There are two ways to check your non-lucrative visa application. The Spanish Consulate has an online portal where you can check the progress of your visa application, and on the Spanish immigration website you can check the status of your residency application.
UPDATE: 30th May
Services seem to be back to normal
UPDATE: 20th May
Still no appointments available on the London Consulate booking system.
Manchester and Edinburgh responding to requests in a few days and offering appointments around 2 to 3 weeks ahead.
UPDATE: 10th May
There are still no appointments available on the London Consulate booking system.
Manchester are now replying a lot faster to requests for appointments.
There are a few steps involved in the process for registering a car from and EU country in Spain. Fortunately because of European standardisation, or homologation as it’s known, in most cases, provided you know the steps, it’s relatively straight forward.
The following is a basic run through of the steps and process.
To get an appointment to submit a Non-Lucrative Visa application at the Spanish Consulate in London, you must first send a request by email.
Attached to your request you must provide a sworn translation to Spanish of your Police Certificate (ACRO report).
Need help getting sworn translations? Click here
There are two main healthcare requirements for the Non-Lucrative Visa. Firstly you must be free from any of the diseases listed under the International Health Regulations 2005, and secondly you need to have unrestricted access to healthcare in Spain.
The first requirement is satisfied by obtaining a Doctors letter or medical certificate. The Doctors letter or medical certificate can be provided by your own GP, or a private Doctor either in the UK or Spain. The letter or certificate has to be signed by the issuing doctor, have their medical practice stamp, and their registration number. In the UK this is known as a GMC (General Medical Council) number.
The are quite a few steps and costs involved to import and register and car from a non-EU country in Spain.
First and foremost EU conformity, import and registration costs must be taken into account as these can make the import and registration in Spain impossible or too expensive to be worth while.
This said, under EU rules if you are moving from a non-EU country to live in an EU country, such as Spain, you can bring your possessions including cars, and avoid paying the costly duties and taxes and having to pay for expensive EU conformity certification.
These transfer of residence rules give you up to12 months form the date you get your residency to import your car and avoid paying customs and VAT. However you only have 60 days from the date you take up residency, to register your car and avoid registration tax (if it applies).
Updated 15/10/2021
The Spanish Consulate in London covers the southern counties of the UK, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories. So if you live in East Anglia, the South East or the South West, you’ll need to go to the Spanish Consulate in London to apply for a Spanish residency visa.
There are three Spanish Consulates in the UK that handle Spanish residency visa applications. The Spanish Consulate in Edinburgh covers the North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. So if you live in one of these areas, you’ll need to go to the Spanish Consulate in Edinburgh to apply for a Spanish residency visa.
The Spanish Consulate in Manchester covers Central UK. So if you live in the Midlands, the North West, Isle of Man or Wales, you’ll need to go to the Spanish Consulate in Manchester to apply for a Spanish residency visa.
The Spanish Non-Lucrative Visa offers residency to British nationals who have the financial means to support themselves without working. The Spanish Non-Lucrative Visa scheme is therefore ideal if you are retired or have passive income, for example from a portfolio of properties or other investments. The Spanish Non-Lucrative Visa allows full-time residency in Spain.