Specific situation

I would really appreciate your help in clarifying the possibility of immigration to Spain in my, rather specific case:

I'm a guy in early 30 and I have a non-eu citizenship (although my country is a candidate for EU - ex-Yugoslav). We do not need visas for EU/Schengen states up to 90 days within 6 months period. This is of course just for tourist visits, not for work, studying, etc.
I do have a job, but it is not connected to my permanent residence, as I work as a consultant on international mission for a big inter-governmental organization. I have a quite big annual income, above average for EU.
I live with my partner (we are not legally married), and she is an artist, without stable income.

We are currently checking the possibility of immigrating to Spain together, and most probably buying a house/flat. We do not intend to change our citizenships, but we hope to receive a residence/work permit. In this case, I would be paying taxes for my income in Spain, as in my case they are connected to the place of residence, not the citizenship. The work permit is more important for my partner than me, as she would like to start/continue her career in spain.

For our specific case, I am not able to find info online, and I hope you will be able to help us. Many thanks in advance!

Dear Ranko,

There are various options for you.

1. Depending on the Annual income that you get, and depending on the particulars of your job, you could be eligible for the Non Lucrative work and residence permit, which is a permit usually granted to those individuals with plenty of financial resources, businessmen/women and retired people.
2. Looking for a job in Spain, though I only recommend this option if you get a job in the specific fields of ship industry, professional sports or Health ( Doctors ) that are the sectors that are short of qualified professionals and salaried work and residence permits are mainly issued to these applicants. Due t high unemployment rate in Spain, it is fairly difficult for an immigrant to get a salaried work and residence permit as legal residents have preference to access any available jobs.
3. Invest in setting up a business in Spain if you have sufficient funds available to do so, and apply for a self-employed work and residence permit.

Your partner could join you after you had been legally residing in Spain for one year and had applied for the permit renewal, through the family reunion residence permit. You would have to prove your family relationship for this application. If you qualify for option 1, your partner would not need to wait for that first year, as the application can be filed together if you can prove you have financial resources to support her.

I recommend you to contact an expert solicitor in Immigration Law that can study your particular case, considering your future plans in Spain and specific profiles, so you can decide what is the most convenient type of residence permit for you both.

We can offer our assistance and advice. If you wish to contact me personally, you can find my contact details below (in my signature).

Regards,

Dear Patricia,

Many thanks for a quick reply. After some research, I can see that I do qualify for the first option.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Patricia

1. Depending on the Annual income that you get, and depending on the particulars of your job, you could be eligible for the Non Lucrative work and residence permit, which is a permit usually granted to those individuals with plenty of financial resources, businessmen/women and retired people.
If you qualify for option 1, your partner would not need to wait for that first year, as the application can be filed together if you can prove you have financial resources to support her.

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I do however have few more questions, and I hope that you will be able to answer them:

1. If we gain the non-lucrative work and residence permit in Spain, are we allowed to travel in and outside EU/Schengen area for an unlimited amount of time during the first year? (This is very important, due to the nature of my work)
2. Is the same permit issued to my partner, and is she able to work in Spain during the first year? If not, how about later, when the permit is renewed?
3. After one year, do we get the same permit or a full work/residence permit and for how long?
4. Is your company able to provide all the services required for this procedure, and how long does the procedure usually take? (I will ask you about the fees directly via email)

Many thanks in advance and Best Regards,

Ranko

Hello Ranko,

Here are the answers to your questions:

1. Yes, you will be allowed to travel freely within the Schengen Area, however, you should be aware that being out of Spain more than 183 days can cause problems at the time of the residency renewal.
2. Yes, if you can show proof of family relationship ( via marriage certificate or Common Law partnership certificate ) as well as proof of sufficient funds to support both of you without the need to carry out any economic activity in Spain. She would be granted the same type of permit as you; No Lucrativo, therefore not being allowed to work in Spain. When she renews the permit after a year, she will be granted the same type of initial permit, unless she applies for a modification of her permit to be shifted to salaried or self-employed ( by filing the corresponding application and meeting all the requirements of those specific permits ).
3. The same permit, unless you apply for a modification, as mentioned above.
4. Yes, we have extensive experience in processing those types of permits. The whole process can take between 8 months and a year depending on the time of the year the application is filed and the province.

If you wish, we can study the case in detail by email.

Regards,