Spanish debt: Travelling to Spain after BR

Designer1211

Hi,

Around 8 years ago I bought a house in Spain while living there. I also had a personal loan for a car purchase. Around 5 years I moved back to the UK. Over the last 2 years I've had trouble covering the mortgage/debt so negotiated with the bank, but recently decided BR was the only way to go.

Now in Spain the debt will follow you regardless, you simply can't 'hand the keys back'. Its a 200k Euro mortgage on an apartment worth around 80-100k now. Debt is 10k euro (total 60k originally). After years of debating the best way to handle it, the immense stress of covering bills, repairs, local town hall fees, charges and the like from abroad… well, its taken us to breaking point, so BR seems like the best plan.

My question is - does anyone know if you become BR in the UK and include Spanish debt, whether it would still be OK to visit Spain? My parents still live there and would hate never to be able to take the kids to see their grandparents.

Thanks

Moto2

AFAIK your bankruptcy is valid in all EU countries

Designer1211

Thanks Moto, I believe that is the case. I just wondered whether its simply that you are 'protected' in the UK… and you set foot in Spain and you get arrested at the airport (with them no recognising it and taking it through the courts etc).

Voyager2002

Very few countries arrest people for not paying debts: that is something you find in parts of the Arab world, and in Dickens novels, but not in the modern world. There are plenty of people in Spain who cannot pay their debts and so have lost their homes, but I never heard of anything even worse happening to them.

Could you not ask your parents?

Designer1211

Thanks Voyager.

I know it sounds crazy, but all kinds of things go through your head when your 'up against it' so to speak. I had visions of it going to court and issuing summons, which I don't turn up for, etc etc etc.

Parents certainly aren't in a position to pay anything.