[tonysplanb]

We have our approved non-lucrative visa (US pension) with the required health coverage but we want to travel around Spain until we find the right place. We don't want to make that decision until after three or four months of travel.
When you apply for residency you need to register at a town hall to get the Padron and then to the Oficina de Extranjeros but we don't know where to start. We would like to start in Barcelona but then start traveling the country.
How can we apply for residency using temporary accommodations?

 

[xabiaxica]

We have our approved non-lucrative visa (US pension) with the required health coverage but we want to travel around Spain until we find the right place. We don't want to make that decision until after three or four months of travel.
When you apply for residency you need to register at a town hall to get the Padron and then to the Oficina de Extranjeros but we don't know where to start. We would like to start in Barcelona but then start traveling the country.
How can we apply for residency using temporary accommodations?

In order to register on the padrón you'll need a proper rental contract. Some town halls will accept a 3 month contract, some will insist on a proper 3 year residential contract.

You'll have to hope that where you register accepts a short contract, & that you can persuade the property owner to give you the same.

 

[tonysplanb]

In order to register on the padrón you'll need a proper rental contract. Some town halls will accept a 3 month contract, some will insist on a proper 3 year residential contract.

You'll have to hope that where you register accepts a short contract, & that you can persuade the property owner to give you the same.

We are hoping that my cousin who has a friend in Spain can supply us with an "invitation letter" but its like putting them on the spot to sponsor us. We are self sufficient and don't want to be tied down to a location for a year.

Thanks for the reply

 

[xabiaxica]

We are hoping that my cousin who has a friend in Spain can supply us with an "invitation letter" but its like putting them on the spot to sponsor us. We are self sufficient and don't want to be tied down to a location for a year.

Thanks for the reply

Hmm - yes a bit iffy. The Town Hall would accept a letter saying that you live at that address. It wouldn't be a sponsorship in any way - but there could be repurcussions for the friend - & you - if anything went wrong & it were discovered to not be true.

 

[tonysplanb]

Hmm - yes a bit iffy. The Town Hall would accept a letter saying that you live at that address. It wouldn't be a sponsorship in any way - but there could be repurcussions for the friend - & you - if anything went wrong & it were discovered to not be true.

Absolutely correct

I guess I have to see how long i can delay the residency process by delaying the Padron which I believe is about 3 months.

Can the Padron be renewed for another 3 months?

 

[xabiaxica]

Absolutely correct

I guess I have to see how long i can delay the residency process by delaying the Padron which I believe is about 3 months.

Can the Padron be renewed for another 3 months?

I thought you had 3 months from your date of arrival to sort out your visa?

You'll need a padrón cert. less than 3 months old. The padrón itself doesn't expire - you do need to re-register at the new town whenever you move though.

 

[tonysplanb]

I thought you had 3 months from your date of arrival to sort out your visa?

You'll need a padrón cert. less than 3 months old. The padrón itself doesn't expire - you do need to re-register at the new town whenever you move though.

I'm confused but I thought the process was:

1) within 30 days of arrival register at the local town hall and then receive a Padron that must be returned with a Spain Address.

2) Visit a Oficina de Extranjero and apply for residency showing your passport with Visa, NIE, Padron, financial records and health insurance in Spain.

3) wait to be approved and then pick up resident card

My problem is that I don't want to declare an address yet because we want to travel around Spain and find a possible place to live and also travel around Europe without being confined to just 90 days in 180 day period.

Whats the best way to do this?

 

[xabiaxica]

I'm confused but I thought the process was:

1) within 30 days of arrival register at the local town hall and then receive a Padron that must be returned with a Spain Address.

2) Visit a Oficina de Extranjero and apply for residency showing your passport with Visa, NIE, Padron, financial records and health insurance in Spain.

3) wait to be approved and then pick up resident card

My problem is that I don't want to declare an address yet because we want to travel around Spain and find a possible place to live and also travel around Europe without being confined to just 90 days in 180 day period.

Whats the best way to do this?

Ahh - my mistake - 30 days!

You'll have to bite the bullet & rent a property then I guess, within a month, or you won't be able to establish residency & get that visa.


You'll still be confined to 90 days in 180 in the rest of the Schengen zone btw, so you'll have to spend 90 / 180 in Spain. Residency in Spain doesn't give you residency rights for the whole of Europe.

 

[95995]

The OP actually has the visa - the issue is meeting the conditions and regularising the stay. Just saying.

I agree that the OP will definitely have to have an address in Spain and Airbnb won't cut it unless the landlord is prepared to provide a contract. Many people do use a friend's address, especially if they are travelling around a fair bit - it's at least a contact point and somewhere to check on mail. Others bite the bullet and take a lease for at least the initial 3 months. I suspect the idea is that visa conditions such as this are applied because the immigration authorities don't want people to disappear into the ether / become illegal immigrants that they can't keep track of (not that that doesn't happen).

 

[Michael Kelly]

Why can't the OP just travel around during 3 months as a tourist? Surely that does not require any registration?

 

[95995]

Why can't the OP just travel around during 3 months as a tourist? Surely that does not require any registration?

Because the OP's visa is subject to conditions that have to be complied with within certain timeframes. So yes, the OP could enter as a tourist, travel around, leave and re-enter on the visa provided that the OP meets the timeframes of the visa. Entering late on the visa would mean that its valid term would be reduced. Oh, and the authorities in the EU generally take the date of entry into the Schengen area as the date of entry on the visa. So if you enter Schengen in, say, 5 October and don't leave and get the necessary stamps in the passport, 5 October is taken to be the start date of the visa.

 

[tonysplanb]

You'll still be confined to 90 days in 180 in the rest of the Schengen zone btw, so you'll have to spend 90 / 180 in Spain. Residency in Spain doesn't give you residency rights for the whole of Europe.[/QUOTE]

Your pont brings up something I did not know. So even though I have established residency in Spain, we would still be held to the constraints of travel to 90/180 days to the other Schengen zones and the time spent in Spain would also count?

 

[tonysplanb]

Why can't the OP just travel around during 3 months as a tourist? Surely that does not require any registration?

That was the original plan since we are both retired we were looking to get away from the constraints of the 90/180 period. We were under the impression that by establishing residency in Spain we would be allowed to travel freely without time constraints throughout the Schengen Zone.
Now, from what I understand, even Spain Residents also are held to the 90/180 rule.

 

[95995]

Your visa is granted by Spain for Spain, not the whole of the EU or the whole of the Schengen area.

 

[tonysplanb]

Your visa is granted by Spain for Spain, not the whole of the EU or the whole of the Schengen area.

Yes,but once I file and granted a Certificate of Residency, I can now travel freely throughout the Schengen Area. I understand I have to maintain my Spain Residency, I just want to travel freely throughout Europe beyond the 90/180 period as if I was a permanent resident of Spain.

 

[Michael Kelly]

I find the entire Schengen system incredibly confusing

 

[xabiaxica]

I find the entire Schengen system incredibly confusing

The rules depend on your nationality, not place of residence. And really they are very simple. You can stay and travel freely within the region for 90 days in every 180. If you are a legal resident, but nota national, in a Schengen country, you can travel freely in the rest of the zona for 90 / 180, returning to your country of residence for the rest of the time.

 

[tonysplanb]

The rules depend on your nationality, not place of residence. And really they are very simple. You can stay and travel freely within the region for 90 days in every 180. If you are a legal resident, but nota national, in a Schengen country, you can travel freely in the rest of the zona for 90 / 180, returning to your country of residence for the rest of the time.

From what I understand, when you cross borders within the Schengen area, your passports are checked but not stamped or entered into a system of records.

So how would they know if you stay longer than 90/180 in another country?

 

[95995]

From what I understand, when you cross borders within the Schengen area, your passports are checked but not stamped or entered into a system of records.

So how would they know if you stay longer than 90/180 in another country?

Clearly it's not allowed, but chances are you would only have a problem if you were to travel by air (airlines require documentation), or if you were involved eg. in an accident and had to deal with the police.

 

[95995]

I believe you can apply for a multiple entry Schengen visa, which would make you legal to travel in the Schengen area beyond the 90/180 standard.