Spain has been one of the ideal locations for British expats for years and has traditionally been the most popular country to retire to.
Now however, Brits are reported to be leaving Spain 'in their droves'.
The problem seems to have arisen due to Brexit, as the simple rules that made travel within the European Union easy no longer apply.
On top of the Brexit issues, Spanish immigration rules are also making it difficult for British immigrants to stay.
A significant number of Brits already live there, but many are experiencing problems with applying to stay permanently.
Why are British people leaving Spain?
Since March 2021, Spanish immigration rules dictate that those wanting to live in Spain must have a monthly income of £2,000.
For a family, it is required that British people show an extra £500 of monthly income for each family member.
Due to Brexit, UK citizens can only visit Spain without a visa for up to three months for tourism and business purposes.
From 2022, this will change and Brits will need to hold an ETIAS visa before arriving.
"A lot of retired British people are starting to sell up. They used to come down here in September or October and then stay until April/May for the six months of better weather," said Robert Barnhardt, a property expert to the Express.
"But now they can only come for 90 days and also a lot of them used to drive down. The Spanish are now getting pretty strict on foreign plated cars and mainly British cars."
British driving licences will also need to be changed to a Spanish license.
In September, it was revealed that those who had had their Spanish residency applications refused were given 15 days to leave the country in order to avoid becoming illegal immigrants.
Spanish paper The Local reported that fines for overstaying range from €501 and €10,000.
Why is Spain so significant?
According to data published in 2017 by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), just over a third of British citizens living in Spain are aged 65 years and over.
Health issues tend to be more prevalent among older generations and the new rules state that an expat can now only access free healthcare in Spain if they are a resident, or working and paying taxes.
As well as this, pensioners must show they have an income of £21,000 a year to live in Spain. This is more that what the UK state pension pays out.
It now seems harder to buy in Spain, than ever before but despite this a report by Daily Business News showed that 11% of buyers for properties valued over €500,000 were British.
