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Buying in Canaries/Spain, but you first might need a Military Licence
Hi all.
A military licence eh?! Read on......a heads up....
So we are about to exchange contracts with completion next month, when are told that a military licence is needed first, thanks to brexit and there being no agreement separate with Spain. You might not of heard of such a thing, we hadn’t, but it’s what non EU guys have had to obtain prior to buying. Dates back to Franco. Covers many parts of Spain, esp coastal areas. This is what we understand.
It means we need to obtain a DBS check in uk, which must be clean. This then needs to be translated and a military licence applied for. A DBS check normally takes a few weeks here. Then aplying for a military licence can take a month or two, but with a sudden no of uk guys having to apply now, the speculation is that this could take 3 or more months, not helped by covid. Until you have that licence it seems that you cannot legally own, so you cannot complete on your purchase and that includes your mortgage sorted. A licence cannot be applied for retrospectively. So puts everyone in the dark about completion dates/timescales.
So if you are buying or thinking of buying please factor this in and make sure your advisers pick this up and update you. Do you own double checking too. You will need help to apply, maybe through your lawyer and there will be a cost. It has an impact on buying timescales, but unless you have issues on DBS check it won’t stop you buying, just factor all this in. We are happy to still buy, just had hoped to be in a new property much sooner, although covid would be stopping this anyway for a while. So frustrating, very frustrating.
Supposedly there has been a bit of an outcry from agents in Spain about all this, but no mention of there being an exemption being discussed for UK. Maybe that will come as sellers might not be so keen to sell to uk residents if there are long delays and uncertainty about someones DBS check too.
Anyway, this is what we understand, please check this out for yourselves if you are buying. If you have suddenly found this problem then feel free to add or correct our understanding too.
We are really looking forward to being in playa blanca soon. Take care.
Onwards....
