Boletín de Prensa del Observatorio Europeo de Gerontomigraciones - European Observatory on Gerontomigration Press Bulletin (9 octubre 2026)

 Boletín de Prensa del Observatorio Europeo de Gerontomigraciones / European Observatory on Gerontomigration Press Bulletin, nº 495, de 9 de octubre de 2026

"British ex model fraudster who left hundreds of UK expats out of pocket through collapsed firm in Costa Blanca is jailed in Spain", Daily Mail, 08 | 10 | 2026 - Noticia
Ex model Jody Pearson ... was sentenced to three-and-a-half years behind bars ... after she left hundreds of expats out of pocket through her collapsed firm. ... Pearson is the former boss of the disgraced Continental Wealth Management (CWM), which abruptly closed in 2017, leaving over 900 expats unable to access their retirement funds and investment bonds. ...Pearson was finally convicted for deliberately swindling expats ... out of money.

"Spain named Europe’s top retirement destination in 2026 index", Idealista, 08 | 10 | 2026 - Noticia
Spain has been ranked the leading retirement destination in Europe and third worldwide in the 2026 Global Retirement Report and Index, according to Global Citizen Solutions. The country received a score of 99.6 out of 100 across measures including quality of life, mobility and citizenship, tax optimisation, administrative processes, and cost and investment. The ranking places Spain ahead of other European retirement destinations at a time when many Britons are looking further ahead, weighing up where they might spend later life alongside the practicalities of visas, healthcare, housing and everyday costs.

"Spain crowned Europe’s top retirement destination", The European, 06 | 10 | 2026 - Noticia
Spain has been named Europe’s best retirement destination thanks to its high quality of life, strong mobility and citizenship score and relatively smooth residency procedure. The country finished third worldwide in the 2026 Global Retirement Report and Index behind only Uruguay and Mauritius... The study ... compares 46 retirement and passive-income visa programmes across 46 countries using five weighted measures including quality of life, mobility and citizenship, tax optimisation, quality of procedure, and costs and investment.

"Torrevieja informa a los residentes extranjeros de los plazos para votar en las municipales de 2027", Alicante Plaza, 06 | 10 | 2026 - Noticia
Los ciudadanos de la UE tienen hasta el 30 de diciembre para realizar el trámite, mientras que los nacionales de países con acuerdo de reciprocidad podrán solicitar su inscripción entre el 1 de diciembre y el 15 de enero

"Mallorca 2027 elections: What British expats can and cannot vote for", Majorca Daily Bulletin, 05 | 10 | 2026 - Noticia
The municipal, regional and island elections in the Balearics will all take place on 23 May 2027
2027 will be a major election year in the Balearic Islands, with regional, island and municipal elections all taking place. Spain will also hold a general election earlier than expected, after Prime Minister ... called a snap election for 29 November 2026. For British residents ... the municipal elections are the most relevant. UK nationals who meet the requirements can vote in Spanish local elections despite Brexit, under a reciprocal agreement between the UK and Spain. They must have been legal and uninterrupted residents in Spain for at least three years, be registered on the padrón in their municipality and apply to be included in the electoral census.

"The countdown to April 2027: UK pensions, inheritance tax and opportunities for expatriates", The Resident, 04 | 10 | 2026 - Reportaje (Adrian Hook)
For as long as most people can remember, a UK pension has been one of the few assets that could usually be passed on to beneficiaries without UK inheritance tax (IHT). That is about to change. ... Under current rules, most individuals remain classified as UK long-term residents for the first 10 years after leaving the UK. During that period, their worldwide estate remains within the scope of IHT. Once you have spent 10 of the previous 20 tax years outside the UK, you gain UK non-long-term resident status, and your overseas assets typically fall outside the UK inheritance tax net. However, all your UK-situated assets – including pension funds – will continue to be assessed and taxed if they breach the thresholds.

"Major warning as British expats face huge tax penalty for empty homes in Spain", Daily Express, 02 | 10 | 2026 - Reportaje (Laura Zilincanova)
The charge applies to Spain's annual property tax, known as IBI, rather than being a new tax on the value of a home. Councils can impose a surcharge of up to 50% when a qualifying residential property has been continuously empty for more than two years without a justified reason. If the property remains empty for more than three years, the surcharge can rise to 100% ... the rules generally apply to properties belonging to owners with four or more residential properties. This means ... who owns just one holiday home in Spain would not automatically face having their IBI bill doubled under this provision. There are also important exemptions which could protect second-home owners. ... The measures form part of Spain's efforts to tackle a housing shortage that has become particularly acute in popular cities and tourist destinations. For ... owners, the impact will therefore depend on factors including how many residential properties they own, how long the Spanish property has been empty, why it is unoccupied and whether the local council applies the surcharge.

"EU citizens in Spain urged to register intent to vote in 2027 local elections", The Local, 30 | 09 | 2026 - Noticia
Spain's National Statistics Institute (INE) has reminded EU citizens residing in Spain that they are able to vote in the municipal elections of May 23rd 2027, provided they formally express their wish to do so beforehand. The deadline for submitting this declaration is December 30th 2026. ... Those already registered on the electoral roll from earlier elections retain their status automatically, unless they requested their removal or stopped being residents in Spain. ... To encourage further registration, OCE is sending letters to more than 515,000 EU citizens who have not previously stated their intention to vote, including a code enabling them to register online via the INE's online portal. ... As for non-EU nationals who reside in Spain and their rights to vote in the 2027 local elections, this is dependant on bilateral agreements between their countries and Spanish authorities. If there is a reciprocal agreement that allows them to vote and they haven't registered to vote previously, the timeframe for them to communicate this intention is between December 1st 2026 and January 15th 2027 for the next municipal elections. British citizens were the last non-EU nationals to gain the right to vote in local elections in Spain.

 

Nota: Este Boletín de Prensa realiza un seguimiento periodístico de los aspectos más destacados del fenómeno de la movilidad transfronteriza de personas mayores estudiado en el Observatorio Europeo de Gerontomigraciones. Mi agradecimiento al Coordinador del Observatorio, el Profesor Rafael Durán Muñoz, así como a sus miembros, investigadores y colaboradores, por su labor y por permitir su difusión en Conflictus Legum.