What was Required for Us to Live in Spain?

Many folks have asked what we had to do to live in Spain as residents and I'll take a stab at responding to that question but want all to understand that not only am I NOT an expert on this topic but also, from what I have read, applying for and getting a visa depends on many factors including where you call home. If one stays for 90 days or less no visa is required for US citizens.

Spanish Consulate in Washington, DC

The Consulate's Role

Assuming you are living legally in the United States you must apply for your residence visa at the Spanish consulate covering your state.  You can find that out at The Embassy webpage, selecting a consulate that looks near your residence and looking for 'Jurisdiction' which will show a map or list of states they cover.  Each consulate website seems to be slightly different, but look around and you will find the answer. For example, Our consulate, for Virginia, is in Washington, DC.

Once you find the right consulate website, look for visa information, review all the types one can apply for and their requirements.  In our case, it was the non-lucrative visa which means we are not permitted to be employed by a Spanish employer.  If one works remotely for an off-shore employer that is allowed.  We have no desire or need to earn money, so the non-lucrative visa fit our needs well.

Each consulate appears to have different requirements, and most require an appointment to submit your application.  The Washington, DC consulate did not make appointments and we just walked in and were in and out in about an hour and a half.

The basic requirements are that you have

1. income to support yourselves (we used Social Security and pension benefits letters);
2. a clear criminal record (we used Commonwealth of Virginia background check with fingerprints via the State Police);
3. statement by a doctor that you are free of communicable diseases, addictions, and mental health issues;
4. proof of health insurance that is comparable with what Europeans enjoy from the government (meaning no co-pays or deductibles).  

There is also a form that must be filled out, some documents must be translated into Spanish by an official translator and the criminal background report signature must be validated by what is called an Apostille of the Hague, kind of like an internationally recognized notary seal.

We needed a recent wedding certificate from the state where we were married to prove we were a couple, which reduced the amount of income we needed to prove and that needed an Apostille as well.

All these things were easy and affordable except the health insurance.  I found through research that if I had a Spanish bank account I could get the required insurance for about one quarter the cost of buying it internationally and paying by credit card.  So I researched how to open a Spanish account and found that normally one had to have the residence status to open an account.  But there was some mention of a 'non-resident account' so I flew to Spain and tried to open an account.  Six banks in Valencia told me it was impossible.  But two hinted that I might have better luck in Leon, the capital of the province where we intended to live.

The Lion of Leon

Off to Leon 

So I bought a train ticket and away I went to Leon.  I'll shorten the tale to say that I walked into a small bank branch office in Leon and a banker there worked with me for over three hours to not only get me a bank account but also the required health insurance, complete with the policy in my hand, in Spanish of course, so no translation required.  This was a branch of the same well-known Spanish bank that in Valencia told me it was impossible. It was amazingly good work on his part and he has earned my loyalty.  I never would have guessed that one could buy health insurance at the bank.

I now had time for a quick trip to Astorga, 30 minutes away by bus or train, to look at neighborhoods where we will be renting and visit the stores we would be relying on the coming year. Astorga still captures my heart even though the gelato shop was closed for the season.

I had gotten translations of all the other required documents in Virginia, but as long as I was in Spain I decided to get it all translated by an officially recognized translator if I could find one who could do it in 24 hours.  I asked Siri for the name of a translator near me and Sheila's name came up.  I called her, told her my situation, she agreed to do it, I sent her the originals as email attachments and picked the official translations up at her office the next day as I passed back through Leon on my way back to Valencia.

Back in the States

Outside the consulate after submitting our application

Papers in hand we drove up to Washington, walked into the consulate, they reviewed our paperwork, had us sign a few forms and accepted our payment and an Express Mail envelope.  They told us it would take three to five weeks to get a response, and we walked away feeling very thankful and positive about our experience.

Two weeks later we got a call saying our application had been approved, the next day the overnight mail envelope appeared with all our paperwork.  That night we clicked 'submit' on our cruise tickets and as I write this we are two days from boarding the ship for a restful 14 day trip to Barcelona.

We have elected to not have WiFi on the ship so there may not be any posts or responses until May 11th, don't worry about us.  I may find a connection at some port we stop at, but I am not sure.

Remember, your experience, should you chose to apply for a visa, will not be the same as mine, each visa type has different requirements, each consulate seems to have different instructions and procedures.  But if you have questions feel free to ask and I'll do my best to give you good information based on my reading and current experience.