How to obtain a residence permit in Spain – let’s consider different ways
First of all, let’s put the things right at once: you cannot buy a residence permit in Spain, just like in any other EU country, even if you have sufficient finances. This is not a store or a supermarket where you can order and pay for a product or service.
However, you can always obtain a residence permit of Spain in a completely legal way by choosing one of the options below from our company. What does a residence permit give to the applicant? First of all, this is a status that confirms the legality of temporary residence in the country, and in some situations it allows you to be officially employed.
A residence permit in Spain is the first step towards obtaining permanent residence status, which gives the right for permanent residence and official employment in the Kingdom. You can obtain permanent residence after a five-year period as of the date of registration of a residence permit, and you must live in the Spanish Kingdom for at least 6 months annually.
The final and logical step is the issuance of a passport with Spanish citizenship (10 years after obtaining a residence permit or 5 years after obtaining permanent residence).
Program description
How can one obtain a residence permit in Spain today? About eight years ago the Spanish government adopted a program explaining how to obtain a residence permit through investment.
An investment “golden visa” or the applicant’s participation in the Golden Residence Permit Program provides for the opportunity to issue a residence permit in just a couple of months. You will be required to invest in the Spanish economy a minimum amount (starting from €500,000 for the purchase of real estate objects), after that you will already obtain a residence permit in 60 days, in five years you will obtain permanent residence, and in another five years – a Spanish passport.
In addition, investments can concern not only real estate objects: you can purchase Spanish government bonds in the amount of €2,000,000, open a deposit account (in the amount starting from €1 million) or buy shares of the country’s enterprises for the same amount.
The main advantage of this option of obtaining a residence permit is the opportunity to naturalize all family members. In addition, there is no need to confirm knowledge of the Spanish language and take an exam in history. Also you do not have to permanently reside in the territory of the Kingdom.
Conditions for obtaining a Spanish residence permit
How to obtain a residence permit in Spain using an investment offer? You must have at least half a million euros to purchase real estate (one or more objects). You are free to dispose of the purchased objects at your own will and understanding, however, you can sell the property and return the investment only in a five-year period. The time limits for obtaining a residence permit is from 60 to 90 days.
The investor must meet certain requirements, including:
Investments – main options
How to obtain a residence permit in Spain by means of the investor program? To begin with you should choose one of the options appropriate for your particular situation, among which are:
- Acquisition of real estate objects.
The minimum investment amount starts from €500,000. You can purchase any type of real estate within the Spanish territory. The buyer must own the real estate object for at least 60 months, after which he or she is free to sell it and return the investment.
- Residence for the whole family.
Residence through investment programs offer residence to eligible family members. Their applications are tied to the main applicant’s application and citizenship applications can also be submitted together. Permanent residents have access to world-class medical and educational institutions.
- Opening bank accounts.
A deposit of at least one million euros in a Spanish bank or the purchase of shares in Spanish companies for the same amount is the right step towards obtaining a residence permit. Please note that you can sell your shares or withdraw money from your bank account not earlier than 60 months later.
- Purchase of government bonds.
If you have 2 million euros, you can spend this amount on the purchase of Spanish bonds. The state undertakes to repay them after a five-year period, returning your investment.
- Establishing your own business.
The investment of the investor in this case starts from one million euros. The project should be of interest to the Spanish Kingdom. The term of business support is not a strictly defined parameter.
In addition to the applicant, members of his or her family (a spouse, minor children, dependent children) also obtain a residence permit in Spain.
The main stages of obtaining a residence permit
A residence permit in Spain can be obtained in several stages, each of them takes certain time. Approximate time limits and description of procedures are the following:
- Due diligence of the applicant by special services.
Within up to 72 hours the Due Diligence special service will conduct your due diligence check. The presence of a criminal record, being on the wanted list, and the absence of evidence of the legal origin of finances shall be checked. At this stage a conclusion whether the applicant is suitable in all respects for participation in the residence permit program for investment shall be made. If the service has doubts, it is better to use other options for naturalization.
- Choosing the right investment method.
The applicant must decide when choosing investment options. Further steps and stages largely depend on this choice. It is advisable to turn to the help of specialists who will tell you about all the nuances and “pitfalls” of the option you have chosen.
- Selection of real estate objects.
The procedure can take up to 2 weeks depending on the needs, possibilities and wishes of the investor. Our company is ready to offer you a number of objects with a detailed description of the characteristics and parameters. These can be residential, administrative or industrial objects at your discretion.
After the investor has decided on the object or objects, a tour to the country of the investment with our specialists who will help you open a bank account, transfer money to it and pay the necessary fees in Spain shall be organized.
- Work with documents.
The specialists shall prepare documentation within 7 calendar days. A minimum package of documents with translation, legalization, compliance with apostilles and correct filling is required. The prepared package shall be submitted to the Spanish Ministry of Internal Affairs, and a state fee of 60 euros shall be paid for each family member participating in the program.
- Obtaining a resident visa.
Within 2 weeks the investor shall receive a resident visa, which gives the right to free entry, residence and employment in the Kingdom. In addition, you can use it to move around the countries of the Schengen area for 12 months without restrictions. The resident visa is affixed to the investor’s passport.
- Obtaining a residence permit.
Within 3 weeks a request for a residence permit for the investor and his or her family members shall be submitted. A residence permit shall be issued for a year with a subsequent prolongation for 2 and 2 years. Visually, the status of a residence permit looks like a biometric resident card.
What are the main advantages and benefits of the Spanish residence permit
The “Residence permit of Spain” service offered by our company is considered to be the most demanded and popular among domestic and foreign applicants who seek to leave for one of the most stable and developed countries in the world.
The main advantages of obtaining a residence permit in Spain are:
- Free travel within the countries of the European Union that are part of the Schengen area;
- Legal residence, employment and education in one of the most developed countries in Europe;
- Opportunity to conduct honest and open business;
- Absence of bureaucracy;
- Possibility of profitable investment in real estate;
- Easy opening of accounts;
- Obtaining permanent residence and citizenship of the Kingdom in the future.
The program “Residence permit of Spain through investment” today is considered to be a guaranteed way to obtain a passport of this European country. In a maximum of 2-3 months you can collect and submit documents, after which you can get a residence permit.
This is your opportunity to ensure social, political and economic stability for your business, as well as personal freedom and security for your entire family. A residence permit allows you to be employed, live, receive treatment and education not only for the investor, but also for each member of his or her family.
These can be:
- A spouse;
- Children under the age of 18, as well as children under the age of 26 who are dependents of the investor;
- The mother and father of the investor who are financially dependent on him or her.
Also a residence permit can be obtained by close blood relatives accompanying the applicant, as well as those who are in the process of family reunification.
Ordinary or investment residence permit in Spain – what to choose
When applying for a standard residence permit, you will be required to confirm knowledge of the Spanish language at the required level, pass an exam on knowledge of the history of the country in the future and permanently reside in Spain for at least 6 months a year.
Investors do not need to prove language proficiency, they do not take exams and can stay in the country for any number of days they wish. In both, the first and second cases, the period for obtaining a passport will be at least 10 years, however, the investor will receive citizenship in almost 100% of cases, while an ordinary applicant can wait much longer due to the government-imposed quotas.
The main ways to obtain a residence permit in Spain
The first thing to remember when planning to obtain a residence permit is that such a status cannot be bought or sold. It can only be obtained legally through one of the naturalization programs in the country. Only after obtaining a residence permit, you can count on permanent residence and further citizenship of a non-resident.
There are a lot of ways to obtain a residence permit, each of these options has its own characteristics and nuances that potential applicants for citizenship should take into account. The main ones are:
- Residence permit through investment.
A residence permit can be obtained by investing the amount starting from €500,000 in the acquisition of one or more residential, administrative or industrial real estate objects. In addition, you can invest the amount starting from a million euros in the purchase of shares of Spanish companies, opening of bank deposits or the purchase of government bonds. All investments are guaranteed to be returned after a five-year period.
- Residence permit with the right and without the right for employment.
A standard residence permit implies only a temporary residence permit in the country. The investment residence permit is more flexible in this regard, allowing the applicant not only to live, but also to work in Spain. In addition, there is the option of obtaining a residence permit under an official employment contract between the applicant and the Spanish employer. It involves obtaining a blue D visa with subsequent legalization and naturalization of highly qualified specialists.
Other options for obtaining a residence permit in Spain
You can apply for a residence permit in other ways, each of them should be considered individually for specific situations. You can count on naturalization, family reunification and citizenship by marriage.
You can get the status of refugees for political or humanitarian reasons, offer an innovative start-up with investments from outside companies, or simply establish your own business or buy out a Spanish company, creating job opportunities for the local population.
Buying business or registering a company to obtain a residence permit in Spain
How can one invest in his or her own business? Time limits and the minimum amount of investments in this case are not specified. Please note that the future business project must be of interest to the country, and this “usefulness” and prospects shall be checked by the relevant Ministry of Trade. Preferences when establishing your own business in Spain should be given to the tourism industry, the environmental industry, the field of technological innovation and development. It is very important to create new job opportunities where local employees will work.