Even if you do not need a visa to stay in Spain, you may want to think about getting your Residency Card (Tarjeta de Residencia). Although nowadays you may find it isn’t so much a card but rather a piece of paper. Once you have this along with your NIE it makes you a legal resident in the country. The steps on how to become an official resident in Spain, Madrid can be quite challenging, especially for those who don’t speak the language.
But hopefully after reading through this you’ll have a better understanding of what is involved.
How To Go About Applying To Become A Resident
To get your residency and NIE you need to apply at your nearest Foreigner’s Office (Officina de Extranjeros). You can of course just hand the paperwork in and then wait for your Residency Card to be delivered. But often this can take several months to complete.
Instead it is worthwhile actually arranging to visit the office and arrange to get things done in the same day. This does mean you need to wait in line to be seen. Be aware that the amount of time it takes to complete the process does vary from one office to the next.
To avoid any problems it is worth asking others who have recently completed theirs about what happened. Also if your Spanish isn’t all that great arrange to have someone with you that does speak it.
When applying for such you’ll need to bring along certain documentation.
The main documents that will be needed when you wanting to know how to become an official resident in Spain, Madrid are as follows:
1. Your passport as well as one photocopy of it.
2. 3 passport style photos. Making sure that you write your name on the back of them clearly.
3. The application form to become a resident completed. As well as 3 photocopies of the form.
As well as these documents the Foreigner’s office may ask you to provide them with the following:
1. A medical certificate, but this will depend which country you originate from and recent residency.
For those of you who have a family member who is Spanish or already holds their residency you may be asked to produce the following documents.
1. The Libro de Familia, the DNI (Residency Card) of theirs.
2. Proof of medical insurance.
3. Their Empandronamiento.
Again it is best to make sure that you include with this any photocopies of each of these documents.
When you apply directly to the office you will often find that you receive your residency card or paperwork on the same day. So it really is worth the hassle of standing in a queue when wanting to find out how to become an official resident in Spain, Madrid.
