Buying A Caravan In Benidorm After Brexit

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Some of the most discussed questions and theories revolve around Residency on a campsite in Benidorm and the necessary requirements to make the move full time. You’re probably wondering whether buying a caravan in Spain is still a viable option for you or not. Or, you may be unsure of what rules Spain has implemented – and whether you can still live on a campsite in Benidorm full time.

Our Benidorm Campsites still have some of the largest communities of retired British ex-pats in the whole of Spain. We feel that we’ve gone through the changes first hand and are now in a position to see the outline of things moving forward.

Moving to Benidorm and living on a campsite is still possible. But, there are some extra things to consider since Brexit when doing this.

How Long Can I Stay in Spain?

This is the big question and one that seems to be getting answered wrong the most. To live in Spain for a full 12 months of the year, you would be required to apply for Residencia / TIE card. Without Residencia / TIE card, you’re allowed to stay in Spain for a maximum period of 90 days every 180 days. To simplify this – you can stay in Spain for 2 x 3 month periods as long as they’re broken up with a 3 month period (where you’ve left the Schengen zone) in the middle. This gives you 6 months in total to stay in Spain in during the year. We’ve had clients on the Benidorm Campsites stay for these periods for a number of years before Brexit was even a thing.

Most people who live on the Benidorm campsites would return to the UK during the hot summer months. A typical stay for someone who lives on a Benidorm Campsite would be:

• Spain – January – May / October – January (8 months)
• UK – June – September (4 months)

With the rules that came into play after Brexit, this means that we’ll need to think more specifically about how we break up stay periods. 8 months will become 6 months and it will affect those the most that planned on living in Spain on a full time (12 month basis). For those that don’t have Spanish residency, (as an example) these are now the most common months to stay in Spain:

• Spain – October / November / December
• UK – January / February / March
• Spain – April / May / June
• UK – July / August / September

This calculation was made using the Schengen Visa Calculator on the official website. Visit the website to check out your own dates https://www.visa-calculator.com/

Is it Possible to live on a Campsite in Benidorm without Residency?

To live on a campsite in Benidorm full time (12 months of the year) would mean that you would need to apply for a Residencia / TIE card. Campsites in Benidorm still allow people to live there full time and this won’t change as most of the Benidorm Campsites are largely based around long term clients.

Does Benidorm still attract British Caravan Owners?

Benidorm campsites have always been the main-stay for Brits visiting Benidorm (especially in the winter months) and will continue to be so.

Benidorm campsites are good hospitality businesses that have always catered for all nationalities and they tend to do well at making sure those who stay with them (either long term or short term) are well looked after as paying guests.

The main change that we’ll see is a more regular changeover of clients on the campsites to fit in with duration of stays that are now allowed. Benidorm campsites have always had a mix of both holiday home owners and those that live full time and believe it or not, holiday home owners account for large percentage of caravan owners on each of the campsites (and they won’t be affected by the changes).

Will I get discounted site fees for only using the caravan for 6 months?

Benidorm Campsites are open all year round so it’s unlikely you’d receive a discount for the limited period of time that you can use it. They’ll see it as a personal issue rather than theirs and they don’t just have British people to accommodate. Benidorm attracts tourists from all over the world and the demand for Benidorms Campsites is not limited to the Brits. The caravan is sit on the plot all year round regardless of whether you can use it, but there is a workaround and some things to consider:

1. Annual site fees: Annual campsite site fees are discounted against daily prices. For stays over 90 days you will usually get a significant discount against the daily price (of more than 50% in most cases). The average annual site fee comes in at 4,800€ per year and this is usually for 2 people (with the exception of Camping Almafra which is for 6 if you own a mobile home). 4,800€ sounds a lot but if you’re in the market to purchase a holiday home or caravan to live in you will more than likely have investigated the cost of similar UK campsites which have significantly higher annual fees. Exchange rates also play a part in the annual site fee cost and 4,800€ at todays exchange rate is 4,100 GBP. Annual site fees include water, communal rates, taxes and in some cases – an allowance of electricity. Annual site fees can usually be paid in 2 x 6 month payments to help spread the cost.
2. Shared ownership :  We’ve seen an increase in shared ownership to offset the cost of purchasing the caravan and covering the cost of the site fees. This is a great option for those that want to ensure the caravan is being used for 12 months of the year.
3. Sub-letting: Sub-letting is a great way to cover the cost of site fees, make a little bit of money (or a lot depending on how business savvy you are!) and still allow you the freedom and flexibiltiy to use the caravan when you want to. Please note: this is currently only available at Camping Almafra in the Benidorm area.
4. Holiday Costs: Benidorm has always been known for its cheap winter getaways as we have a huge amount of hotels that would mostly be left unoccupied due to a lack of Spanish & other European visitors. This sees hotels reduce prices significantly and offer great deals that appeal to the Brits looking for some winter sunshine. This is not the case in the summertime as we see huge demand from Spanish and French tourists and the prices of hotel stays skyrockets. If you like your summer holidays in Benidorm then a caravan is a great alternative as the cost of annual site fees would likely not cost the same for a 2 week hotel stay for a family of four. Plus, you’re guaranteed the comfort of your own holiday place and Benidorm Campsites offer the same (if not more) by way of food, drink and entertainment.
5. Sunshine: What’s the cost of guaranteed sunshine? We know our answer but we’ll let you decide that one!

Will the rules change regarding Residency requirements?

We’ would’d like to think so but at the moment nothing has been confirmed. We’ve heard rumours of Spain introducing a visa system to allow longer periods of stay but we’ll have to wait to see if this is something that happens.