I am a US citizen married to a Spanish citizen. We married 7 years ago in Gibraltar. Since then we have been living in the US and moved to Spain about 1 month ago. We have a Libro de Familia. At this point is it proper and sufficient for me to go to the Oficina de Extranjero and apply for the tarjeta de residencia or do I also need to have a residence visa? I read that I needed to get a residence visa and that the only way to get one is to go back home and apply from there. Is this true? Can I get the tarjeta de residencia without a residence visa and does that tarjeta obviate the need for a residence visa?

Thank you!

Thomas