CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION AS A CITIZEN OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

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How to Start Living in Spain as a European Entrepreneur

Do you really need a residence permit as an EU citizen to live in Spain? No. It is not necessary to go through the general aliens process required to obtain a residence permit or visa. If you are from the EU, things are much easier. Unlike all residence permits and visas for non-EU citizens, if you are from the European Union, the applicable law is the EU Scheme.

Citizens of the European Union, nationals of the European Economic Act (i.e. Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and Swiss citizens do not need a residence permit or visa to live and work in Spain. This undoubtedly makes it very easy for you to move to Spain and start a new life with your family here.

Legal requirements depending on the length of your stay:

However, you may have to take an additional legal step. And that will depend on how long you are in Spain:

• If you are going to stay less than 3 months in Spain, as you are going to be a tourist or on holiday, you can enter the country freely. It is not necessary to apply for any kind of document.
• Things are different if you stay longer than 90 days. You will have to register and obtain your resident certificate, registering your address and proving that you have sufficient funds to stay in the country, as well as providing a health insurance contract.

What is the certificate of registration as a citizen of the European Union?

The EU registration certificate is the legal document that any citizen of the European Union who wishes to register as a citizen of the European Union must have. living and working in Spain for more than 3 months you have to apply to be legal in the country. Obtaining this document is really simple, and can be done in as little as 24 hours. This certificate of registration as an EU citizen is a simple document that certifies that you have registered in the Central Register of Foreigners here in Spain. You will need to to manage it personally during the first 3 months after your entry into Spanish territory.

How to obtain residence as a European citizen in Spain in 3 easy steps:

• FIND A PLACE TO LIVE:

This is a crucial step, as without permanent residence/address you cannot register as an EU citizen in Spain. You will have to prove that you live in the country, and owning a house/property is the way to do this. Therefore, the first thing you will have to do is to find a place to live. The Spanish territory is completely diverse and there is no place better than the other. Whatever you choose, you will have made the right choice.

Buy or rent?

Once you have chosen the city or region you will move to, you must decide whether to buy or rent. And that may have some implications for your legal registration:

• If you buy a property (a flat or a house), there will be no problem. You will have to provide the deed of sale, called nota simple, and that will be enough to prove that you are resident in Spain.
• But what if you are renting? In that case you should make sure that the rental contract is for at least 11 months or more, as medium-term contracts are not always accepted. Our advice is to get a long-term contract, as this will be the key to ensuring a successful application.

• REGISTRATION

Once you have your new house or flat, it is time to register your address as a resident with the local town hall, a process called empadronamiento. This simply means that you will have to register with the municipal registry, indicating your address and defining the names of the people who will live with you. This is how municipalities control the total number of inhabitants in each municipality. In addition, registering your children at school, obtaining government subsidies, voting in European elections, etc.

THE PROCESS IS REALLY SIMPLE AND QUICK AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CONTRIBUTE:

• Your passport and a copy of it.
• If you live from renting, a rental contract, and if you have bought a property, a document proving the transaction.
• Fill in the resident registration form that will be given to you at the town hall during the application.

And that's it! You will receive the so-called certificate of registration and you can move on to the next step.

• GETTING A RESIDENCE CARD (TIE) (see TIP)

HOW TO DEMONSTRATE THE POSSESSION OF SUFFICIENT FUNDS:

If you are a self-employed person who has set up a business, you will need to demonstrate the operations of the business.

Legal procedure to bring your family members to Spain as a European citizen

Of course, you can move to Spain with your family. Your spouse or partner, children and even other family members can also easily obtain residency in the country. However, the process differs depending on your nationality.

Legal process if they are also European citizens

If they are EU, EEA or Swiss nationals, the process will be exactly the same as above. What we recommend is to start a joint application and do each step of the process at the same time. This will make things much easier. And, you can do so with your spouse, registered partner, children under 21 or dependants.

Legal process if your family members are from outside the European Union

But what happens if these relatives are from a non-EU country? The procedure is then a bit more complicated. In that case, they will have to obtain a regular residence permit, the so-called EU family visa. And there are several differences with respect to the case of EU family members. In this case, the procedure must be initiated at the Spanish consulate in the country of origin. There, the family relationship must be proven with the relevant documentation.

This basically means that, thanks to your status as an EU citizen living legally in Spain, they can also obtain residency in the country. You can now understand why it can be so positive to register as a common law partnership if your partner is from outside the European Union. It can easily give you the possibility to become a Spanish resident.

WORK PERMIT FOR EU CITIZENS:

HOW CAN YOU MAKE SURE YOU CAN WORK LEGALLY IN SPAIN?

Again, it is not necessary to obtain a work permit as an EU citizen residing in Spanish territory. Thanks to the Schengen agreements, you have already been granted the possibility to work in the country. And this can be done in record time, in as little as 24 hours!!!

You can find more information about the work permit in Spain and the different related visas here. However, you may have to register with social security. If you work for a company, your employer will do this, and will pay you monthly through a deduction from your salary. But if you become self-employed, you will have to do it yourself.

You can easily make the procedure on the Social Security website here (+)