Residency in Spain: the steps, from official sources
What applies everywhere in Spain on residency, each with the official page that confirms it, then the regions whose own rules add to it.
Your plan, in your order. Documents, offices, hours and fees for your city, for your passport and visa.
Open the guideAcross Spain
Obtain the TIE residence card
The TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) is the plastic card that proves a non-EU foreigner’s legal residence in Spain; you must apply for it in person at the police documentation unit within one month of arriving…
Register as an EU citizen resident in Spain
EU/EEA/Swiss citizens who stay in Spain more than three months apply in person at the foreigners' office or police station for the 'certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión', a paper certificate that shows their…
Book a cita previa for extranjería / police appointments
Immigration and foreigner-ID procedures handled by the National Police or the foreigners' office (NIE, TIE fingerprints, EU registration and others) require an advance appointment booked through the state’s online 'Cita…
Understand the Schengen 90/180 rule, the EES and ETIAS before you have residency
US citizens may stay in Spain (and the rest of the Schengen area combined) without a visa for at most 90 days in any rolling 180-day period; those days are now registered biometrically by the EU Entry/Exit System (EES)…
Understand the visa pathways for Americans moving to Spain
US citizens can visit Spain visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180 but need a national long-stay visa (applied for at a Spanish consulate in the US) to live here, and the right visa depends on whether you will not work…
A decision on your immigration application
A resolución de extranjería is the Spanish authorities' decision on an immigration application.
General Work Visa / Work Authorization (Autorización de Residencia y Trabajo por Cuenta Ajena)
The standard route for a non-EU/EEA foreigner to live and work in Spain for a specific Spanish employer, normally requiring a job offer and an employer-initiated authorization process before the individual applies for…
Golden Visa (Investor Residence Visa) — Abolished Route, Status and Transition
Spain’s former investor residence visa ('Golden Visa'), created under Article 63 of Ley 14/2013 and historically obtainable via a real-estate investment of at least €500,000 (among other investment options), has been…
Identity document for people granted international protection
People granted refugee status or subsidiary protection (and recognized stateless people) receive an identity document from the Policía Nacional.
International telework (digital nomad) visa or residence authorization
The international telework route lets a non-EU national live in Spain while working remotely for companies located outside Spain, either via a visa from a consulate (up to 1 year) or a residence authorization applied…
Non-lucrative residence visa (living in Spain without working)
The non-lucrative visa and residence authorization is the route the Spanish authorities describe for non-EU nationals who want to live in Spain without any gainful activity, backed by proof of sufficient financial means…
Ukrainian temporary protection: the card and its renewal
Temporary protection for people displaced from Ukraine gives a residence and work permit for its whole duration, including self-employment.
Which Spain Visa/Residency Route Is Right for Me? (Overview)
A decision-orientation overview comparing the main national residency routes available to non-EU/EEA foreigners moving to Spain: non-lucrative visa (living on passive income/savings, no work), digital nomad visa (remote…
Apply for Spanish nationality by residence online
Nationality by residence is requested through the Ministry of Justice’s electronic procedure, with identification and electronic signature, the required documents and the paid fee.
Renew temporary residence and move to long-term residence (5 years)
Temporary residence authorizations are renewed in Spain during a window around expiry, and after five years of continuous legal residence a foreigner may apply for national long-term residence or EU long-term residence…
Residence card for family of EU or Spanish citizens (tarjeta de familiar de ciudadano de la Unión)
Non-EU relatives of EU/EEA/Swiss citizens (and, under the same regime, Spanish citizens) who move to Spain apply for a 'Tarjeta de residencia de familiar de ciudadano de la Unión' within three months of entering Spain…
Student Visa and Its Residency Implications (Visado de Estudios)
A national visa for non-EU/EEA foreigners enrolled in a course of study, internship, research, or training program in Spain lasting more than 90 days, which also enables limited part-time work and, under recent reform…
Take the CCSE exam (constitutional and sociocultural knowledge)
The CCSE is the Instituto Cervantes test of knowledge of the Spanish Constitution, culture, history and society that the nationality-by-residence procedure requires unless an exemption applies.
Take the DELE A2 Spanish exam for nationality
The DELE is the Instituto Cervantes diploma in Spanish as a foreign language; nationality by residence requires at least level A2 unless an exemption applies.
UK nationals: residence under the Withdrawal Agreement
UK nationals who lived in Spain before 1 January 2021 are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement.
Importing a US-registered car into Spain
A car bought outside the EU has to clear customs, get the H1 import certificate, pass the ITV inspection, pay the registration tax and be registered with the DGT before it can get Spanish plates.
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