Brexit is causing expats to sell their property and abandon their dreams of living in sunny Spain, according to travel experts.
There has been a dramatic slide in the number of Brits living in the country due to more stringent immigration rules which have been brought in as result of Britain leaving the EU.
One estate agent, who works in the popular town of Fuengirola in the Costa Del Sol, says many retired Brits who live there are beginning to sell their homes.
Robert Barnhardt said a lot of people used to spend up to six months in Spain to enjoy the warm weather before Brexit, but due to the new rules this is no longer possible.
UK citizens can now only visit Spain without a visa for up to three months for tourism and businesses purposes before having to leave, according to the Daily Express.
However, from 2022 British nationals will need a visa waiver to enter Spain, according to rules outlined on the Spanish government website.
The new rules will mean that Brits can still visit the country without a visa but will need to hold a valid ETIAS visa waiver before arriving.
Mr Barnhardt told the Express: “A lot of retired British people are starting to sell up. They used to come down here in September or October and then stay until April/May for the six months of better weather.
“But now they can only come for 90 days and also a lot of them used to drive down. The Spanish are now getting pretty strict on foreign plated cars and mainly British cars.”
According to RAC advice for driving in Spain, from September 28 vehicles registered in the UK must display the letters “UK” when driven in Spain.
The sticker must be visible no matter what is on your number plate.
Mr Barnhardt said healthcare costs after Brexit are also influencing people’s decision to leave Spain, as he said: “A lot of elderly people are choosing to go. Sometimes because of healthcare, or their health coverage.”
As of 2020 there were more than 360,000 UK residents living in Spain, The Local reports.
Alicante, Malaga and the Balearic Islands hold the highest number of British residents in the country.
Earlier this year, The Mirror spoke to two Brits, and an EU citizen married to one, who say Brexit has left their retirement plans in tatters.
The fuming 72-year-old pensioner, who asked to be anonymous, said despite living in Spain with his Russian partner and their children for two decades they face being separated under the country’s new rules.
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He told The Mirror: “We have really been screwed over. I have worked here for years and so has my partner who is still working.
“She enjoys all the liberties of the United Kingdom legally and we own a home in Spain where she also enjoys all the liberties as she has an EU passport.
“We spend four to six months a year in our home in Spain but now I have been discriminated against and must leave after 90 days and leave her there for as long as she so wishes.”
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A hard-working Brit who owns a villa in Alicante said she and her husband had hoped to spend half of every year in the property during their looming retirement.
But Marilyn Smyth, from Epping Forest, says their dreams have been all but ruined by Brexit.
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