Jonathan Sutton – Abogado
De Cotta partner Jonathan Sutton has been qualified as an English solicitor for nearly 20 years and has practised as a lawyer with De Cotta Law in Spain since 2005. This week Jon was sworn in as a Spanish abogado. The ceremony took place at the College of Lawyers of Málaga. Jonathan was accompanied by […]
Inheritance post Brexit
This is an area that will remain unchanged post Brexit. The law that will govern succession and who will receive your assets on death will not change. The application of your law of nationality has been recognized and formalized in the EC regulation signed by Spain in 2015. The UK never signed this regulation but […]
Andalucia – Urgent changes to property licences – AFO
The new law of 3/2019 for Urgent Environmental and territorial measures for irregular building in Andalucia has repealed the law of 6/2012 and the Decree of 2/2012. The previous law was widely criticised in rural areas where old buildings dating back to the 1970s and 1980’s were judged on the same criteria as luxury villas […]
Thomas Cook – Información para Acreedores
Tras declararse la quiebra de Thomas Cook, son muchas las empresas y negocios que se han visto afectadas. Como acreedor debe saber que, si ha sufrido pérdidas o se le adeuda alguna cantidad como resultado del colapso del touroperador británico, su reclamación como acreedor debe ser registrada correctamente en los procedimientos por insolvencia que se […]
Becoming a Spanish resident – where do I pay my tax
The Double taxation relief treaty between Spain and the UK is not an EU agreement and at least initially, will not be affected by Brexit. It may be revisited in future years once the dust has settled on any deal or no-deal. Under its terms a British national who spends more than 183 days resident […]
Children travelling from or leaving Spain – Important changes
From 1st September a new law has come into effect about children leaving Spanish territory. It is particularly important where a child is not travelling with a parent. These security measures mean that any parent who wants their children to travel with grandparents, other family members or friends must give their consent by completing an […]
Recovering and protecting Spanish assets
Spanish property values are increasing and if a bankrupt individual or an insolvent company owns assets in Spain it is a good time to place a charge on the property and to ultimately seek recovery for the bankruptcy or insolvency in the UK. We act for Trustees in bankruptcy and Administrators and Liquidators of UK […]
Pre-nuptial contracts and matrimonial regimes
The concept of a “matrimonial regime” is one that is not familiar to people from the UK. In Spain and many other European countries when people marry, they either elect or decide on a matrimonial regime or, in default, the property after marriage becomes Community of property – known as gananciales. In the UK there […]
For UK nationals living in Spain
The British government is providing current and vital information for all British people moving to or living in Spain. This includes information and guidance on passports, healthcare, working, pensions and much more. This advice is up to date so you know what changes can affect you post Brexit. This vital resource can be found at […]
Good news for Andalucian property owners
More – inheritance tax allowances At the start of 2018 the region had massively increased the inheritance tax allowance for a spouse, child, parent or grandchild of a deceased person to 1,000,000€ per beneficiary. This means someone with a spouse and three children could leave an estate of up to four million to them completely […]
Arrangements for Children – Custody, Visits and maintenance
We have an international community in many parts of Spain and there is an increasing need to ensure any arrangements made for children benefit the child and are workable. This is particularly important where parents live in different countries or may move in the future for work or other reasons. We have seen a number […]
Litigation in Spain
As a law firm with clients from many different countries, we have the advantage of being able to advise companies and individuals in their own language on all aspects of Spanish litigation. This can range from debt enforcement to complex property matters including title and boundary disputes as well as seeking injunctions and court orders. […]