Retiring to EU, maybe?

[buggs]

Greetings all. 

I'm maybe 4-5 years from retirement.  Currently in Canada where we have largely no restrictions on knives/multi-tools.  No switchblades and there's some debate about owning quick opening knives (assisted open).  I do own a few that fall into the latter category and while I like them I'm not really so attached I couldn't do without in retirement (though they are mighty cool). 

Anyway with the way Canada is going lately politically and coupled with the climate that is generally quite cold in winter (we've lived where we are for 17 years and have never seen this much snow) we're starting to discuss living as expats. 

Our current leading options (minimal research, just dreaming really) are:
Spain
Portugal
Malta
Ireland

Yeah, that last one is a bit of an outlier, but I'm kind of going on suggestions I've read online and while there's no doubt in my mind that Ireland is far less warm with far higher potential for cold, it's still warmer than where I am. 

So the question then is what are the rules in these countries pertaining to EDC?  Can I hang on to my Leathermans? 

What about locking blades?  In Canada these are considered safer but I think England for one has them as illegal? What about other countries.   

Just looking for some general information well in advance.  For some relative information I'm quite fond of Skeletool, Signal and Wave from LM.  I have quite a variety of Victorinox/Swiss Army (Swiss Champ, classic, Pioneer), none with locking blades.  My issues may come from Gerber, Benchmade, Kershaw with the locking blades. 

On the outside chance anyone pokes their head in we're also considering South or Central American countries (Panama, Costa Rica, Belize; Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Chile, Peru, Ecuador) so any information regarding those countries would also be appreciated. 

[DavisNikolov]

It's not on your list but since many foreign retirees (mainly from England, Belgium and Germany) move here - I thought I'd share. So in Bulgaria there is no restrictions on blades. Only exception is Burgas municipality where they have blade length rule (I believe it's 8cm, not entirely sure) but I don't recommend living there anyway. Also - it is not strictly followed. Reason most say they choose the country is the beautiful nature. But they also have pristine nature in their countries so I believe the reason lies elsewhere - Bulgaria is relatively developed country but yet cost of living is lower here. So having income from another country and living here means better  living standards.

[kkokkolis]

Many (Germans, Scandinavians, British, Russians etc) retire in Greece, particularly Crete, the islands and Peloponnese. We have a great warm and dry climate, seas all around, good quality of life and many landmarks.
Laws are not very strict. Nobody will ever ask you to show what's in your pocket, unless you break the drugs or violence laws. I always carry a knife (or more) the last 40 years, I only was searched once and that was in the US Embassy when applying for a Visa. They returned the knife before I passed the exit.

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[pomsbz]

I could well be wrong but as far as I can see via Google, Ireland and Spain both have very strict carry laws. No knife carry at all except with good reason. Makes the UK seem tame. Malta seems better with an 8cm limit on the blade (no language pertaining to locks in the relevant law?) and it seems that enforcement there is extremely lax. Portugal is a bit harder to find, <10cm seems ok but again I've no idea of the reality on the ground.

[Tasky]

What about locking blades?  In Canada these are considered safer but I think England for one has them as illegal? 

You can carry one if you have a good reason, such as for work or a specific activity where it is a necessity... same as carrying a fixed blade knife, really.
If in doubt, get legal advice, talk to the Police, etc...

A few places prohibit all blades, including scissors, but these tend to be obvious places like airports, courts of law, and Windsor Castle.

[pfrsantos]

I could well be wrong but as far as I can see via Google, Ireland and Spain both have very strict carry laws. No knife carry at all except with good reason. Makes the UK seem tame. Malta seems better with an 8cm limit on the blade (no language pertaining to locks in the relevant law?) and it seems that enforcement there is extremely lax. Portugal is a bit harder to find, <10cm seems ok but again I've no idea of the reality on the ground.

Chosing a country to emigrate to, based on what knives I can carry around, is definitely a new approach. Or not. Anyhoo...

In Portugal, the forbidden knives are: switchblades, balisong (butterfly) knives and blades longer than 10cm.

You could carry a "legal" knife with you, but some locations are off limits, too: schools, showrooms, sports events, courts of law (some have metal detectors).

You could carry a larger knife, withing reason (camping, working in agriculture). It all depends on how you carry/use it.

[kkokkolis]

In Crete, you may find people walking on the street like in these pictures. And they won't hesitate to use what they carry.
Thankfully, they keep AK-47s at home, in case Nazis come again.
They are polite and hospitable to foreigners though, most of them, most of the time.

[Farmer X]

Chosing a country to emigrate to, based on what knives I can carry around, is definitely a new approach.

Knife laws/legislation factor in when I'm looking at new states/localities to relocate to. They aren't the only, or primary, thing I look at...but they are important.

For what it's worth, I was told by a fellow who lives in Germany that one-hand opening or locking blades are okay. Sadly, I don't recall if he said (or I asked) whether that refers to carry or ownership.

[Etherealicer]

Malta would not be my first choice. Interesting place (I mean they have monolith buildings and stuff), but tiny.
Here are some other things to consider when moving to Malta (depends on you, if they are pros or cons).

- Malta is tiny, dry and hot (with little vegetation), there are no (or just few) sandy beaches and it's not great for hiking (there are great hikes there and great stuff to see for excursion, but I feel for daily activities not so much).
- It's an Island, so you need a ship/ferry or plane to leave the place. Also, everything is slightly more expensive (hard for me to judge, coming from Switzerland, but it is a common complaint I heard when I was there)
- Loads of ancient buildings, narrow roads
- They love their saints, so every weekend another village brings out all the religious artefacts and has a parade (+fireworks)
- Loads of language tourists (mostly late teens. Mostly around the Silema/Valetta bay)
- You can only get to Malta from a Schengen country

Well, I put it out there, Switzerland has fairly relaxed knife laws... we only have restrictions on automatic knives, daggers, throwing knives and balisongs. And as a bonus, it is unlikely to change due to the Swiss Army Knife (you might have heard of them)

I would consider a Schengen country if you plan on traveling (SAKs up to 91mm are legal to carry on planes if you fly between Schengen countries, you can even buy them after the security check). I suggest having a look at Italy. Italy has relatively relaxed knife laws (pretty much boils down to, no double-edged knives, no automatic/assisted knives and you need a reason. So, no EDCing a machete but a folding knife is fine).

[pomsbz]

I'd understood that Italian carry laws were very strict.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knife_legislation#Italy

[dks]

- You can only get to Malta from a Schengen country

Just adding that, Ι know, you can go there from, at least, EU non-Schengen countries.

[kkokkolis]

I love Malta but with all this Mediterranian around and not a proper beach to swim, it feels very strange.
And, when are they going to retire those buses?

[dks]

The buses were retired several years ago.
There are a few of the older ones still used for tourists.

[kkokkolis]

Oh! It was time.
I still remember the cowbell, ringing by pulling a cord, for a bus stop.

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[Tasky]

I hear Slovenia is nice for retirement, too....

[buggs]

Thanks all for the replies, very much appreciated. 

Rest assured, knife laws are not at the forefront of my mind but just one consideration.  Five years may seem a long time but for me to liquidate all of my stuff aside from my knives will take time.  If I'm selling and where my destination ends up being is fairly restrictive, then it would be time to move much of that collection out as well. 

I've no problem in general with laws concerning knives in any destination and Canada is very similar in that you can't bring them to concerts, schools, government buildings, etc.  That's reasonable in my mind (though I will point out I largely carried a SAK throughout grade school and nobody batted an eye, nor was anyone ever stabbed by me or anyone else).  Just trying to figure out if locking blades and multitools are ok really. 

Also appreciate the suggestions for other countries that may be a good choice.  My retirement interests will largely be golfing, hiking, cycling though if I ended up somewhere warm near the ocean, it would play a significant role as well.  I'll take Malta out of my list. 

We're also looking at Central America (Panama, Costa Rica) and several South American countries.  It will be a long process of investigation and some subsequent visiting as well.