Can I live in Spain with a telecommuting job with an American company?

[mayotom]

I have a Texan friend in who does the same thing, He has based himself here but leaves for a month or so every 3 months.

[xabiachica]

Originally Posted by mayotom

I have a Texan friend in who does the same thing, He has based himself here but leaves for a month or so every 3 months.

why does he do that??

if he has a resident/work visa he can stay all year round

if he only has a Schengen/visitor visa he's only allowed to be here for 90 days in every 180 - so should leave for 90 days before returning

and also he wouldn't be legally allowed to work in any case

[Brangus]

Originally Posted by gus-lopez

But might be straightforward as the OP's from Puerto Rico ?

Originally Posted by xabiachica

yes, that might help indeed - you're thinking the former colony link?

Latin Americans don't have an easier time obtaining Spanish residency. Their advantage is they can apply for citizenship after only two years of residency.

[snikpoh]

Originally Posted by Brangus

Latin Americans don't have an easier time obtaining Spanish residency. Their advantage is they can apply for citizenship after only two years of residency.

Interesting - again I think it varies by area.

We have a friend who is from Colombia, married to a Dutch man both below retirement age and not working. They were having trouble getting residencia and health cover (not sure quite why) until they played the 'Colombian card'.

They now have full SIP cards for entire family plus residencias - she told me that it couldn't have been easier once she declared her nationality!

[009]

Originally Posted by xabiachica

why does he do that??

if he has a resident/work visa he can stay all year round

if he only has a Schengen/visitor visa he's only allowed to be here for 90 days in every 180 - so should leave for 90 days before returning

and also he wouldn't be legally allowed to work in any case

Why would he need to be legally allowed? It's easy to work online and live anywhere on tourist visas, why would he bother asking permission from Spain if he works online for an American company? He obviously isnt trying to get a work visa or residency if he leaves every 3 months

[jojo]

Originally Posted by 009

Why would he need to be legally allowed?

I'm not asure of your point??? But the answer I'd give to that question is because living illegally in a country isnt something anyone would advise ! Countries have their rules and regulations and they should be adhered to

Jo

[xabiachica]

Originally Posted by 009

Why would he need to be legally allowed? It's easy to work online and live anywhere on tourist visas, why would he bother asking permission from Spain if he works online for an American company? He obviously isnt trying to get a work visa or residency if he leaves every 3 months

if you're on a tourist visa & working in any way at all you are in breach of the terms of the visa

I don't mean just 'checking in' by phone or e-mail - if you are running a business/actually working while in Spain on a tourist visa you are working when all is said & done

A Schengen visa is for leisure, tourism or business (by which they mean business meetings) - not for living & working in a country even for 90 days at a time

[NickZ]

Originally Posted by 009

He obviously isnt trying to get a work visa or residency if he leaves every 3 months

What a person is trying to do isn't really important.

Outside of the legal bits with the visa if you're working from Spain they could argue you should be paying tax in Spain. Failing to do so could be evasion. Not applying for a work or other visa could be seen as an attempt to fool the tax man. Same thing with not getting residency.

Then there is the other issue. There is always the chance that a person will lose their job. Somebody that has been ignoring the rules is a high risk to ignore them again.

[009]

Originally Posted by jojo

I'm not asure of your point??? But the answer I'd give to that question is because living illegally in a country isnt something anyone would advise ! Countries have their rules and regulations and they should be adhered to

Jo

I dont think you understood the context of my post. I was replying about needing special permission from Spain for an American citizen to work remotely for an American country located in the USA. I dont see the purpose of attempting to start some type of process to get legal permission from Spain to do that

[009]

Originally Posted by NickZ

What a person is trying to do isn't really important.

Outside of the legal bits with the visa if you're working from Spain they could argue you should be paying tax in Spain. Failing to do so could be evasion. Not applying for a work or other visa could be seen as an attempt to fool the tax man. Same thing with not getting residency.

Then there is the other issue. There is always the chance that a person will lose their job. Somebody that has been ignoring the rules is a high risk to ignore them again.

lol how is anyone going to get caught working online and getting paid in their home country?