Residency

>How to get a residence card
>What is a residence card?
>EU nationals
>Non EU nationals
>Getting and NIE
>Getting a residence card
>Foreigner's offices

How to get a residence card

Residence cards will mean you are no longer treated (and over-charged) like a tourist in many places. We explain how to get one.

What is a residence card? (tarjeta de residencia)

It is a credit card-sized ID card showing your photo, personal details and a fingerprint.

In Spain it is mandatory to carry it (or another form of photo ID) with you at all times.

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EU Nationals

Since 14 February 2003, EU or Swiss citizens, whether employed, self-employed or student, do not need a residence card to live or work in Spain.

However, it can be very useful. It means you do not have to carry your passport around with you all the time. When you buy things with a credit card, you must show a form of photo ID such as your residence card.

If you are retiring to Spain you do need to apply for a residence card. You will need proof of a private health insurance scheme that is valid in Spain or of the right to Spanish public medical treatment.

You will also need a residence card if you are of independent means or if you are a non-EU national dependent of an EU (including Spanish) national. Although EU nationals (of non-retirement age) do not need a residence card, they do need a NIE - a tax ID number - if they intend to register for work, buy a property or a car in Spain. See below for details.

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Non EU Nationals

Non-EU nationals need a residence card to live in Spain for more than 90 days, depending on their visa. The visa can be renewed for a further 90 days, allowing the person stay in Spain for six months in any year.

US employees who pay tax and social security at home can work for a limited period (ie. the length of their visa) in Spain without a residence card. Before you come to Spain, contact your local Spanish consulate or embassy to check what visas or documents are required. US nationals should bring their Green Card.

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Getting a NIE

You can live in Spain without a residence card but you won't get far without a NIE. It should be the first thing you apply for when you arrive in Spain.

You can live in Spain without a residence card but you won't get far without a NIE. It should be the first thing you apply for when you arrive in Spain.

First, get the relevant form from your local Comisaria or Oficina de Extranjeros (see list below) or from a gestor.

Fill out the form, then take the original and a photocopy, with two passport photos and a letter proving why you need residency (eg. a letter from an employer, a copy of your rental contract or mortgage agreement) to the Oficina de Extranjeros. They will give you a return date to pick up your NIE.

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Getting a residence card

If you apply yourself, rather than employ the services of a gestor who will charge EUR 150-250 to deal with all the residence card bureaucracy for you, make sure you know exactly what documentation is required at every stage.

Spain's bureaucracy may involve a lot of paperwork. Otherwise, you could find yourself queuing for hours when you simply needed to make an appointment for a later date or realise too late that you do not have the relevant documents on you.

First of all, go along to the Oficina de Extranjero to make an appointment. This will be set for about 2-3 months later.

When you return for your appointment, take with you:

three passport size photographs;
original and photocopy of passport;
NIE document

At this point, they will start processing your application and give you various forms (including one with which to pay your €6.31 fee at any bank - keep the receipt). They will also give you a date to return to have your thumbprint taken and hand in completed forms.

Also take the remainder of your three passport photos. You will also need a certificado de empadronamiento, obtained from your local town hall.

For that, you will need to show your rental contract and passport.

You will be asked to return about five weeks later to collect your residence card.

The rules regarding residence cards are constantly changing. Currently the Spanish authorities are legalising as many people as possible before clamping down some time in 2005. For the latest information contact the Ministry of the Interior (Secretaria de Estado de Inmigracion y Emigracion), tel: 900 150 000, www.dgei.mir.es.

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Foreigners' offices: (Oficinas de Extranjeros)

>Madrid: C/ General Pardiñas, 90, tel. 91 322 6839/40/41 •Barcelona: C/ Marqués de la Argentera 4, tel. 93 482 0544 •Malaga: Pl. de Manuel Azaña, 3, tel. 95 204 6200
>Estepona: C/ Veracruz, 2, tel. 95 280 3600 >Fuengirola: Av. Conde San Isidro, s/n. tel. 95 219 8368 >Marbella: Av. Arias de Velasco, s/n. tel. 95 276 2647 •Torremolinos: C/ Skal, s/n. tel. 95 237 8437 >Alicante: C/ San Fernando, 18, tel. 96 514 2613
>Benidorm: C/ Apolo XI, 36, tel. 96 585 5308
>Denia: C/ Castell d'Olimbroi, 5, tel. 96 642 0555
>Murcia: Avda. Ciudad de Almería, 33, tel. 96 822 3166
>Open 9am-2pm unless otherwise stated

Documentation required for non-EU nationals:

>a passport valid for at least six months, relevant visas and photocopies of each.
>official papers showing your marital status with a Spanish translation.
>form 120 for employed persons and form 140 for non-employed persons.
>passport-size photographs (one for each application form);
>proof of residence (e.g. your property contract, rental contract or receipts for rent).
>fees, which must be paid via a bank (you will be given a paying-in slip).
>medical certificate obtainable from any Spanish doctor.
>official certificate of criminal record declaring that you don't have a criminal record in your home country, requested through your local police authorities.
>certificate of registration confirming that you are resident in Spain, available from your country's local consulate in Spain.
>Job contract, offer of employment or evidence that you meet the requirements to perform a particular profession in Spain, if self-employed.

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