The Long-Term Residence Permit is one of the permits in Spain which is granted usually to individuals who have legally resided in the country for the previous five years prior to the application, and here we research the top keys to obtain long term residence in Spain.
This permit offers permanent residence in Spain, with the card being valid for five years.
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In this post we cover the following: (click any section to see its content)
The top keys to obtain long term residence in spain.
- CONTINUOUS RESIDENCE FOR FIVE YEARS »
- NO CRIMINAL RECORD »
- FINANCIAL MEANS AND LONG-TERM RESIDENCE »
- NO PRIOR WORK OR CONTRIBUTION NEEDED »
- AUTHORIZATION TO WORK »
- CAUTION WITH TRIPS OUTSIDE SPAIN»
- EXTRAORDINARY RENEWAL »
- LONG-TERM RESIDENCE AND FAMILY REUNIFICATION »
- ALL TYPES OF RESIDENCY AVAILABLE IN SPAIN »
- SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A SOLICITOR »
CONTINUOUS RESIDENCE FOR FIVE YEARS:
To apply for the Long-Term Residence Permit, it is necessary to prove that the applicant has resided in Spain for the five years preceding the application, and that this residence has been legal and continuous in Spain.
This is the most common route to obtain this long-term permit in Spain.
NO CRIMINAL RECORD:
Like any other application for residency authorization, it is necessary not to include a criminal or police record. This report should ideally demonstrate no criminal records.
If the applicant does have a criminal record, we recommend that the applicant applies to cancel them before making the application for Residence Permit.
Currently, the Spanish Foreigner Offices must conduct an individualized study of each application, as well as the personal, social, and family situation of the applicant. If the applicant has any type of criminal record, the type of offense committed, when it occurred, and the current status of that criminal procedure will be evaluated and may effect the application.
The EU Court of Justice recently recognized that the Long-Term Residence cannot be denied solely because of having a criminal record, but it is recommended that any criminal record is cleared before the application.
FINANCIAL MEANS AND LONG-TERM RESIDENCE:
Unlike other authorizations in Spain, when submitting a Long-Term Residence application, it is not necessary to prove that you have financial means.
In other words, the application does not have to prove that the applicant has an employment contract, self-employment activity, or prove that there are savings.
Should a work contract exist, this can be added to the application together with payment receipts, but this is purely voluntary documentation.
NO PRIOR WORK OR CONTRIBUTION NEEDED:
It is neither necessary to prove that the applicant has worked for a specific period before applying for the Long-Term Residence Permit.
Additionally, the applicant does not have to justify their financial means or income, neither do they need to prove that they have been registered with the corresponding Social Security regime during the duration of their previous residence time in Spain.
AUTHORIZATION TO WORK:
The Long-Term Residence Permit authorizes both employed and self-employed work.
Holders of this permit can work for a company or create their own project and work as a freelancer without the need to complete any prior procedures at the Foreigners’ Office.
CAUTION WITH TRIPS OUTSIDE SPAIN:
Although at the time of applying for the Long-Term Residence, neither financial means nor previous activity will be considered, the trips you have made during the last five years will be taken into account.
It is necessary for the residence to be continuous and legal in Spain (provided you are accessing Long-Term Residence under this assumption). Continuity will not be affected by absences from Spanish territory of up to six continuous months, provided that the total does not exceed ten months within the five years. If it is due to work reasons, it cannot exceed one year in total within the required five years.
Therefore, it is important that if you leave Spain, you never exceed these deadlines.
EXTRAORDINARY RENEWAL:
It may happen that at the time of application for Long-Term Residence, that the card holder, may have been outside of Spain for longer than allowed. What happens then and will the applicant be allowed to keep their residency in Spain?
In these cases, and to prevent the applicant from becoming illegal in Spain, there exists the possibility of requesting or making an extraordinary renewal of their residence card, which will permit residence a further two years.
This way the holder has time to comply with each of the requirements established for Long-Term residency in Spain.
LONG-TERM RESIDENCE AND FAMILY REUNIFICATION:
Once the Long-Term Residence permit in Spain is obtained, it is permitted for its holder to carry out family reunification residency applications for their accendants.
For this, it is necessary to have a Long-Term Residence or Long-Term Residence U, permitting the reunification of ascendants or the ascendants of the holders spouse or registered partner.
ALL TYPES OF RESIDENCY AVAILABLE IN SPAIN:
- Golden-Visa Spain (Spain citizenship by investment)
- Non-Lucrative visa Spain (Spain visa non lucrative)
- Self-Employed visa Spain (self employed expats in Spain)
- Digital-Nomad visa Spain (remote worker in Spain)
Please see-here our video-blog with options and legal-advice to obtain residency in Spain.
Remember that immigration procedures and immigration regulations change regularly, so it’s crucial to stay updated with the latest information from reliable sources. If you have specific questions or concerns about your situation, it’s advisable to consult with immigration authorities or legal professionals specializing in immigration matters, to do this, please click-here »
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Permanent residency is obtained after 5 years of Spanish Residency through Self-Employed Residency, Digital-Nomad, Non-Lucrative Residency or Golden-Visa. This followed by 5 years as a permanent resident in Spain and means you can then obtain Spanish Citizenship with a Spanish Passport.
