British expats urged to register as residents of Spain

A growing number of British expats living in Spain are not registering themselves as resident on the Costa del Sol, new figures show.

The figures estimate that there are at least 16,000 people living in the Malaga province who are not officially registered on their town’s pardon.

And it is towns particularly popular with expats – particularly those from the UK – that the number of officially registered residents has been declining most over the past decade. This is despite the fact most of these towns have experienced population increases during this period.

It is believed by Municipalities in Spain that the uncertainty surrounding Brexit is putting a number of British expats off the idea of registering – or in some cases even unsubscribing – to the pardon.

New campaigns have been set up throughout the province to make expats aware of signing up to the pardon. Some of these campaigns have specifically targeted British expats and formed to deal primarily with Brexit concerns.

The pardon is the reference from which Spain’s official population total is derived. Towns and cities are desperate for all residents to officially register as resident has the population of a location has a direct impact on how much financial help it receives from the national government. The larger the population, the greater the financial assistance.

However, many areas, particularly those popular with tourists and expats, have a far higher population to that which is officially recorded.

Article published 31st January 2018