efore you begin reading my article on Spanish residency rules:
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:
Having Spanish residency could be more important than buying property in Spain.
Yes, much more important.
And there is a simple reason behind.
Your Spanish residency card is the stay permit in Spain.
It’s the way to legally live in Spain (and not being deported).
It’s the way to access to the Spanish healthcare system.
Not having Spanish residency would be similar to driving without having a driving licence.
Can you imagine yourself driving in a foreign country without having a legal driving licence?
Your blood pressure would increase every time you see the police.
Not a good scenario.
(Somebody will get stopped in 3, 2, 1…)
But here is the question
Do you meet with the main requirements to obtain your Spanish residency card?
You may think is having expensive property.
You may think is making regular transfers to your Spanish bank account.
You may think is paying tax in Spain with a big smile (and a good heart).
Perhaps you have been told that Mr Nombre got his residency card without the padron certificate.
Perhaps you have been told that Mr Apellido obtained his Spanish residency without having an appointment.
One day, I even heard that somebody (to whom we could call Mr Hasta Luego) got his residency without having to show financial means or healthcare.
Right.
Spanish residency rules: the one thing
It is a fact: Many people buy property in Spain impulsively and never think about having Spanish residency.
Then, when they find out they must be residents in Spain, there are three groups:
- The ones who will try to do it themselves looking for information from the Internet (conflicting information)
- The ones who get shocked when they find out that professional services will cost them a few hundred euros (usually end up with the wrong people)
- The ones who will hire professional services to get the problem solved (the right approach)
There are tons of webpages speaking about the Spanish residency card.
It’s the fashion today (especially for British citizens due to Brexit).
Some of these websites might have useful information.
Some of them have no idea.
Some of them bring no more than confusion.
But the one thing nobody says clearly about the Spanish residency card is that:
To obtain it (or not) will depend on the relevant police station because there are different interpretations
In other words, the requirements will slightly change depending on the police station from one region to another, from one town to another.
How can it be possible?
I could write a whole thesis about this subject, about why things are not centralised in Spain, going through:
- The 17 regions of the actual Spain
- The 50 provinces
- Historical reasons that would keep me pulling the string probably back to the Roman Empire
Informative.
Right.
But not practical.
And if there is something that will truly help you in Spain is precisely what I just mentioned:
Being practical and getting the problem solved
Forget about debates, gossips, or whatever your read on Facebook from totally anonymous people.
There is only one universal truth in Spain: the relevant office where you will apply for your Spanish residency (padron, NIE number, driving licence, you name it).
(The 50 Spanish provinces)
Let me give you an example
You live in Madrid and would like to apply for the Spanish residency.
Where should you find out?
At the relevant office where you will apply in Madrid.
Only there.
Not in Barcelona, not in the Canary Island, not in Majorca.
Chances are you will get 7000 different answers on Facebook from people who didn’t even apply in Madrid (as well as people who have no experience in relocation services).
Applying for the Spanish residency is not an immigration interview you will have pass. It’s an administrative process that only requires one thing:
The right information from the relevant office
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:
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.
