Bank account for NLV

Hello! My name is Pavlo and I have recently joined the forum. I am a Ukraine national and have been living in the EU for quite a long time for studies and work. I am looking into ways on how to obtain a EU residence permit for my mother who is a national of Ukraine too, but is living in Russia. She is 69 y.o.


One of the options we are considering is the Spanish NLV. Have been reading the posts on this forum (very helpful, thank you!) and got a couple of questions at this point.  Would be grateful for any information or a piece of advice!


  1. It seems that it is possible to apply based on savings only. My mother does not have a passive income and her pension does not suffice either. So the plan is that I will transfer the required amount to her account (which is still to be open). Does the source of the funds on my mother's account matter, i.e. that they will be transferred from my EU account?
  2. Should the funds be in a bank account on her name or will a joint account suffice?


Thank you!

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@PaulSo


Good luck with relocating your mother!


If you've been living in the EU already (Spain?), then you probably have your own residence permit. In this case, you might be able to do "family reunification" to get your mother her own residence permit.


Otherwise, yes, the NLV can be either passive income or savings. You need about 30k euros in savings. I think it should be an account in her name (if you're applying for an NLV for her). If the account is in your name, then you'd need your NLV first, then do family reunification. They don't ask where the funds came from, they just want to see an official bank statement showing you have the required savings.

https://balcellsgroup.com/non-lucrative-residency/


If you just want her out of Russia, and into the EU... then you might be able to consider Bulgaria. There are many Russians/Ukrainians here, and it's geographically convenient, and recognizably Eastern European. Pensioners can get a D visa, but I don't know the minimum income required. The official minimum wage here is only about 300 euros per month, but pensions can be a bit less, I think.


Bulgaria (maybe other EU countries) had a special immigration regime for Ukrainians, but you'd have to check if it's still running, and if it's for all Ukrainians or only those currently in Ukraine.

https://ukraine.gov.bg/bg/your-legal-status/

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@gwynj

Thank you so much for your kind reply and for the tips and links, these are very helpful! We will be looking into Bulgarian residence permit too, thank you! For my mother, Bulgarian language is definitely a way more easier to learn than Spanish. And Bulgaria is also cheaper than Spain.


I have been to Spain as a tourist, but I am living in Finland. Yes, family reunification would be the most straightforward root. However, in Finland there is no such a permit. The definition of family members is set by law and parents are not considered as family members (only kids and spouses are).  I think that some other EU countries do consider parents to be family members though, need to check!

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@PaulSo


Finland is great, fantastic quality of life there. But (a) very expensive, and (b) very, very cold. :-)


You are right, Reunification for parents is not automatic. However, it might still be worth investigating Finland as an option. Especially, if you make some kind of declaration that you need to be reunited in order to provide care for your mother (i.e. she is dependent upon you) as this is sometimes allowed.


https://www.infofinland.fi/en/moving-to-finland/non-eu-citizens/family-member-in-finland#heading-396ed22e-a61e-413c-abc0-d9a77ca77767


The Ukrainian angle might be helpful, as the EU still has special dispensation for Ukrainian citizens. It probably depends on how she ended up in Russia, and what kind of documentation she has about her life in Ukraine. And maybe if she's in the Helsinki immigration office with you when you ask. :-)


I have residence permits for both Spain and Bulgaria. Spain is fab. But the cost of living and the cost of property (renting/buying) is far lower in Bulgaria. We have a super quality of life in Bulgaria, and I probably spend less than 10% of my time in Spain.

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