Well after looking through many of the pages on this fantastic site, I have a few questions. 

I plan to move to Spain for an indefinite amount of time, and the non-lucrative visa will be the easiest for me to get and also the most applicable to my situation.  I meet all of the requirements, and am curious how I can “prove” my income to the Spanish consulate?  Is there any typical sort of document which they prefer?  And a six month wait time is about standard, is that correct?

Then, once I have obtained the visa, how long is it good for?  I have absolutely no idea.

And does this visa constitute “residence”?  Again, I have no idea.

What of my travel to other EU countries?  I am from the US and am permitted 90 days without any special visa, so what would this visa permit me?  Again, no idea.

Finally, a question unrelated to the actual visa.  I am permitted 180 days out of 360 and 90 days at a time.  So then if I stay in Spain for 80 days and leave for the UK for three days, do I get a fresh 90 days? 

I know, lots of questions and no information for all of you :]  I’m really looking forward to returning to Spain… can’t wait.

There is no specific document set that you must present to the Spanish Consulate to verify income, as eveyones case is different.  But present as much data as you can to support the $75,000 annual income needed for the non lucrative visa….the more data the better.  These documents may include:

-Salary confirmation issued by your employer
-A letter from your manager stating that you will still recieve your income while residing in Spain.
-Savings bank accout summary/balance
-Checking bank account summary/balance
-401k account summary/balance
-credit cards showing avail. credit limits
-Equity lines of credit avail.
-Any assest help (houses, lands, etc..)

The non lucrative visa is a 1 entry visa and is only good for 90 days, I know this sounds strange b/c this is the same amount of time that the US tourist visa is for.  Once in Spain you (within in the 1st 30 days) you must go down to the local police station and apply for a residence permit which I am told is good for a 1 year and can be renewed up to 5yrs.
Hope this helps.

Awesome, thanks for the info. 

Can anyone recommend a lawyer/representative to help with the whole process on the west coast (I’ll be using the Los Angeles consulate).  I don’t have any friends or family who can recommend assistance on that angle.

Howdy,

I’m a US cit residing in Mad with a permiso de residencia no lucrativo.  We used a lawyer (expensive) to get through the process the first time for my wife and then did it without a lawyer for myself (we registered separately instead of as a couple).  The expensive lawyer provided absolutely no help whatsoever.  After talking with mediator services provided by the state they assured us there is nothing lawyers can do to expedite, in fact we were not allowed to bring a lawyer to our meetings with our case worker.  The exception to this is if you are going to be working for a large company or religious organization over here and they can cut you through the lines.  So my advice is forget the lawyer, be prepared to stand in lines for hours and it definitely helps if you speak Spanish. 

As far as needs, hit the web pages to see what you will need for copies and for proof of income.  Once you get over here you will have to consult the local agency that is processing your claim for their specific needs.  The process and location has changed here in Mad every time we go for a renewal so patience and a good sense of humor are the rules you will need to follow the most.

I hope that helps.

Tybalt-
Have you made your move to Spain or going to in the near future?  I am in a very similar situation and wanted to see what progress you have made and if you have found out any helpful information.  please advise if you can, thanks.

We used a lawyer in Barcelona after our non lucrative visas were DENIED, even though we met all the requirement. Anyway, he filed an appeal and it was approved. Now we have to go back to the US to pick up the visas. THEN we have to register with the police here. If I had it to do again, I would just live here a year without the benefit of a visa because the illegal immigration problem here is not with the United States.

Oh, the reason our visa process took so long (9 months) is because the woman in Barcelona responsible for residential visas was ARRESTED for accepting bribes from the Russian Mafia. She actually DENIED our visas I think to make it look good. Our file got sent to MAdrid and then lost etc etc. Our case is apparently the first of its kind in Spain. It has been kind of expensive but if I were you and planning to apply for a visa, I would get a lawyer out of the chute.

all i can say is WOW to that.  what an ordeal.  i’m nervous about not having a visa, but seeing what you went through, what i thought originally seems to be right:  too much red tape for just a year.  that’s all we plan on staying is one year.  i will still apply for the non-lucrative visa anyways, but we’re going whether we are approved or not.  the one thing that makes me ‘iffy’ is that we are bringing our dogs and i don’t know if that’s going to raise a red flag or not.  do you have any experience with that or know of anyone who has?  i’m sure it’s unlikely, but thought i would ask just in case.  your information is much appreciated and I thank you for taking the time to reply. 

Hope your situation is much better now:)

Well, we still have to go home and get the visas which entails a flight to, across and from the US in the holiday season! But I do like to do things by the book so I like the idea we will be legal even though I am not sure it matters.

We don’t have pets so I really don’t know anything about that. It also will be hard to get insurance but not a bank account. I am glad you are applying. I think you will be fine as the folks accepting the bribes are out of there now I believe.

Good luck.

Sorry you have to come all the way back to the US for your visas, but at least you are getting them!!!  I know what you mean about being legal, just a relief in general even if it doesn’t matter.

Have a safe trip back here to the US!-thanks again for your info.

I keep seeing that for a non-lucrative, that you must prove an “annual income” of $75,000 or more. I was under the impression that you just needed 75k in the bank, but you actually have to be receiving that amount of money annually? I’m confused by that. Who receives 75k by not working? If you receive that from interest from your investments or something, then you have a lot of money invested!

Can some one clear this up for me? 75k in income or 75k in reserves (savings, account)?

One other question, does each person applying have to have 75k or can a married couple have 75k together?

Thanks!

Hi——Did u ever get any answer back on your most important question about the 75,000 annual requirement? 
        If it TRULY was based on having 75,000 interest income annually,with TODAY’s interest rates of return,you’d need about
        3,000,000 usd .  I bet u could find one,maybe two ppl that got their non-luc visas without that amount,—-agree?

I work in a law firm in Barcelona. We recently asked an immigration lawyer to join our staff. Now that I better understand what part she plays in the process, I’d like to pass on my knowledge regarding whether or not you should use an immigration lawyer. A good immigration lawyer does, in fact, have access to the Spanish authorities reviewing your application. They represent many clients, so the authorities see the lawyer on a daily basis and know her by name. It simplifies their work to be able to contact the lawyer and receive clarifications regarding the application. It is NOT worth it for them to contact the applicant directly to ask for extra documents. The lawyer can supply the additional documentation requested for an application that would otherwise get rejected. The lawyer speaks their language, both literally and figuratively.

That said, you can do the process yourself, and that is certainly preferable than hiring a lawyer who is not specialized in immigration.

Tom Strong
http://www.strongabogados.com