Residency in Spain for Non EU Citizens

The standard processing fee for most applications is around €80 per applicant.

However, fees may vary considerably according to your country of origin, which one of the residence visas you apply for, whether you will need legal support to apply, or if you need to appeal an application refusal. Canadians can expect to pay closer to €600 per application, and US citizens up to €300.

Entrepreneur and Golden Visas may cost between €750-€9000 per applicant.

Most non EU Residence Visas for Spain require you to prove that you have larger sums of money to support you during your time in the country.

For your application for residence, you will at least need the following documents. Please note each residence visa type is different and require further specific documentation than that listed below.

• Your passport, valid for a minimum of 4 months, and at least one photocopy of the whole document
• Three passport photos of you
• Proof of financial stability
• Proof of current address in Spain
• A criminal background check spanning the past five years
• A medical certificate confirming you do not have a disease that could endanger public health e.g. SARS
• Medical insurance that covers the Schengen zone and covers a minimum of €30,000 worth of costs.

You will not be offered a residence permit if you

• Entered the country illegally, or
• if you have committed a crime deemed criminal by Spain in any country that you have previously lived in.

It will vary according to the visa that you apply for, and could take anywhere from 15 days to 6 months or longer. Sometimes, the authorities will require further documentation or will call you in for an interview to clarify your circumstances, which could add additional weeks or months to the process.

Make sure you apply with plenty of time to organise your move or so that your current visa doesn’t expire before you obtain your residence card.

There are multiple residence visa options available for citizens who are not from the EU.

It can be confusing to figure out which Spanish Residence Visa is right for you, especially if you qualify for more than one option. Give us a call on (+44) 333 414 9244 or contact us online to discuss your options and visa eligibility, and we’ll help guide you towards the right application.

A Work Visa for Spain is available for those who are hired by a Spanish company to work in the country.

Your job needs to be one that is listed as challenging to hire for within Spain and the EU. You can check this list here.

If you are highly skilled with at least a Bachelor’s degree, or have at least five years of senior professional experience, the Work Visa may be valid for other EU countries as well, also known as the European Blue Card.

In order to obtain a working visa, you must apply for it before you arrive in Spain and your employer is responsible for the first part of the process. Your Spanish employer must:

• be tax and security compliant
• be registered in the social security system
• have sufficient financial proof that they can pay your salary for the duration of the visa period
• prove that they have not been able to first fill your role with a Spanish or EU citizen, and are subsequently seeking to hire you as a result
• prove your professional qualifications.

You will need to sign a contract with your employer proving that you will be working for them for the duration of your visa validity period, and that your employment must be effective from the onset date of your residence permit. In addition to the list above, you will need to include this contract of employment with your application process.

You have one month to apply for the Work Visa once the employer has begun the application process in Spain. You can apply at the embassy in your country of origin.

You should receive a decision on the application within one month from the date of applying, but it could take longer if further documentation is required or if you are called in for an interview.

The Entrepreneur Visa is for those who wish to invest or build a lucrative business in Spain.

The Entrepreneur Visa allows you to reside in Spain for three consecutive years.

Entrepreneur Visas are not easy to obtain as it involves dealing with the Ministry of Economy, who must approve your application. Spain is very selective about the entrepreneurial projects it allows to be initiated in the country by foreign citizens, therefore you will need a thorough business plan and be meticulous in your application.

The terms that you must abide by in order to be considered for the Entrepreneur Visa are as follows:

• your business must create new jobs
• it should make a valuable contribution to technological and/or scientific innovations.
• it must be inherently innovative and unusual
• it must offer significant investment opportunities for the Spanish economy
• you must prove yourself as the entrepreneur worthy of building a business in Spain, by including a profile about your experience in the related field and why you are a good fit for Spain
• be able to prove significant financial means to sustain yourself and any other family member or dependent that joins you in Spain.

You should receive a decision on the application within 10 – 45 days from the date of applying, but it could take longer. Remember, this is a hard Residence Visa to obtain, so there is a high chance that your application will be denied. Do not make any plans to reside in Spain unless you are approved.

The Golden Visa is for those who have made a significant financial investment into the Spanish economy in either property, shares in at least one Spanish company, or into Spanish sovereign debt.

The Golden Visa is often a suitable option for those who have the means to purchase high value property and wish to retire in Spain.

We have a dedicated team of immigration lawyers that can help you with any queries on how to obtain the Golden Residence Visa. Contact us online or by phone today on (+44) 333 414 9244.

The Golden Visa allows you and your family to travel freely throughout the Schengen area as well as in Spain by including a Schengen visa, which allows you to travel for 90 days in a 180 day period.

The residence permit is granted with two years of validity. After five years, you will be allowed to apply for permanent residency in Spain, even if you don’t live in Spain for the full five years.

Please note that you must prove that you have already invested into the Spanish economy, and you have 60 days to apply for the visa from the day of making your investment.

The visa will initially allow you to reside in Spain for one year, then you will need to gain residency which allows you to stay for two years.

The minimum investment varies according to where you have made your investment:

• A minimum of €500,000 in real estate
• A minimum of €1,000,000 in shares in at least one Spanish company
• A minimum of €2,000,000 in government bonds (Spanish public debt)

Your investment in real estate can grant you the RIV (Residency Visa for Acquisition of Real Estate) , and an investment in Spanish shares or government bonds can grant you the RIC (Residency Visa for Capital Investors).

You will need to prove you have sufficient financial means to reside in Spain, a minimum of €30,000 for the applicant. For every relative you include in the application, a further €10,000 must be proven.

Usually, you will receive a decision on the Golden Residence Visa application within one month.

The Non-Lucrative Visa is for the purposes of residing in Spain without working. It will not allow you to work in the country, but you will be allowed to live in Spain assuming you meet the criteria.

The Non-Lucrative Visa is a good option for retirees or those who wish to live in Spain but do not need to work in Spain to earn their income.

Usually, you will receive a decision on this application within one month.

You must ensure that you have private health insurance and that it is bought from a Spanish provider.

Financially, you need to prove you have 400% of the IPREM (The Public Multiple Effects Income Indicator) in Spain. This equates to around €30,000 annually that you can live on. Please note that this number amount may vary according to your particular circumstances and could be subject to change, so is only a guide amount.

We understand that this may seem complicated, and we are here to help you  figure out whether the Non-Lucrative Visa is the right visa for you. Contact us online today or give us a call on (+44) 333 414 9244.

There are several different routes for gaining residency as a family member or spouse of a person living in Spain. The Family Residence Visa options available to you vary according to whether the person living in Spain that you wish to unify with is an EU or non-EU national, and what your relationship is to them.