Privacy & GDPR Policy

StaySpain.uk ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This policy explains what personal data we collect when you use www.stayspain.uk, how we use it, and the rights you have. We process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who we are (data controller)

StaySpain.uk is the "data controller" responsible for your personal data — this means we decide how and why your data is processed. StaySpain.uk provides information and guidance for British nationals moving to Spain and works in partnership with relocation specialists at agrin.uk.

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, contact us at privacy@stayspain.uk.

2. What personal data we collect

We collect and process the following categories of data:

• Information you give us directly — for example when you complete a contact or consultation form or request advice, this may include your name, email address, phone number, and any details you choose to share about your relocation plans.
• Technical & usage data — collected automatically when you visit the site, such as your IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, the pages you view, referring pages, and the dates and times of your visits.
• Cookie & analytics data — information gathered through cookies and similar technologies to understand how visitors use the site (see section 5).

We do not intentionally collect special category data (such as health, religion or political views). Please do not send us such information through our forms.

3. How and why we use your data

We use your personal data to:

• respond to your enquiries and provide the guidance or consultation you request;
• connect you, with your agreement, to our relocation partner where you have asked for expert help;
• operate, maintain and improve the website and its content;
• understand how our content is found and used, including through search analytics;
• protect the security and integrity of our website;
• comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.

4. Our legal bases for processing

Under the UK GDPR, we rely on the following legal bases:

Purpose	Legal basis
Responding to enquiries and consultation requests	Consent, and/or steps taken at your request prior to entering a contract
Analytics and improving the site	Consent (for non-essential cookies) and our legitimate interests
Website security and fraud prevention	Our legitimate interests in keeping the site safe
Meeting legal obligations	Compliance with a legal obligation

Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time (see section 9).

5. Cookies & analytics

Cookies are small text files placed on your device. We use:

• Essential cookies — necessary for the website to function; these do not require consent.
• Analytics cookies — used to measure how visitors interact with the site so we can improve it. These are only set with your consent.

We operate our own first-party analytics to understand site usage. We may also use search engine tools such as Google Search Console to measure how our pages perform in search results. You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings at any time; blocking some cookies may affect how the site works.

6. Who we share your data with

We do not sell your personal data. We may share it with:

• Our relocation partner (agrin.uk) — only where you have requested expert help or a consultation, so they can respond to you.
• Service providers — such as our website hosting and analytics providers, who process data on our behalf under appropriate agreements.
• Authorities — where we are legally required to disclose information.

7. International data transfers

Some of our service providers may process data outside the UK. Where data is transferred internationally, we take steps to ensure it is protected by appropriate safeguards, such as UK adequacy regulations or Standard Contractual Clauses.

8. How long we keep your data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy. Enquiry and consultation details are typically retained for up to 24 months after our last contact with you, unless a longer period is required by law. Analytics data is retained in line with our analytics tools' standard periods.

9. Your rights under the GDPR

You have the following rights over your personal data:

• Right to be informed — to know how your data is used (this policy).
• Right of access — to request a copy of the data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification — to have inaccurate data corrected.
• Right to erasure — to ask us to delete your data ("right to be forgotten").
• Right to restrict processing — to limit how we use your data.
• Right to data portability — to receive your data in a portable format.
• Right to object — to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Right to withdraw consent — at any time, where we rely on consent.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at privacy@stayspain.uk. We will respond within one month. You also have the right to complain to the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), if you believe your data has been mishandled.

10. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss or misuse. However, no transmission over the internet can be guaranteed as completely secure.

11. Children's privacy

Our website is intended for adults planning a move to Spain and is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect data from children.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "last updated" date. Please check back periodically.