Ten years after Brexit referendum shock, life in Spain goes on for Britons

On 23 June 2016 Spain was in the throes of preparations for la Noche de San Juan. Spaniards and the thousands of foreign residents on the Costa del Sol, inland Malaga and beyond were in a party mood. It was the start of summer; it was a Thursday, maybe the beginning of a long weekend for some.

However, that year there was an additional aspect to the evening, especially for the approximately 300,000 British residents in Spain: the UK referendum on leaving the European Union.

Many were unable to vote as the 15-year rule still applied, meaning that any Briton who had lived abroad for more than that period of time was ineligible (the rule was scrapped by the Conservative party in 2024). Some hadn’t registered in time, others didn’t really see it was necessary (nobody actually believed that the UK would leave the EU anyway), but a good number of people had cast their vote, by post or in person.

The San Juan celebrations got under way and the fireworks and ‘moragas’ (bonfires on the beach) were soon in full swing. However, the next morning, for the Brits abroad, the headache wasn’t just caused by the celebrations of the previous night; millions of Britons woke up to a result few had expected.

On 23 June 2016, the United Kingdom voted by 51.9 per cent to leave the European Union, setting in motion one of the most turbulent political and social periods in modern British history.

Across Andalucía and particularly along the Costa del Sol, where one of the largest British communities in Europe has long been established, the referendum result triggered years of uncertainty over residency rights, healthcare access, pensions and freedom of movement. Today, a decade after the vote, the reality of Brexit continues to shape daily life for thousands of Britons living in Spain and indeed Europeans living in the UK.

The following Saturday, SUR in English published a Referendum Special as part of Diario SUR , its sister paper. (SUR in English goes to print on a Thursday evening, so the result was not known until the distribution vans were already circling the province with the printed papers the next morning).

Correspondents were dispatched to the towns with the biggest British communities along the Costa, from Nerja to Torremolinos, Mijas and Marbella, to get reactions from residents and holidaymakers.

There were mixed views, from some sheepishly admitting that they had voted leave to others who were still in a state of shock and very concerned about what it meant for them personally and for the UK.

In the months and years that followed, British associations, lawyers and local town halls were inundated with questions. Residents sought reassurance about paperwork, residency permits and healthcare arrangements while negotiations between London and Brussels dragged on.

Organisations such as Brexpats were founded, with the late Anne Hernández as chair, and Bremain in Spain, an anti-Brexit lobby and support organisation emerged, with Sue Wilson at the helm. Both organisations are still active today, lobbying the Spanish and UK governments and offering support and advice to the thousands of Britons who have been directly impacted by Brexit.

Although the withdrawal agreement eventually protected many existing rights for legally resident Britons, the transition has been confusing and bureaucratic and the practical effects of Brexit are now woven into everyday life.

The days of simply packing up and moving to the Costa del Sol are gone. Non-resident Britons are now limited to 90 days within a 180-day period in the Schengen zone unless they obtain visas or residency permits. Property owners who once spent long stretches at their Spanish homes have had to adapt their routines accordingly and most permanent residents now have to obtain TIE cards, leaving the green permits for EU residents.

While the easier-to-use foreign identity card (TIE) has been perhaps the one advantage of Brexit for Britons in Spain, the change symbolised a profound shift: Britons were no longer EU citizens exercising treaty rights but third-country nationals with protected status.

Yet despite the political upheaval, the British presence in Malaga province remains strong. English continues to dominate in many coastal areas. Many British businesses continue to thrive and flights between the UK and Malaga remain among the busiest international routes into Spain.

Estate agents say British buyers never disappeared entirely, although Brexit introduced additional tax, legal and residency considerations that altered the market and the official statistics show there has actually been an increase in the number of Britons registered in Spain.

In 2015, on a national level there were 283, 243, while in Andalucía alone there were 87,895. By 2026 the national figure had risen to 383,880.

But it should be pointed out that this last number was actually a 4.6% drop from the same time in 2025, according to the government.

Andalucía, meanwhile, had a fall in numbers registered: there were 82,624 Brits as 2025 closed, according to the INE’s population census.

Some sectors adapted quickly. Lawyers specialising in immigration and cross-border taxation saw demand surge, while accountants and relocation firms expanded services aimed specifically at post-Brexit Britons.

For Britons in Spain, many of whom felt detached from the domestic politics that drove the referendum campaign, the experience has often been one of adapting. A decade on, Brexit is an ongoing process whose consequences continue to unfold.

Younger Britons hoping to relocate to Spain now face a very different landscape from the one enjoyed by earlier generations, although there has been good news for students with the announcement that the UK is set to rejoin the Erasmus programme in 2027.

The Costa del Sol has adapted, but ten years after the vote that reshaped Britain’s relationship with Europe, one thing remains clear: the ties between Spain and the UKrun far deeper than politics alone.