Reception Guide

Foreigners authorised to reside and/or work in Spain by virtue of being granted a residency permit (autorització de residència) or a work andresidency permit (autorització de residència i treball), either to work for themselves or for somebody else, are classed as legal residents.

Residency permits may be temporary or or long-term. A temporary residency (residència temporal) permit authorises its holder to stay in Spain for a period of between 90 days and 5 years.

To obtain a Spanish residency permit, you must have previously been granted a residency visa (visat de residència) through a Spanish consulate in another country. To obtain a residency visa, you must prove to the consular authorities that you have sufficient economic resources to pay for your maintenance and stay (as you may not perform activities that earn you money). In addition to having a valid passport, you will need to provide a disclosure certificate (certificat d'antecedents penals) and a medical certificate.

In case of not fulfilling all the requirements for the renewal, the Government may prove our extent of integration through a social integration report for foreign citizens (informe d’estrangeria d’integració social) which is optional but highly recommendable in order to complete the process.