Non Lucrative Visa - Lawyer or DIY?

Hi Steve

Have a read through these threads; they should give you a starter for ten. Good luck! 🤪🥂

Retiring in Spain
Travelling through France and into Spain

The only thing that I would possibly add to the above is that we Brits are not yet too used to exactly how the Spanish embassies view these applications.

If you are certain that you meet the income requirements easily then I would go the DIY route. If, on the other hand, you consider that meeting the requirements is a bit tight then it may be useful to consult a Spanish lawyer who has done this many times before for Russian, Chinese etc clients and knows how to best present your financial situation to get a positive result.

Thanks Kim. I knew I had just over 3 months to enter Spain, but didn't realise I had to apply for a residency permit within a month of arriving, so that's good to know. Is that done within Benidorm (e.g. Town Hall?) Steve

Hi Steve,

When you arrive in Spain and in order to apply for your residency permit, you will need to register on the Padron at your local Town Hall.  However, application for the residency permit (TIE) itself has to be made at the Foreigners' office.  Currently, all TIE applications for UK citizens are being processed via the central office in each of C.Valenciana's provinces - as you're location is showing as Benidorm, that would mean the Alicante foreigners' office.  At some point though, hopefully not too far off, we're hoping that the local foreigners' offices will return to dealing with these matters.

Kind regards,

Kim

Evening Kim

I’m understanding that visas for residency have to be applied for in the U.K., prior to returning to Spain.

At least two forum members appear to have successfully submitted the necessary documents to the Spanish Embassy/ Consulate.

I’m clear about the timescales for returning to Spain and submitting........ This is where I’m getting a bit lost. What happens next? Is it the same process as current residents, exchanging residencia for TIE’s? I don’t mean exchanging, just the process

I appreciate that this is a new process and that you, fortunately, don’t have to go through it, being a bona fide resident 😄 but if you can shed a bit more light, if only for me, it’d be much appreciated 🤪🥂

Hi AngeBadge,

Yes, once you arrive in Spain with the appropriate visa issued by a Spanish embassy (London and Edinburgh), or consulate (Manchester) in the UK, the subsequent residency permit application made in Spain is for the Foreigner's identity card, i.e. the TIE.

Kind regards,

Kim

Perfecto! Just paper and bureaucratic overload then. Blood and sand! 🤪🥂

Thanks again Kim. If I arrive with a non lucrative visa am I able to go straight from registering on the Padron to applying for my TIE, with no time delay? Steve