Permanent Residency

If you wish to stay in Spain for longer than the 90-day tourist stay, you must apply for the Residence Visa (Visado de Residencia) before leaving your home country. Although this is the same length of stay as the tourist visa, it is different in that it is the first official stage in the residency application process.

Once you are in Spain with your Visado de Residencia, and assuming you wish to stay on past the three months given, you must apply for a Residency Card, the Tarjeta de Residencia, within 30 days of arriving. You do this at your local Oficina de Extranjeros.

You will need a host of documents to support your application. The minimum will include:

• Valid passport and photocopy,
• Three passport-size color photographs,
• Completed application form and three copies,
• Proof of address in Spain,
• Receipt for payment of the administration fee, stamped by the bank where you paid.

In addition, you should take the original and two copies of:

• Proof of financial resources (i.e. pension income),
• Proof of a clean criminal record (Certificado de Antecedentes Penales),
• Medical certificate,
• Consular inscription (a letter from the home Consulate),
• Proof that the applicant has medical insurance cover in Spain.

It may take three to four months for the Tarjeta de Residencia to arrive. It will be valid for one year and is (officially) renewable for up to five years (though many expats stay for much longer).

Some people handle all this paperwork without any problems. However, if your Spanish is rusty or new, we would advise you to get help.