We Will take you through all the steps to make your move to Spain a reality.

For decades Expat Solutions have helped family’s successfully seek residency in Spain. Our low cost solutions and success rate is second to none.

HOW TO GET A RESIDENCE PERMIT IN SPAIN

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If you are from a non-EU country and would like to move to Spain, you will need to get a residence permit. But, how to do it? How can you get your visa or permit exactly? There are different types of residency cards you can get. According to your specific situation one would be more suitable than the other.

It could be a lot of hassle… but we will make it easy for you. Let us be in charge!:

• We will carefully analyze your situation and determine which is the residence permit that is right for you
• We will guide you step-by-step into all the legal procedures required to get your permit in Spain
• We will help you get all the documents and send them for you to the relevant authority. You will just need to sign, the rest is on us!

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE SPANISH RESIDENCY

In Spain you will find everything that you need: amazing food, perfect weather the whole year, a charming vibe, a rich culture and a landscape that will never cease to amaze you (mountain + sea). Hence the huge number of foreigners moving to the Spanish territory year after year. 

But, how to do it? Which is the exact process to get your residency card and become a legal resident? In this guide we will explain everything you need to know. We will talk about all the different alternatives and the requirements for each. 

DO YOU ACTUALLY NEED TO APPLY FOR A RESIDENCE VISA?

We need to divide the answer between the two different groups of foreigners. 

If you are a citizen from a European Union country or from the European Economic Area (EEA) or from Switzerland, you just need to get your Identification Number in Spain (NIE) and your EU registry certificate. But a visa or a residence permit won’t be required in order to stay legally in the country for the long run. EU citizens don’t need a visa to live in Spain.

But, what happens if you are not from the EU, EEA or Switzerland? Then, as a Non-European Union citizen you will need to get your visa in order to work and live legally in the country.

In that sense, there are three different types or residency cards in Spain. And you will get one or the other depending on how long you stay in the country: 

SHORT TERM VISA

The short-term visa or Schengen visa allows non-EU citizens to stay in the country for 90 days. It is also called tourist visa. Bear in mind that the vast majority of permits can’t be obtained under a tourist visa. This means that, as a general rule, you can’t come to Spain with a short-term visa and get your residence permit afterwards; you need to apply from your country of origin. Nevertheless, there are some exceptions that we will explore later on. 

TEMPORARY RESIDENCY

If you are planning to live in Spain for the long-run, this is the option you should apply to. The temporary residency encompasses all the different types of residence permits you have available. They will grant you the possibility to legally live and work in the country for 1 or 2 years. Once that period finished, and provided that you still meet the initial requirements, you can renew your temporary residence permit for an additional year or two. 

PERMANENT RESIDENCY

After 5 years of living uninterruptedly in Spain with your permit or visa, you won’t have to renew it anymore. And that is because then you will be eligible to apply for the permanent residency, a permit that will allow you to live and work in Spain indefinitely.

The requirements are really easy to meet. Just with your passport, current permit and the proper form filled you will get the long-run card. Nevertheless, even though we said you must have lived in the country for 5 years, you should bear in mind that all the years lived in Spain under the student visa count half. 

Furthermore, it is the gateway for Spanish citizenship.