New visa cheer for Brits with holiday homes as Spain joins France in calling for the 90-day limit to be scrapped after Brexit, admitting it would hurt their economy

Britons who own a second home in Spain may soon be able to stay longer than the 90-day limit after Brexit, with the Spanish government joining calls to scrap the unpopular rule.

By law, Britons can only stay in their holiday homes for 90 days out of 180. For a longer stay, they must apply for a long-stay visa of up to six months.

Now the Spanish government has admitted that the regulation, which limits the length of time British travelers can stay in European Union countries without a visa, is having a negative impact.

“Unfortunately, the regulation is not something that Spain itself has introduced or can abolish,” said the country’s acting tourism minister, Hector Gomez. “It is in our interest to lobby and convince the EU that we can try to make an exception for them. But the solution must come from them.”

It came after the French Senate approved a change to immigration law that would automatically entitle British second-home owners to a long-stay visa, after politicians there said British tourists were “punished by Brexit”.

Spain’s acting tourism minister, Hector Gomez, said: “It is in our interest to lobby and convince the EU that we can try to make an exception.”

Andrew Hesselden, campaign manager and founder of 180 Days in Spain, which campaigns for British freedom of movement in the country, told the Mallorca Daily Bulletin that he was “pleased to see that French senators recognize the injustice of the situation in which the …” British is. Year residents have stayed since Brexit.

He added that members of his campaign “continue to hope for similar recognition from all stakeholders in Spain.”

Now developments appear to be unfolding in Spain, with Gomez confirming earlier this week that he had an “important meeting” at the Foreign Office with the UK’s director of consular affairs and crises, Jennifer Anderson.

The two “discussed interesting topics related to the stay of British tourists in Spain and discussed joint projects for future seasons,” he said. This apparently included the 90 day limit.

The UK is Spain’s largest and most profitable tourism market. Last year almost twice as many Britons visited the country as German tourists.

Data from Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE) shows that two million people traveled from the UK to Spain last year, accounting for 23.8 percent of total visitors.

Under Schengen Area rules, non-EU nationals, including those from Britain, entering the area under the visa-free regime are allowed to stay a maximum of 90 days per 180 days.

Anyone who intentionally or unintentionally exceeds the permitted length of stay can face severe penalties in Spain, including fines of up to 10,000 euros and imprisonment.

The French Senate has approved a change to immigration law that will automatically qualify British second-home owners for a long-stay visa (file photo)

They could also be subject to deportation and entry bans, with post-Brexit restrictions proving a nightmare for thousands of Britons with properties across Spain and France.

Martine Berthet, a French senator who represents Savoy in the southern Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, has now proposed a change to the rules after receiving complaints from Britons who own holiday homes in the region.

“The British I spoke to say the current system is long, difficult and full of pitfalls,” she said, according to The Daily Telegraph.

She also said the rules prevent her from contributing to the French economy and that the restrictions are already contributing to a rising number of vacant properties in the country’s popular tourist regions.

“Relations between France and Britain are heating up after the royal visit,” she said. “And don’t forget that King Charles reserved his only official speech to the French Senate.”

“The British are privileged partners of France.” History has shown that to be the case.”

The amendment still needs to be debated in the French National Assembly (the country’s lower house) before it can be adopted, and has been rejected by Emmanuel Macron’s government.