Moving from Key West to Alderney.

Hi,
Yeah, I know we must be nuts. But we've been living in the Keys for 17 years.
My wife (who is British) and I (yank!) are thinking about moving/retiring to Alderney in the Channel Islands from our home in Key West. It's our understanding that the rules are quite a bit different for this tiny island than they are for the rest of the UK. We are retiring. We would love to talk to anyone with experience in this regard.
Thanks ... Ed

I hope to be a snowbird when I retire between Clearwater (where I'm from) and possibly the UK (depending on where our child decides to live when she's grown up).  So, you aren't too crazy.   

I believe the immigration rules for the channel islands are exactly the same.  There may be a slight difference in how they are applied for and processed.

As you are retiring, I'm assuming you would not be relying on salaried income, so I'll skip over how to qualify that way.

If you have a pension that will be paying a minimum of £18,600/year, you'll qualify (whether payable to the UK citizen or US citizen).  Or rental income of the same amount.

If you have cash savings that has been held for a minimum of six months of £62,500 you'll also qualify.  This can also be in a fully vested 401k or held for less than 6 months if from the sale of a home (that was owned for longer than 6 months).

There are a few other ways to qualify, but I imagine those are the most relevant to you.

Thanks for the response. Gee, if all I had as 62k in savings I doubt I'd be retiring!!!

Hopefully not being too forward....is there something about tiny island life?

Hi,
Not sure I understand the question, but here goes. Living on an island you tend to be surrounded with like-minded individuals. Not always, but usually. They are there because of the lifestyle. Laid back, low stress and on a first name basis. Let me give you an example.

Recently when we visited Alderney, I brought my drone so I could take some video of the shorelines. Because there was an airport nearby, I wanted to check with the local air traffic controller for any rule, restrictions, etc.  So I went to the front desk clerk of the hotel to ask how to get ahold of the ATC center (not expecting a she'd have any idea what I was talking about). To my utter surprise she said, "Oh, that's Al, hold on I'll ring him up for you."

It's just nice when everyone talks to each other. The only thing I can tell you is go to an island, any island, and plug yourself in. It beats the hell out of the city and now, thanks to Amazon, I can get the stuff I need without a big production. Gotta love Amazon prime!
Hope this helps ... Ed

I have a close family friend who is from Key West.  They still have a house there and go back frequently.  It's a very different lifestyle and they enjoy living it part of the year (they actually have a home in North Carolina now too, so they split their time lots of places).  While I wouldn't want to live there (too many tourists), it is definitely a different way of life and I can certainly see the appeal.  It's a wonderful island.  You might need to adopt some Hemmingway cats and chickens to really feel like home in the UK though.   

And yeah, retirees don't usually have an issue with the income requirements.  It's couples with young families that want to move near their UK support system that are the most affected by the high income requirements. 

Actually, we live in Sugarloaf Key which is at Mile Marker 17. So we don't live in the nonsense. We are close enough to take advantage of all the good things without dealing with the "tourons". One of the bumper stickers I've seen describes it pretty well.

Key West ... Nearly perfect, *far* from normal.

Oooo, I've not been to Sugarloaf.

I (used to be) an avid diver, so spent a decent amount of time in the Keys.  No where to dive in the UK though!  And my now-husband is terrified of the ocean, so I don't go when we are on vacation either.  He's convinced I'll be eaten by a shark....   

  No where to dive in the UK though!

http://www.ukdiving.co.uk/places

http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/europe/uk-diving.html

http://www.bsac.com/page.asp?section=1010&

No where to dive in the UK though!

I shall clarify with "No where WARM to dive in the UK though!"   

Being a native Chicagoan (Go Cubs!), I understand the issue with cold water. It's why I moved to the keys. I've been diving all over the world. I am a devout warm water whimp!

Brody: It doesn't make any sense when you pay a guy like you to watch sharks.
Hooper: Well, uh, it doesn't make much sense for a guy who hates the water to live on an island either.
Brody: It's only an island if you look at it from the water.
Hooper: That makes a lot of sense.