It’s a well-known fact that a large percentage of people who find themselves passing through Madrid for whatever reason will want to come back and make the stay longer at some time in their life. It may be to work, it may be to study or simply choose to spend a month or two in the city and enjoy the very many exciting aspects of life there.
No matter the reason or rule matter for how long they plan to stay, visitors to Madrid will need some form of what permit or Visa to allow them entry into the country.
For someone who is considering moving to Madrid for a reasonable length of time will undoubtedly find it more cost-effective and certainly more comfortable to find some form of permanent accommodation. That’s why a visit to visit to the offices of ShMadrid should be a priority as soon as arriving in the city. There they will be well looked after by a knowledgeable and friendly staff member who will offer all the time in the world to discover exactly what the new arrival will be looking for and rapidly come up with a number of options of the best Madrid apartments for rent. Anyone who wants to get a feel of what is going on before hand her can always log into the ShMadrid website.
Someone planning a stay in Madrid and doesn’t intend to work while they are living in the city, if their come from a EU membership country can live for as long as they were in Spain without taking any form of Visa. Those who come from non-EU membership countries are required to apply for what is known as a short-stay visa unless they are citizens of the USA, Australia and New Zealand . Foreign nationals interested the remaining in Madrid or indeed any other part of Spain for no more than 90 days, can apply for what is known as a tourist visa. They can apply for their visa while there are already in the country, before they arrive. Those wishing to stay longer than ninety days must apply for what is known as a national visa (Visados Nacionales). The application must be made at the Spanish Embassy in the country where they hold their citizenship and should be in their possession before arriving in the country.
Anyone whose plans to stay in Madrid are longer from the get go through automatically apply for a National Visa before arriving. There are no set times allocated to process these applications so it’s as well to allow at least three months for the application to be successfully processed before arriving.
A National Visa holder is allowed to either hold down a job, study or even both during their stay in Madrid or conduct research within Spain. It is very possible that when a person decides they want to spend time and applies for their Visa that they will be asked specifically which type of Visa they require, which will be issued in accordance with the application. The types of visas are as follows
- A Work Visa (Visado de trabajo y residencia): This only allows the holder to find gainful appointment.
- A Student Visa (Visado de estudios): This only allows the holder to remain in the country for the specific duration of an educational course, or to carry out into independent research
- A Permanent Residence Visa (Visado de residencia): This allows the holder to take up permanent residence in Spain. Holders are not eligible to take on gainful employment , although they are allowed to carry out volunteer work. A permanent residence visa is normally granted for people who come to the country to retire.
Anyone interested in making their home in Spain and requires further information should log into the website of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs where they should find answers to all of their questions.