Before you begin reading my article about Spanish residency requirements:
If you are a non-EU citizen married to an EU citizen then click on Spanish residency for non-EU citizens
- Are you from the USA? Please read my 2022 guide all about moving to Spain from the USA
- Are you from Canada? Please read my 2022 guide all about moving to Spain from Canada
- Are you from South Africa? Please read my 2022 guide all about moving to Spain from South Africa
- Are you from Australia? Please read my 2022 guide all about moving to Spain from Australia
If you’re from a non-EU country and would like to apply for your permanent Spanish residency card click here as you should start with a visa.
Are you ready to become a citizen of Spain? Please read my article Spanish citizenship
Otherwise, please read on 
Before we start… Yours Free
Spain 101 is a free ebook full of unique tips that will save you thousands of Euros when moving to / living in Spain.
Would you like to get it now?
Please click / tap on the image below:
You are ready to apply for Spanish residency.
Thumbs up.
Spain is waiting for you, waiting to look after you.
The legal journey is about to begin.
The thrill.
The excitement.
You might be from the UK and want to be prepared for Brexit.
You might be from another EU country and simply want to legally live in Spain.
One way or another, you are ready for the big day: the application day.
You can imagine how it will be.
Seated in front of a Spanish national policeman.
The black uniform.
The police badge.
The handgun.
It looks so scary, so intimidating.
But you know that after the in-person visit, you will have your Spanish residency card.
A green card like this in your hands:
(This is the only format as of today for EU citizens… no photo)
Your ticket to live in Spain legally has come to you.
A new life in sunny Spain is ahead of you.
But you don’t know where to start
You may have heard some stories from people who kept going back and forth to the police, to never obtain the card.
It seemed every time there was a new document requested, a new piece of information, a new rule pulled out of the hat.
Frustration.
Anger.
Disappointment.
However, the reality is that most of these people go to their appointments totally unprepared.
Wrong requirements.
Without a relocation adviser.
They follow instructions from anonymous (and non-professional) people on Facebook.
They follow misleading information on the Internet (even the official websites are misleading).
They believe what the smiley neighbour says: you can do it on your own, you can save money.
More frustration.
More anger.
More disappointment.
(An angry soul who got his Spanish residency requirements all wrong)
A successful application guided by an experience relocation adviser is pocket money.
You will spend that money on a few meals, a few nights going out.
Without a relocation adviser, the application will be unpredictable, the Spanish residency requirements might not be correct.
Here are the three key points you must consider for a successful application.
1. Booking the appointment
There are certain provinces where you won’t be able to get an appointment easily due to the large amount of people applying.
Other provinces in Spain (the “almost empty” ones, just put “Spain at night” on Google, little lights) have plenty of appointments, practically a few days later… but you can only apply in the area where you live.
Many people get frustrated with this too when they try to apply on their own.
They try the online appointment system once a day.
They can’t book any appointments.
Days go by.
Weeks go by.
Months go by.
They blame the Spanish government.
The Spanish police.
The town hall.
The Spanish red tape.
It’s everybody’s fault.
However, they don’t have my secret weapon: a dedicated person booking appointments full time.
Even if they get the appointment, the Spanish residency requirements become a complete nightmare.
Wrong paperwork.
Wrong government fees.
Wrong application forms.
It’s true, it’s only pocket money when you hire the services of a relocation adviser.
In return, you will get peace of mind, plus the guarantee of having the Spanish residency card in your hands.
(Red numbers in a Spanish calendar mean either local/bank holidays and Sundays)
2. Spanish residency requirements: Financial means
Some websites say you need to have in the bank €7000, €8000, €10,000.
I even read one day that you need to buy property to have Spanish residency, which is totally false.
Other websites say you need regular income sent into your Spanish bank account.
Which one is right?
Both… and none.
Let me explain.
The official websites state: applicants will need to prove enough financial means to live in Spain.
But, what’s enough?
Here is the key.
Every police station has different rules.
There are 17 regions in Spain.
Each region is divided into provinces (there 50 provinces total).
And many provinces have many police stations which process EU and non-EU Spanish residency applications.
Therefore, the final word will be at the relevant police station covering the area where you reside in.
For instance, if you live in Madrid, the final word is neither in Seville nor on Facebook, but in Madrid ?
(This was my underground stop to go to work when I live in Madrid back in 2006)
3. Spanish residency requirements: Healthcare
There are only two possibilities under this requirement:
- Public
- Private
Public is not the European Union health card, but either EU state pension, working in Spain, self-employment in Spain. Sometimes, people working abroad can get these documents too.
Private healthcare is required when you do not fall into the public category.
In other words, you will need to take private insurance if you can’t obtain the public documentation.
Warning: it’s not enough taking private health insurance. It must be a comprehensive policy.
The police will require a specific set of documents from your private health insurance.
Yours Free
Spain 101 is a free ebook full of unique tips that will save you thousands of Euros when moving to / living in Spain.
Would you like to get it now?
Please click / tap on the image below:
Coverage areas
Alicante Province
Costa Blanca: These are my usual in-person coverage areas in Costa Blanca Spain, Altea, Calpe, Orihuela Costa, Benissa, Guadalest, Guardamar, Javea, Moraira, Alicante, La Marina, Denia, Villajoyosa, Pilar de la Horadada, Benidorm, El Campello, Santa Pola, and, of course, Torrevieja; as well as other towns near Alicante.
Inland Alicante province: Orihuela, Elche, Pinoso, Almoradi, Alcoy, Orba, Rojales, Biar, Crevillente, Los Montesinos, San Miguel de Salinas, Benijofar, Algorfa.
Murcia Province
Costa Cálida: including Costa Calida Spain: San Pedro del Pinatar, Los Alcazares, Santiago de la Rivera, Mar Menor , San Javier, Mazarron, Aguilas.
Cities and towns in Murcia province:
Cartagena, Yecla, Sucina, Totana, Alhama, Molina de Segura, Fortuna, Murcia city.
Other areas in Spain
I have collaborators almost everywhere all over Spain, so no worries, I can assist you anywhere you are in Spain, in cities such as: Zaragoza, Vitoria, Bilbao, Albacete, Almería, Logroño, Avila, Badajoz, Caceres, Majorca, Zamora, Barcelona, Burgos, Oviedo, Cadiz, Santander, Castellon, Pontevedra, Ciudad Real, Cordoba, Cuenca, Gerona, Granada, Guadalajara, San Sebastian, Huelva, Huesca, Jaen, Navarra, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gijon, Leon, Lleida, Lugo, Madrid, Malaga, Orense, Palencia, Salamanca, Segovia, Sevilla, Soria, Tarragona, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Teruel, Toledo, Valencia, Valladolid.
