Citizens of EU/EEA member countries (and Switzerland) staying in Spain for over 90 days need to apply for a European residency certificate (Certificado de registro de ciudadano de la UE). This grants you residency for 5 years; after that, you can apply for permanent residency.
The first step is to make an appointment. To do this:
Before attending your appointment, you need to pay the required application fee:
The final step is to attend your appointment with the following documents:
a) If you are employed:
- Employment contract registered in Sepe (needs to be for longer than 3 months) or declaration
of the contract including company’s name, address, taxpayer ID and social security account
- Social security number
b) If are self-employed:
- Proof of registration in Censo de Actividades Económicas
- Proof of registration in Registro Mercantil
- Social security number
c) If you are unemployed:
- Proof of private or public health insurance
- Proof that you/your relatives have enough resources to live in Spain for 5 years
d) If you are a student:
- Proof of university registration
- Your European Healthcare Card and two photocopies or proof of private health insurance for
the length of your studies
e) If you are a relative of an EEA member country citizen:
- Proof that you are a relative of this person (e.g. marriage certificate)
- Proof that your relative is employed, self-employed or has enough resources to live in Spain
- Proof that your relative has private or public health insurance
You will be given an EU residency certificate (some right away, some will have to come back to collect it). This certificate is a small bank card-sized piece of green paper that states you are now a residente comunitario en España (a community resident in Spain). It will contain your name, nationality, date and place of birth, Spanish address and your NIE. Along with your driver’s licence/passport, this will act as a form of ID.