Hello,

Welcome to the belegal forum.

You can own property in Spain regardless of your residency status, and the fact of being a property owner in Spain does not grant you the right to become a resident per se. The type of visa, or let´s call it permit, that you need in order to live in Spain with your partner, and also have the right to work, is a salaried or self-employed work and residence permit. The former is based on salaried work contracts and it is currenly quite hard to obtain unless the job is listed as a demanded profession in the list that the employment authorities issues quarterly ( to date, professionals related to Medicine, Naval Engineering and professional/elite sports training are highly demanded). The latter type of permit is based in self employed economic activities, that is, that you set up a business in Spain. Should you take this option, the main requirements will be the availability of sufficient funds and having a well supported business plan. However, there are a few other requirements to be considered which should be informed by a professional advisor ince you decide to go ahead with the application.
Finally, there is the option of marriage or registering as Common Law partnership that will allow you to apply for the residency as being a relative to an EU citizen and will allow you to work in Spain for 5 years.
Lawbird can offer you legal assistance in all the above mentioned cases.

You are right,; in order to purchase a property you will be required to have a NIE ( Numero de Identificacion de Extranjero ). You can apply for a NIE number through our company NIE Number Direct: www.nienumberdirect.com. We will be able to apply for your NIE without the need for you to be present.

Best Regards,