MOVING TO SPAIN? YOUR SPAIN VISA GUIDE
How can you get residency in Spain to achieve your dream of settling in Spain? Spain holds many attractions for potential tourists and Expats. A beautiful country from the seas to the mountains, amazing weather, friendly people and world-class cuisine. Spain ticks so many boxes. Add in the great cost of living, first-world infrastructure and an excellent, accessible medical system. With all that, it is no surprise that so many people want to to know how to live in Spain.
Those lucky enough to hold a passport from the European Economic Area can visit, work and live in Spain with no restriction. But what about residency in Spain for non-EU citizens?
Well, moving to Spain might be easier than you think. How can you get Spanish residency? There are many Spanish residency visa options available for all sorts of situations. Have a look at the table below to find out which Spanish residency visa is appropriate for your situation.
SCHENGEN VISA
For 69 countries in the world (check out this list to see if you qualify) you can just arrive in Spain. As long as you can show you can support yourself and have no intention of working, you have full travel access to all 26 Schengen visa states.
If your passport is not one of the 69 countries, you’ll need to apply for a Schengen visa. Have a look at this list to see which countries require a visa
- The Schengen visa grants access to all the 26 countries that make up the membership of the Schengen area. You have unrestricted travel around the area for the length of your visa.
- The visa is for a maximum of 90 out of 180 days. This means that you can spend a maximum of 3 months in the area during a 6-month period.
- The visa does not allow you to work while you are in Spain. You may be asked at your entry point into the Schengen area how you will support yourself. Additionally, you may be asked what your plans are. Make sure you can show the authorities you have enough funds to cover your expenses. Also, demonstrate that you do not intend to work during your stay.
THE NON-LUCRATIVE VISA FOR RESIDENCY IN SPAIN
The non-lucrative residency visa for Spain allows you to live in Spain. You must not work or carry out professional activities that generate an income in Spain. So, for Digital Nomads, retirees and people with income-producing investments, the non-lucrative visa, Spain is a great option.
This Spanish Visa allows you to stay in Spain for a year. After that, the Spanish non-lucrative visa is renewable for an additional 2 years at a time. This Spanish visa is also a great path to Spanish permanent residency and eventually Spanish citizenship and passport.
To be eligible for this Spanish visa, you need to meet the following requirements.
- You can show an annual income produced outside of Spain of at least €26,000 per annum.
- You have eligible health insurance while you live in Spain
- You pass the required police and medical checks.
- You need to spend at least 183 days in Spain to be eligible to renew the Non-Lucrative Visa, Spain for the additional 2-year periods.
The Spanish Non-Lucrative Visa is a great option for many people. Having said that, the application process is complicated and needs to be completed in Spanish. We highly recommend using a reputable and effective local immigration partner to ensure success with your Spanish Visa application.
The right partner will help you as follows:
- Ensuring you apply in the correct jurisdiction.
- Ensuring you have the complete set of documents for the application, and any translations that are required
- Filling in all the necessary forms
- Drafting the motivation letter required
- The process of getting your residence card once you have arrived to live in Spain. This will include:
- appointments at the immigration department
- Another set of documents to be filled out and translated
- Getting you settled on your arrival which can include assistance with bank accounts, drivers’ licences, insurances etc
Click here if you would like to speak to the partner that helped us when we arrived in Spain.
