the classic example — lose their tax-free status once you’re resident in Spain, which typically doesn’t recognise them. The wrapper that saved you tax at home may simply stop working. It’s the kind of thing best checked in advance.
Spanish-compliant wrappers exist
Spain recognises certain investment bonds and compliant wrappers that can, depending on your circumstances, be more efficient for a resident than holding the same assets in a foreign account. Whether one suits you is a personalised question for a regulated adviser — not a one-size answer.
Timing of disposals can matter
Selling an asset or crystallising a gain while still tax-resident abroad, versus after you become Spanish-resident, can lead to very different treatment. Where there’s flexibility on timing, it’s usually worth planning it deliberately rather than by accident.
How each of these applies depends entirely on your own circumstances — see our Tax Residency guidance, and the Beckham Law regime if you’ll be working here.
Delivered by regulated advisers (IFAs) — not by us.
Investment and financial planning is regulated advice, and it has to be tailored to you. Globalium is a law firm: we handle your visa, residency and Spanish legal set-up, and we introduce you to regulated Independent Financial Advisers who are authorised to give this advice. Globalium does not give investment advice itself, and nothing on this page is a recommendation.
The questions we get first
Does Globalium give investment advice?
No. Globalium is a law firm — we handle your visa, residency and Spanish legal set-up. Investment and financial planning is regulated, personalised advice, so we don’t give it. What we do is introduce you to regulated Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) who specialise in cross-border moves to Spain, and coordinate with them so your legal and financial timelines line up.
Why plan my finances before moving, not after?
Because some of the most useful options only exist while you’re still tax-resident where you are now. Reviewing UK shelters, the timing of any disposals, and whether a Spanish-compliant structure suits you is generally easier before residency starts. A regulated adviser can look at your specific position and tell you what, if anything, is worth doing — and when.
Will my UK ISAs still be tax-free in Spain?
Generally not. Spain does not recognise the ISA wrapper, so income and gains inside it can become taxable once you’re a Spanish tax resident. That doesn’t mean you must do anything drastic — it means it’s worth having a regulated adviser review your holdings and explain the options before you move. Everyone’s position is different, which is exactly why this is personalised advice rather than a rule of thumb.
How does the introduction work?
On your first call we get a sense of your situation and your move. If financial planning is relevant, we introduce you to a regulated IFA partner who is authorised to advise and who knows the UK–Spain landscape. They give the investment advice; we handle the legal side and keep the two in step. There’s no obligation, and Globalium does not receive or give investment advice itself.
Reviewed by a lawyer
Reviewed by Alberto García López
Immigration lawyer · ICA Málaga, reg. no. 11.441
We check every page against current Spanish law. This is general information, not advice on your individual case.
Globalium is an independent law firm, not a government agency, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any public administration. Visas, permits and identification numbers are granted solely by the Spanish authorities, and you are free to apply to them directly yourself. Our fees pay for legal advice and representation, and are separate from any official fee or tax.
Tell us the move. We’ll bring the right people.
A first, no-obligation chat about your move to the Costa del Sol — and, if it’s relevant, an introduction to a regulated IFA who can look at the financial side properly. In plain English, on your timeline.
+34 667 77 02 19 · infoglobalextranjeria@gmail.com
P.S. — the best time to look at the money side was before the move. The second-best time is before you finish reading this page.