Residency

Anyone planning to live indefinitely, study, or work in Spain must apply for a residence card within 15 days of arriving in Spain. Before arriving in Spain it is best to contact the Spanish consulate or embassy. If you are planning a short stay (on a short-term contract perhaps) then you will be issued with a temporary residence card for the period required.

Residence cards are issued by the foreign nationals office or provincial central police ofice where the applicant is resident. Applications must also be made in person to the nearest national police station with a foreigners department.

Contact officials to find out the exact paperwork that is required (usually accompanied by one or two copies of each).

This list usually includes:

· Passport valid for at least six months and a photocopy of the pages

· Papers relating to your marital status plus a Spanish translation;

· Completed application forms (e.g. form 037 for EU citizens, form 120 for non-EU employed persons and form 140 for non-EU, non-employed persons);

· Passport-size photographs (one for each application form);
· Proof of residence, e.g. your property contract, a rental contract or receipts for rent;

· Fees, which must be paid via a bank (you will be given a paying-in slip). This is usually around 1,000 ptas. (a few Euros)

· Medical certificate obtainable from any Spanish doctor.
· Certificate of criminal record declaring that you don't have a criminal record in your home. This can be a statement requested through your local police authorities.

· Certificate of registration confirming that you're a resident in Spain, available from your country's local consulate in Spain;.

· Retired persons require proof that they belong to a private health insurance scheme that is valid in Spain or that they have the right to medical treatment under the Spanish public health scheme.

· Employees require a job contract or an offer of employment in the form of a pre-contract stamped and signed by both.

· Self-employed persons require evidence that they meet the requirements to operate a business or perform a particular profession in Spain.

When you have approval for a residence card, you are issued with a receipt as proof of your application. This is valid for two months and renewable until your residencia is ready. When your residencia is ready to be collected, you will be summoned to the local police station and have a print of right index finger taken.

Carry your residence card with you at all times as this is mandatory in Spain. If you do not have a residents card, carry your passport at all times

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