Mark K. Says:
As a retired couple, can you direct us to a source that will tell us the basics of what we need to do to become residents and citizens of Spain?
IL Chief Global Diversification Expert Ted Baumann Says:
Hi Mark,
You have a number of options available to get Spanish residency (I’ll talk about citizenship later).
Here are a few of the current ones that may be of particular interest:
Non-Lucrative Visa and Residency Permit (sometimes called the Retirement Visa): If you are retired and/or have sufficient investments to support yourself, this visa may be the easiest to get.
If you meet the requirements, the first residency permit is for one year. The first and second renewals are for two years each, so Non-Lucrative (NL) Residency can last five years (at which point you are eligible for the Long Duration Residency).
By definition, you cannot work with this permit (and that includes remote work of any kind), but after one year, you can convert NL Residency to Employment Residency or Self-Employment Residency.
You must have the equivalent of €30,000 ($33,207 at time of writing) in a bank account or document income from pensions or investments of €2,130 ($2,357) a month, plus €532 ($588) a month for your spouse and each dependent child. Income from rental properties or salaries is not accepted.
You also have to provide proof of private health insurance in Spain, a clean criminal record from the FBI with fingerprints, and a letter from a doctor stating that you have no infectious diseases.
Consulates can add other requirements. Some consulates require “proof of accommodation” in the form of a one-year lease or title to a property in Spain. But proving that you have a place to stay should be sufficient.
The official minimum annual income you must show to demonstrate that you can support yourself is updated annually. However, Spanish immigration can decide the actual minimum income you must show, based on where in Spain you plan to live, so the more income you can show, the better.
There’s also a visa by residency option, known as a Golden Visa, for foreign entrepreneurs and high net worth individuals who want to immigrate to Spain. See here for a detailed explanation of the Spanish Golden Visa.
This is a residence visa issued to a non-EU national who intends to make a significant investment in the Spanish economy. The visa offers the holder and their family members residency, including the right to live, work, and study in Spain, as well as visa-free access to the Schengen Zone.
For a full breakdown of your visa and residency options in Spain, you should pick up a copy of Escape to Spain on the IL bookstore. Everything you need to know is covered in Chapter 5: Visas and Residence. Get it here.
After living in Spain for five uninterrupted years, you can apply for permanent residency. This permit is renewable every five years. The holder has every right that a citizen has except the right to vote. After 10 years in this status, you can apply for citizenship.
Spain also has citizenship options based on ancestry, called jus sanguinis (Latin for right of blood). However, unless you have some Spanish ancestry, this likely won’t apply to you.You can get the full details on Spanish citizenship in The Passport Book, written by my father, former congressman Bob Bauman. Pick that up on the IL bookstore here.
Got a Question?
Send your thoughts to mailbag@internationalliving.com. We’ll post and respond to as many of your emails as we can right here in the e-letter.