Spanish residency for EU and British workers

Last updated on February 19th, 2020 at 01:34 am.

This is the third article of a series of five articles on Spanish residency for EU and British citizens. David Ruiz of Torrevieja Translations explains the process and what you need to comply.  

The table of contents is:

• Spanish Residency Overview
• Pensioners
• Workers
• Self-employed/business
• Unemployed

This article focuses on EU and British job seekers.

You can review the common requirements for all the groups by clicking on  Spanish Residency Overview.

Read on 🙂

Exclusive Requirements for EU and British Job Seekers

As for pensioners, as well as the other groups, there are two key requirements: Financial means and health coverage.

Let’s have a look.

A) Financial Means

You’re going to be employed in Spain, so your contract should be at least the Spanish minimum wage: €707.70 in 2017.

In 2016, it was €655, so find out if your relevant police station still applies the 2016 criteria or, on the contrary, the 2017 one. It’s not a big difference the amount from one year to another, but it could mean a lot if your salary falls in between the two amounts and your corresponding police station has already implemented the 2017 increase.

You will need:

• an up-to-date working records certificate, called ‘Vida Laboral’ in Spanish, which you can request by clicking here.
• a stamped bank statement from the last three months from the Spanish bank where your salary is paid into.
• your original official work contract plus one photocopy

I know at least one police station that requires the following certificate from the tax office: ‘Certificado de ingresos y retenciones de la Agencia Tributaria’. Your employer should be able to provide you with this. This police station also requires that you have at least six more months of contract counting from the Spanish residency application day.

The previous details can change a lot from one office to another, or even change everything overnight, all of a sudden. So just go first for a preliminary visit to make sure about the requirements.

B) Health Coverage

The fact of being legally employed in Spain will grant access to the health system automatically.

To become a resident, some police stations may require the official social security certificate that your employer should obtain when they get you registered in this organisation. Bring the original document plus photocopy.

In case you have an additional private insurance, bring a copy of the policy and conditions.

One important thing to remember every time you apply for something in Spain: the more you bring, the better. You never know 🙂

Will You Need an Interpreter?

Same as for pensioners: it will depend on the office, and on how good your Spanish is. My recommendation is always to take an interpreter with you if you don’t speak Spanish. And not only to apply for the residency, but anywhere else where there is a legal/serious nature to what you’re doing e.g. hospitals, doctors, court, police, notaries, public offices. Do you need to know accurately what’s going on? If yes, then I would take with me a professional interpreter if I were you. Otherwise, you can always save a few euros and put the communications clarity (and even the outcome) in fate’s hands.

What way would you like to go?

Click here to access the Ultimate Guide on Spanish Residency