Spanish Shares
If you profit from the sale of Spanish shares such as IAG (ex-BA), Iberdrola, Sabadell (TSB), Santander (ex-Abbey or ex-A&L) or other benefits from a holding (such as rights or fractional entitlements to rights) you may need to submit a return to the Spanish tax authorities. We can do this for you.
Please note that, as a result of a double tax treaty between UK and Spain there will be no tax to pay to Spain for UK taxpayers.
I’ve sold my Spanish shares. Do I need to complete the form?
Yes, if you've sold them at a profit.
Spanish law requires any non-resident of Spain, who profits from the sale of Spanish shares, to declare this to the Spanish tax authorities. This also applies to executors and other legal representatives of the shareholder. Reporting is done using Spanish tax form 210 ("modelo" 210). If you are a UK resident there will be no tax to pay to the Spanish authorities.
The 210 form is only available in Spanish and has to be physically delivered to the authorities in Madrid. If you try to do all this yourself the whole process is complicated, time consuming and expensive.
However, working closely with our colleagues in Spain, we can take care of it for you. Just spend two minutes completing our order form and we’ll take it from there. [top]
Can I reclaim Spanish withholding tax paid on my dividends?
In theory, there is a procedure to do this but I am afraid it is not a service that we are able to offer as we have found it to be unreliable. In some circumstances, UK tax residents may be able to reclaim a proportion of the withholding tax back from HMRC. You should contact HMRC for details. [top]
What if I sell my shares at a loss?
If you sell you shares at a loss, no gain is realised and there is therefore no need to complete a form. However, unless you bought your Spanish shares in the market, you should bear in mind that the relevant acquisition price for determining whether a gain has been made will be the price you paid or the value attributed to the share at the date of takeover/sharesave maturity etc. For ex-Abbey National shares the acquisition price is €7.58 (note - euros) with the rights or €8.44 without. So, at current exchange rates, if these shares are sold now for more than £6.60 (or £7.40 without rights), a 210 form will be required.
The notional acquisition price for ex-Alliance and Leicester shares was €9.81 (with rights) or €11.23 (without) so, at current exchange rates, if these shares are sold now for more than £8.60 or £9.80 or so a 210 form will be required.
If you are unsure please feel free to contact us. [top]
What happens if I just do nothing?
According to Spanish law you could be liable for a fine of €100 rising to €200. [top]
Couldn’t I just do it myself?
You can, but it’s certain to be more time consuming and more expensive than getting us to do it. It will cost you more to present the form than it would for us to do the whole job for you. After all, it’s precisely because it is so complicated and costly to do it yourself that we’ve introduced our simple, value-for-money service.
But, if you still want to have a go, here’s what you would need to do:
- Obtain a Form 210 which can be downloaded from the website of the Spanish tax authorities. Unless you speak Spanish, you will need to refer closely to notes of guidance in English. These can be downloaded from the shareholders' area of the UK websites of Iberdrola, Santander or as appropriate.
- You will then need to deliver both documents to the Spanish Tax authorities in Madrid either in person or via an authorized agent in Spain who you will need to appoint and pay (probably in euros) for this service.
Alternatively:
We can take care of it for you. We'll complete the form, present it to the authorities in Spain and send you confirmation. And, because we’ve negotiated special arrangements with our agents in Spain, we guarantee we can do it cheaper than if you do it yourself! Just spend two minutes completing our order form and we’ll take it from there. [top]
What’s the deadline completing the 210 form?
Forms relating to tax/calendar year 2024 must be presented between 1 - 20 January 2025. (The deadline for submitting the form due to a share sale within 30 days from the date of the sale of shares no longer applies.) The forms are presented after the end of the calendar year in question during a presentation "window" each January. [top]
How much does it cost?
Our inclusive charge for share sales is £34.95. For this we will complete the 210 form on your behalf, present it in Spain and send you confirmation. There are no hidden or additional charges.
All post and telephone calls to us are free from the UK. [top]