Spanish residency after Brexit
I am a UK Passport holder married to an EU Passport holder. Do I need to apply for a long-stay visa to become a Spanish resident?
This is a question that we are getting asked more frequently, especially if the spouse is Irish. If you are a UK passport holder, there are two options.
- Apply for Spanish residency as family of an EU member. This will need to be done after the successful application for Spanish residency by the EU member.
- Take the non-lucrative visa route if the EU member does not want to become a Spanish resident.
Remember that if the UK passport holder does not have their residency papers in order, they cannot be in Spain more than 90 days at a time irrespective of whether they are married to an EU member or not.
Option 1 is far and away the more convenient of the two. Brits can apply for residency off the back of their Irish spouse (or indeed any spouse who holds an EU passport). The fact that Ireland is not signed up to the Schengen agreement is irrelevant in this circumstance.
Here is an outline of the application process.
- The residency application for the EU member is first. The following will need to be shown:
- Passport
- Health cover
- Spanish bank account (with three months’ worth of transactions in Spain)
- Proof of pensions and savings totalling at least €7,000
- Padron certificate
- Photograph
- Once the residency is confirmed for the EU applicant, we can move the non-EU spousal application. The documents that need to be prepared are the same save for:
- €9,000 proof of pensions and savings
- An updated apostilled and translated marriage certificate.
Sun Lawyers is processing these residency applications for couples where one is an EU passport holder. British spouses are delighted to learn that their residency can be applied for in this way. Our fees for undertaking this work are €250 + IVA for the EU applicant and €300 + IVA for the non-EU applicant.
For further information email admin@sun-lawyers.com