Spanish Residency Certificate for Citizens of EU countries

All EU and EEA (European Economic Area) citizens and their family members have the right to visit, live or work in Spain.  A Spanish residency certificate confirms your status as a resident in Spain. For stays of up to 3 months there is no need to register or obtain any Spanish documentation unless you are going to be working, or for example buying a property, in which case you’ll need an NIE.  After that period, or if you intend to stay more than 3 months, you are expected to register as a resident.

You are given a residency certificate, or ‘certificado de residencia‘, when you successfully register.  The issue of certificates is controlled by the National Police, (Cuerpo Nacional de Policia).

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 is for full-time residency in Spain.

What does the Spanish Non-Lucrative Visa Offer UK British Nationals?

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.

Spanish residency requirements for British citizens / UK nationals changed on January 1st 2021 when the UK left the EU.

British citizens / UK nationals now have to follow the same process as other non-EU national citizens of third countries to get Spanish residency, i.e. there is a requirement to first obtain a visa.

The minimum income required for a British Citizen / UK national to obtain a residency visa, is a lot higher than it was to get residency before Brexit.  In most cases a single applicant needs to have at least €28k per year, whereas previously less than €6k income would have been sufficient.

You also have to obtain a police criminal check report, and medical certificates are also required for most visa applications.

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

Requesting an appointment to apply for Non-Lucrative Visa at the Spanish Consulate in London

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.

Doctors Letter or Medical Certificate for a Non-Lucrative Visa Application

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.

Locations Served by the Spanish Consulate in London