How do we settle back into the UK?

Moving back to the UK from Spain is usually easier than moving out, but a few things work differently for people returning from abroad, and some rules changed in 2026. Here’s what to sort, and when.

Healthcare

• UK nationals who come back to live in the UK can use the NHS. Register with a GP near your new home using form GMS1. You don’t need proof of address or ID to register
• The first time you’re treated in hospital, bring at least 2 documents showing you live here, such as a tenancy agreement, a council tax or utility bill, a payslip or a UK bank account in use. Paperwork showing you’ve left Spain also helps: a rental contract ending, a sale, ended utility contracts or a shipping receipt
• If your Spanish healthcare was paid by the NHS through an S1 form, contact the NHS Overseas Healthcare team to cancel it
• A&E is always free, and you won’t be asked to show you live here unless you need further hospital treatment

Tax and National Insurance

In the tax year you arrive, your UK year may be split into an overseas part and a UK part for income tax. HMRC sets out the conditions in its guide to the statutory residence test (RDR3). Spain’s tax year is the calendar year, with no split year, so your last Spanish return and your first UK one overlap. If both countries treat you as resident for part of the same period, the 2013 UK–Spain double taxation convention decides which one has the right to tax: see What do I need to close before I leave Spain?

• Since 6 April 2026, voluntary Class 2 National Insurance can’t be paid for time spent abroad. Class 3 costs £18.40 a week in 2026–27
• Years you worked in Spain count towards a Spanish pension, not your UK one, so check your National Insurance record and State Pension forecast online before paying for any gaps. See What happens to my UK pension?
• Once you’re back and working, you pay National Insurance as normal

Your pensions

• Your UK State Pension rose each year while you lived in Spain, because Spain is in the EEA. Nothing changes when you come back
• Your Spanish contributions stay on your record. A Spanish retirement pension normally needs 15 years of contributions, but UK years can be added in to reach the minimum, and Spain pays its share. Living in the UK, you claim through the International Pension Centre
• Any Spanish private pension plan stays with the provider: check what it allows for non-residents, and get advice before you take money out

Schools and universities

• For a school place during the school year in England, apply to the school if it’s an academy, foundation or voluntary aided school, or to the council for other state schools. You should hear the outcome in writing within 15 school days
• Bring your child’s Spanish school reports, with translations, so the school can place them in the right year group. If they studied in Catalan, Valencian, Basque or Galician as well as Spanish, mention it: it’s useful for language choices
• University fees: UK nationals who were living in the EEA on 31 December 2020 and have lived in the EEA or the UK since are generally eligible for home fees and student finance in England for courses starting before 1 January 2028, if they meet the 3-year residence conditions. After that, the usual rule is 3 years’ ordinary residence in the UK, with time abroad for temporary work ignored. Ask the university early

Your belongings and car

Transfer of residence relief lets you bring household goods, a car and pets in without import duty or VAT if you’ve lived outside the UK for at least 12 months in a row and owned and used the goods for at least 6 months. Apply on form ToR1 and get approval before you ship, bring the goods in within 12 months, and don’t sell, lend or hire them out for 12 months after. A Spanish car has to be deregistered in Spain first: see How do I leave Spain, and in what order?

Driving

You can drive in Great Britain on a full, valid licence from an EU country such as Spain until you’re 70, or for 3 years if you’re 67 or over when you become resident. To exchange it, get a D1 form from a Post Office that offers DVLA services. If you passed your test in an EU country, it costs £43 and there’s no test. If you swapped a UK licence for a Spanish one and originally passed your test in Great Britain or Northern Ireland, GOV.UK says the exchange is free for licences issued from 1 January 1976. The new licence usually arrives within 3 weeks. Use the GOV.UK tool to check your case.

Renting a home in England

• A deposit can be up to 5 weeks’ rent, if the rent is under £50,000 a year
• Since 1 May 2026, a landlord can ask for at most one month’s rent in advance, and only after you’ve both signed. New tenancies are periodic, with no fixed term
• More on renting, buying and work in How do we find a home and a job back in the UK?