Living in abroad is a dream for many of us but the options are limited when it comes to residency permits. Luckily Spain has a great option for people who do not intend to work here but rather retire or even experience a year or two living in these sunny lands.
A non-lucrative residence is a special type of long term residency permit that allows you to live in Spain without having any financial activity such as working or doing business in the country and not be a burden to the public health system (by having a private health insurance).
While there are quite a few documents that you will need to gather before applying, this is one of the simplest visas to obtain as the list is pretty straightforward and so is the processing part from the immigration officials.
Main Requirements
The main requirement to qualify for a non-lucrative visa is that you have enough financial resources to support yourself and your dependents during your stay. That can be income from your investments, from work conducted in other countries or simply savings.
The required amount is four times the current year’s IPREM (548.60 € in 2020) per month for yourself + 1 for each family member or dependent that is going to live with you.
E.g. : If you are a couple with a kid you would need 26332.8 € for yourself + 6583.2 € for each additional member so in total 33019.2 € in your bank account in order to qualify for a one year non-lucrative residence permit.
Other requirements
- Having a clean criminal record.
- Having a private insurance.
- Medical certificate that proves that you don’t suffer for a disease that can danger the public health according to the International Health Regulation 2005.
List of Documents
This will depend a lot on your country of origin or the Spanish Consulate where you apply to so you will need to get the exact information from them but in general the required documents to present at the consulate during your appointment are the following:
- National visa application form
- Form EX-01
- Three passport sized photos
- Original passport (valid for at least 1 year)
- Proof of income
- Police criminal record
- Medical Certificate
- Proof of having medical international insurance
- Authorization Form M790 Codigo 052
Keep in mind that all these documents need to be translated in Spanish by an official, government-sanctioned translator and legalized with the Apostille of the Hague Convention.
Processing time and additional information
Once you have presented all the documents and submitted your application the processing can officially take up to 3 months but from our experience more often than not you will get a response within 15-20 days.
The first permit will be valid for one year and can be renewed twice for two years each. After living in Spain for 5 years you will then be eligible for a permanent residency which then removes the limitations regarding laboral activity.
Are you ready to apply? Hit us up with any questions you might have at info@expatsinbarcelona.com and we will do our best to resolve your doubts.
Next step: Arriving in Spain and getting your Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (TIE).