There are three Spanish Consulates in the UK that issue Spanish residency visa. 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 take your application to the BLS International Visa Centre in Edinburgh which handles visa processing for the Consulate of Spain in Edinburgh.
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).
There are a few steps involved in the process to register a car from an 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.
The Spanish Golden Visa offers residency to individuals who make a real estate investment in Spain of €500,000 or more. The Spanish Golden Visa scheme has been in existence since September 2013 when legislation for the ‘residency by investment scheme’ was passed. The aim being to attract foreign investors at a time when the economy of Spain was not in a very good place. Since it’s inception, over 25,000 foreign investors have benefited from the scheme.
The main nationalities benefiting have been Chinese, Russian and US. However now that the UK is no longer in the EU, Spain is now receiving significant numbers of Spanish Golden Visa applications from British Nationals who wish to enjoy their holiday residence, without the 90 day Schengen limitation.
When buying holiday money or sending money abroad, many banks and brokers include hidden fees and or a mark-up in the exchange rate. Not surprising, a recent study into international money transfers and payments found that 75% of consumers do not know about, or do not understand currency exchange rate mark-ups.
In recent years specialised currency exchange companies have broken the monopoly on the supply of currency exchange services. Banks and high street exchanges are no longer the go to choice for changing currency.
These currency exchange companies deliver much more competitive exchange rates to consumers, more personalised service, and faster transfer times than banks offer. It’s no surprise than savvy overseas property buyers and expats choose these companies to get a better deal.
A high street bank may seem like the easy or convenient option, and may be your choice through habit, however using a specialist foreign currency exchange provider is just as easy and more importantly works out much cheaper!
Portugal has ended its Golden Visa residency program for property investors. This announcement came just a week after Ireland terminated of its ‘Golden Visa’ Immigrant Investor Program.
Both countries introduced Golden Visas in 2012, as did Spain, as they struggled to recover from the global financial crisis. The aim was to prevent banking collapse by bringing foreign money into their real estate markets.
If you’re not a Spanish citizen and want to live in Spain, you have to obtain Spanish residency. The process that you have to follow to get Spanish residency depends on your nationality, whether you are from an EU country, and if not, what you plan to do whilst you are a Spanish resident.
Nationals of member states of the European Union and Switzerland, as well as other countries party to the agreement on the European Economic Area, have an unconditional right to reside in Spain. Nationals of countries aside from these, are able to gain residency based on achieving other qualifying conditions and in most cases need to obtain a visa.
For someone planning to live long term in Spain, temporary Spanish residency is the first step towards getting permanent resident status, which can be applied for after 5 years. Thereafter if someone so wishes, they can apply for Spanish citizenship after completing 10 years of permanent residency in Spain.
A Private Medical insurance policy for Spanish visas and residency has to provide a level of healthcare cover equivalent to that provided by the state healthcare system. For a lot of private medical insurance providers this will mean taking out their top level fully comprehensive policy. Co-payments policies that have much lower monthly or annual premiums and you pay a small fee when you need treatment or to see a doctor, are not acceptable.
The general requirements for Private Medical Insurance for Spanish visas and residency are much the same across all the different types of residency, however that are some differences between what’s needed for some.
A Private Medical Insurance for a Spanish Non-Lucrative Visa, has to pass the equivalent to state healthcare test. The policy has to be annual most Spanish Consulates expect the policy to be paid in full up front. Some even insist on there being a full year paid up front from the date you expect to enter Spain with your visa. When you don’t know exactly how long your Non-Lucrative Visa will take to process, getting the Private Medical Insurance policy start date right can be tricky, and sometimes if there are delays, extra months of insurance have to be paid for added to the end of the policy to make up a full 12 months of cover.
For a Spanish Non-Lucrative Visa application, it is best to take Private Medical Insurance with a Spanish provider. Policies from other countries may provide an acceptable level of cover, but if the policy documents are not in Spanish, it can end up quite costly getting the policy documents translated into Spanish to prove this.
Get a quote for Private Medical Insurance for the Spanish Non-Lucrative Visa
Along with the general requirements of Private Medical insurance for Spanish visas and residency, a Private Medical insurance for the Spanish Golden Visa and investor residency, has to be from either a Spanish insurance provider or an insurance provider that is authorised to operate in Spain. So, international or global healthcare policies which may even have superior cover to a Spanish policy, will not be accepted, unless the provider is registered with Spain’s insurance regulator the DGSFP. (Dirección General de Seguros y Fondos de Pensiones). Foreign insurance companies registered in Spain can be searched on their website: http://www.dgsfp.mineco.es/en/Entidades/Paginas/rrpp.aspx
Get a quote for Private Medical Insurance for the Spanish Golden Visa or Investor Residency
The requirements of a Private Medical Insurance Citizens of EU countries applying for their Spanish Residency Certificate, are much the same as for the Non-Lucrative visa, i.e. the policy just needs to meet the general criteria. Because the EU citizen Residency Certificate application is handled on a municipal level at the National Police station, there are variances from place to place as to what may be accepted, and the proof of insurance documents that will be required.
In most places a certificate of cover for a residency application from the provider along with proof of payment of the policy is sufficient. In some places however, they insist on a copy of all the policy documents including the lengthy terms and conditions!
Taking out the wrong Private Medical Insurance policy for your Spanish visa or residency application, can end up in a lot of wasted time and money. We recommend that you use an insurance broker that has lots of experience arranging Private Medical Insurance for Spanish Visas and Residency, as well as knowing which policies are suitable, they will most likely also know a fair bit about the variances in requirements for the different type of visa and residency, the differences from one Spanish consulate to the next, and from place to place.
We handle all the above types of Spanish Visa and Residency applications, and work with a specialist insurance broker to arrange suitable Private Medical Insurance for our clients. If you need to take out Private Medical Insurance for your Spanish Visa or Residency application, we can help you.
Click the link below and fill in the short enquiry form.
When changing tax residency from the UK to Spain, there are potentially costly mistakes that can be made due to not taking advice, or getting the wrong advice, as well as advantages that can be achieved with well advised planning.
Our legal, financial and tax professional associates assist our client with all the formal matters related to taking up residency in Spain, in particular Spanish tax planning.
Most are aware that the Spanish tax system is very different to that of the UK. Income tax allowances vary depending age and whether you have dependents. Tax rates for earned income are higher, and there are different rates for other types or income, such as that from investments or from letting residential property.
You have your non-lucrative visa, and you’re on your way to Spain to start your new life in Spain. Congratulations!
You now start the process of getting yourself registered and set up in Spain.
Here’s our rundown of all the essentials that you’ll need to get done in your first few months of your non-lucrative residency.
Click / tap on the tabs to expand.
Assuming you already have a place to live, registering on the padron is probably the first administrative procedure that you’ll complete.
The ‘certificado empadronamiento’ or padron as it’s commonly referred to, is the document that confirms your registration in your town halls municipal register of inhabitants.
It’s your proof that you reside at your address in Spain and you’ll need it for every official process that requires proof of your Spanish address, starting with your TIE.
The process varies from one place to the next.
The Digital Certificate or ‘Certificado Digital’ in Spanish, is an electronic ID that lets you complete a wide range of administrative processes online using your computer, tablet or phone. You can use it to access all local, regional and national online services, like tax and social security, manage and update your information, complete applications and in many places get an up to date copy of your ‘padron certificate’.
Whilst the certificate gives you access to a lot of things and can be used to complete a lot of procedures such as submitting you non-lucrative residency renewal and tax return, etc, you need to know your way around the systems to be able to use it. Many people allow their lawyer, accountant, gestoria or someone else that they trust to hold their certificate and authorise them to use it to complete procedures on their behalf.
The Digital Certificate can also be used to set up notifications. This is very important, given that the post is so slow and unreliable in Spain. With digital notifications, you’ll never miss an official letter, e.g. from the tax office or town hall, or traffic fine.
There are various types of digital certificates available. The ones most commonly used are the ‘Clave‘ and the one issued by the FNMT. You download it onto device, and one installed you are ready to go.
In some provinces, a digital certificate is now required to book the appointment and more provinces seem to be going this way. This is another reason why getting the digital certificate is one of the first things you need to do.
We usually arrange the set up of the digital certificate at the same time as the padron, as it requires and ID verification which can be done at the town hall.
Once you’ve registered on the ‘padron’ you apply for your foreigners ID card or TIE as it’s known.
The TIE application process is relatively straight forward, however some provinces have significant shortages of appointments at the Foreigners Offices or National Police Stations which handle the issue of the cards. Due to this, the one month deadline for applying after your arrival is not enforced.
At the Police station they check you visa, residency approval, and passport stamps, scan your fingerprints and give you a document called a ‘resguardo’ which is your proof that you’ve done your TIE application. The card is ready to collect in around 4 to 5 weeks, at which time you return with your ‘resguardo’ and passport to collect your card.
With your TIE in hand you can move onto getting other things done which require proof that you are resident in Spain.
You can use your UK licence for up to 6 months after you have obtained you TIE. Once you have your TIE you can exchange your UK licence for a Spanish one. You can use a gestoria to handle this for your, but the best way to do the exchange is by going directly to the driver and vehicle licencing directorate, DGT, often referred to as ‘trafico‘.
The DGT provides info on their website about the process. You’ll need to complete a basic medical, an up to date padron certificate, your passport, application and signature capture form, and a small photo the same as you had for your TIE. When you have everything ready, you book and appointment at ‘trafico’ through their online system.
If you have brought or are bringing you car or vehicles from the UK, the process for this can start once your have registered on the ‘padron’. The first thing that has to be done is clearing customs, and as you are bring your vehicle/s because you are moving to Spain, you’ll be able to apply for an exemption from the 21% VAT and 10% customs duty that would otherwise apply.
You can read more about registering vehicles here: https://autoregistrations.es/register-uk-car-spain and contact our Auto Registrations team on (+34) 678 971 809 if you would like assistance with you vehicle or a quote.
A Spanish mobile phone number is needed for most online applications in Spain. Large providers such as Vodafone cater well for English speaking customers, and if you want to get a number quickly without committing to a contract,we recommend Lobster Mobile, and all in English mobile network.
If you do not already have a Spanish bank account, we recommend that you get one. Lots of things in Spain require a Spanish IBAN (bank account number), and when you come to renew your non-lucrative visa, providing statements for a Spanish bank account showing you day to day spending in Spain will strengthen your application.
To open a bank account as a resident, you will need your passport, TIE and to confirm the origin of funds that will be going into the account, (e.g. pension savings etc).
There are a number of ‘mobile app’ based banks that have sprung up in the last few years. These can be opened quite easily using a smartphone. Some like Revolut give you a Spanish IBAN, other give you an EU IBAN, and you can opt for a physical debit card or just have a virtual one in your app.
Most people who have the Non-Lucrative visa have either savings in the UK or pension income paid to them in pounds. There are many currency exchange companies offering better deals that most banks, and now there are also a large number of fintech banks like Wise and Revolut, that make changing currency and spending in different countries easy and very low cost.
If you haven’t done so already, get an online account, or open and account with an exchange provider such as A Place In The Sun Currency or Money Corp, to make changing your pound to euros’ easy and get the best rate.
Private Medical Insurance – If you have private healthcare, check where the Dr’s and medical centres are in your area that are on your policy providers list, so that when you need attention, you know where to go and don’t go one which isn’t covered by you provider.
S1 NHS Certificate – If you have the S1, you can complete the application to register it with the social security as soon as you get your TIE. The registration takes around 3 months, and one that is done you can enroll at your local healthcentre ‘centro de salud‘ and GP.
In either case, locating an English speaking medical centre or GP if there is one in your area, will be useful when you need medical attention.
Aside from getting banking and currency arrangements set up, there are a few things financial and tax that you need to do or be aware of.
Mentioned in the section about bringing a car to Spain, you notify HMRC that you have left the UK by filling in form P85.
Your tax status should be updated to ‘resident’. This can be done by using your digital certificate to complete form 030. This is important if you owned a property as a non-resident, so the tax office no that you are no longer liable to pay non-residents tax.
If you have savings, investments or property in the UK that are worth more than the equivalent of €50k, you’ll need to complete and overseas assets declaration – Modelo 720 in March of the following year after you moved to Spain.
Your first tax return will be due in June the year following the end of your first tax year in Spain. Read more about completing your tax return and tax in Spain.
This should have started before you moved, i.e. understanding what tax you will pay as a resident in Spain and optimising your financial affairs where possible for Spanish tax. If you have not started planning for tax in Spain and have either a personal pension, investments or savings, we recommend that you speak to one of our Financial & Tax consultants.
If you only just arrived in Spain with your non-lucrative visa, it mighty seem a bit premature to be thinking about the renewal, but it will come round quickly, and there are some key things to be aware of during your first year to help you get a speedy approval when you renew. The main things that hold up renewal applications are:
Lack of Evidence of Living in Spain
Immigration expect to see a day to day living expenditure in Spain in you current account, preferably a Spanish bank account. Use you bank card to pay for everything you spend in Spain in your first year.
Missing Border Control Stamps
Make sure that if you visit the UK or travel outside of the Schengen area and are stamped out, that you get stamped back in when you return. Keep boarding passes in cases stamps are missed.
Taxes in Spain Not up to Date
The most common cause of an issue here is unpaid non-resident property tax where renewal applicants owned a property as a holiday home before getting their non-lucrative visa, and were not even aware that they should have been paying this tax.
Gap in Healthcare
This can happen when changing Private Medical Insurance provider or switching to state healthcare, e.g. via the S1. It is important to make sure you do not have any gap in your healthcare cover.
This list is intended as a basic guide for the main things that most new non-lucrative residents need to do and think about in their first 6 months in Spain. Of course everyone’s situation is different and along with everything here there will likely be many other things on your getting set up in Spain checklist. The above is hopefully a good starting point for you.