What Long-term Visa Options are there to Reside in Spain?
Following on from our more general piece about visas, we thought it would be helpful to talk about the long-term visas available for expatriates to reside in Spain.
Individuals from countries outside of the European Union, including Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, wishing to stay in Spain for more than ninety days per semester, may apply for a long-term visa, here are some of the options available:
- The Non-Lucrative Visa: enabling you to reside in Spain without exercising work or professional activity.
- Work visa: enabling you to carry out a work or professional activity, employed or self-employed.
- Residence visa for family reunification: enabling the family of a foreign resident living abroad to enter Spain exercising the right of family reunification.
- The Golden Visa: enabling you to stay in Spain for two years following the investment in capital or real estate
1. Non- Lucrative Visa
You must be able to prove that you are financially independent and that you or your dependents won’t be a burden on the state by applying for a non-lucrative visa.
For the Non-Lucrative visa, you must plan on being on the country a minimum of 180 days a year to maintain it. The process takes approximately three months and starts in your country of residence.
Here’s the paperwork that you will need for the Non-Lucrative Visa:
A valid passport with a minimum of 1 year left before expiry
Provide proof of your residency status in your home county
Provide bank statements proving that the applicant is financially independent and can support his family (approximately 28,000 Euros for the applicant and 6,800 Euros per family member)
Have private health insurance
A Medical Certificate from your home country
A police-check certificate from any countries that you have lived in for the last five years.
2. Work Visas
There are different types of Spanish Work Visas which require going to a Spanish embassy or consulate in your home country although for some certain types of visa, the prospective employer will make the initial application on the employee’s behalf.
Long term work visas include:
- The Highly Skilled Professional Visa
- The Entrepreneurs Visa
To qualify for the Highly Skilled Professional Visa you must have completed a masters or Ph. D. From a prestigious university or business school. The company you intend to work for must be either a large business or corporate group or a Small to Medium Enterprise operating in a strategic sector for Spain. Alternatively, the project that the company is offering must be aligned with socio-economic interests to Spain. Essentially, your role must be in a managerial or technical position to demonstrate that you are skilled in a certain area or highly qualified. The proposed salary must also be over 30.000€ per year. Further information on this visa can be found here.
The Entrepreneur’s Visa is available to you if you plan on setting up a business here in Spain and is valid for an initial two years. The main requirement is that your business will benefit or are in the interests of the Spanish economy and that you will potentially be creating more jobs here in Spain. You must also have a fully elaborate and costed out business plan. You can find the requirements in detail here.
3. Residence visa for family reunification
Any foreign individual who resides in Spain and wishes to reunite their family in Spain must request authorization for temporary residency on behalf of the family members at the Foreign Office. To qualify, the individual must have resided in Spain for a minimum period of one year and have a permit to reside in Spain for at least another year.
In addition to this requirement, the foreign resident in Spain must be able to prove that they have suitable housing and sufficient financial resources to support the regrouped family members and be able to prove that they earn a minimum of 847,35 € per month for family unit that include two members (the foreigner living in Spain plus the regrouped family member) and an additional 282,45 € per month for each additional member.
Once the authorisation has been received, the relatives living outside of Spain have a two-month window to request the visa in their own country.
In the case of a minor, a duly accredited representative may request it.
The application should be submitted at the Spanish embassy where the foreigner resides.
The following documents must be attached to the visa application:
Valid passport or travel title, with a minimum validity of 4 months.
A police-check certificate from any countries that you have lived in for the last five years.
Copy of the residence authorization
Original documentation that proves family ties and, where appropriate, age and legal or economic dependency.
Medical certificate in order to prove that you do not suffer from any of the quarantinable diseases established in the International Health Regulations.
4. Golden Visa either by investment in property or capital
The Golden Visa which is quite aptly named, means that you will be granted a visa upon investment in the four forms below:
- 500,000 Euros or more on property here in Spain
- 1,000,000 Euros deposited in a bank account
- 1,000,000 Euros in shares of Spanish businesses
- 2,000,000 Euros in Government bonds
One investment covers the whole family and gives you the right to be in Spain 365 days a year but doesn’t actually oblige you to be in Spain (unlike the Lucrative Visa). With the Golden Visa, you can also apply for citizenship if you have spent more than 180 days in the country.
The following documents are required:
Valid passport or travel title, with a minimum validity of one year.
Criminal record certificate issued by the authorities of the country of origin or the country or countries in which you have resided for the last 5 years.
Medical certificate in order to prove that you do not suffer from any of the quarantinable diseases established in the International Health Regulations.
Documents that prove sufficient means to meet your maintenance and stay expenses, including, where appropriate, those of your family, during the period of time for which you wish to reside in Spain, without the need to carry out any work activity.
In the processing of the procedure, the Diplomatic Mission or Consular Office may require the appearance of the applicant and hold a personal interview.
In the case of granting the visa, the individual must collect it within a month from the notification. If the collection is not made within the aforementioned period, it will be understood that the interested party has renounced the visa granted.
The Duration of the Residence Permit for Investors.
The initial Golden Visa for investors will last for two years. Once this period has expired, those who would like to reside in Spain for a longer duration may request a renewal of the visa for another two years.
Once the visa has been collected, the applicant must enter Spanish territory within the validity period of the visa, and personally request in a month for the foreigner identity card, which will be issued for the validity period of the authorization of temporary residence.
How Can Encantada Help?
Spanish administration and bureaucracy can be complex and time consuming, particularly if you don’t speak the language.
Encantada are here to assist you every step of the way: an English expat and a Spanish lawyer, we as a team have the perfect combination of legal and practical know-how and language skills to be able to sort out anything on your behalf.
We will go the extra mile to make your move run smoothly and have you settled in and enjoying Spanish life in the shortest time possible and with the least amount of stress.
We are on hand to assist you upon your arrival however if unable to be here in person and you would like everything ready for your arrival, Encantada are able to work under power of attorney on your behalf.
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