Just Arrived and Overwhelmed

Hello RestaurantDoc,

Welcome to Expat.com

You will find a list of translator in the section Translators and interpreters in Spain. Hope it will help you.

Alexia
Expat.com Team

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Thanks, that's a start. Ideally I'd like to find someone who knows the steps we need to take and can accompany us to the various offices to help each party (us and the government official) understand what the other needs.

We are planning to move to Spain soon and have heard that hiring a "Gestor" is the best way to get you through the paperwork and processes and offices to visit etc
HTH

Look for a gestor, that should get you to the right place.  Otherwise, we have an ebook with all of the steps for Americans getting settled or you can ask in one of the many expat facebook groups.  look for americans in spain or valencia, even Denia or javea.  you will likely find someone.

I can recommend the woman from [link moderated]. A very warm and capable person. Good luck getting everything organized!

Wagoners.   Is andy from USA ?   Appears to be from U.K.  if that is so  asking  about requirements for Non EU Nationals would seem unhelpful

non lucrative visa is usually issued to non-eu citizens.  If from UK, it wouldn't be required.

Waggoner. Yes but where does Andy mention any sort of visa,    or have I missed something ?

They show they are in U.K. now

PS. Sorry I think maybe you were referring to Doc’ s post

Hmm,  I wasn't replying to Andy, just the person who asked the original question.

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I thought the tip on a gestor was generic to my issue. I hadn't stumbled across that term in my digging to date but it seems like the perfect answer. I had hoped there would be more English-speakers about to point me in the right direction, but the streets are pretty empty this time of year. As soon as we settle on a final place to live, I'll engage a gestor and fight the good fight with bureaucracy. My thanks to Andy for the tip, wherever he may be.

A gestor is a person who historically assists with filling in official forms.   Some have more knowledge of some things than of others. 

Having over thirty years in spain, used gestors a few times and having known what others have experienced, I would certainly not put a lot of trust in any of them and none in some of them

I understand from a gestor that they do not require any form of qualifications to practice

Unless you are fortunate the chance of finding one who has specialist knowledge of paperwork required by non Spaniards is probably slight   Doing your own on line reasearch, now that it is so easy, is probably the safest course

Good luck
PS. A couple of years ago when U.K. crown pensions first were required to be declared so that whilst not liable to tax in spain were taken into consideration    Whilst a gestor who has a good reputation was completing my tax return I pointed out her calculations were wrong.   To cut a long story short after complaining to her for about a year she refunded from her personal bank account the almost 2,000 euros her faulty tax declaration had resulted in that much over payment to the tax office

Had I not been well informed I would have lost the amount that year and subsequent years

As I said take care to checkout all profession services supplied in spain

Gestors can help people whether they're from the EU or from non-EU nations. Sometimes you'll find that some of the gestors are more familiar with the EU requirements, but then again, those requirements are more easily met so it's more often that people take care of the paperwork themselves.

For your first TIE card, though, the paperwork is quite minimal and easy to do on your own, IMO. The biggest hurdle can be getting an appointment. If you are relatively certain you're going to settle in whichever city you're in, then I would suggest arranging an appointment soon, and then get on your search for your housing.

I would also advise that some of the police offices that issue the TIE will have an information desk. Stopping in there to ask exactly what documents are required is a good idea, because then you can have it all sorted prior to the appointment.

For Valencia, they are requiring (as of about a week ago, anyway) the passport with the visa in it, a copy of one's empadronamiento certificate, and the paid tasa (Modelo 790 codigo 012, found here: https://sede.policia.gob.es/Tasa790_012/ ). You want to click the button for "TIE que documenta la primera concesión de la autorización de residencia temporal, de estancia o para trabajadores transfronterizos." It's 15.76 euros, so pretty cheap.

Pay the tasa ahead of time at a local bank (sometimes you can do it right at an ATM, but most of the time we've found it's better to go inside) and bring the receipt to the appointment.

Good luck! Finding a good place to live is probably #1, 2, and 3 on your list of stuff to do.

I am informed by the police that thoughout spain one can only now make an appointment online to submit applications or even to ask questions.
K
This might help

TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE POLICE FOR  NIE,  E.U. Citizen registration, residencia,  etc

NB.  As you proceed you will find links to information you may need to know, including what forms, paperwork, etc. are required. 

Good luck !

GO TO:-
https://sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es/icpplus/

(after each selection enter Aceptar )

•             PROVINCES AVAILABLE:       CHOOSE YOUR

•             SECTIONS AVAILABLE IN PROVINCE:          OPEN PAGE AND SELECT SECTION  REQUIRED
              e.g.    “policía  certificado de residente o no residente”  (that includes NIE application)

•             ENTER THE DETAILS OF APPLICANT

•            CHOOSE NATIONAL POLICE STATION FOR APPOINTMENT:      YOUR NEAREST

•             CHOOSE APPOINTMENT,  AND THEN CONFIRM

•             PRINT A COPY OF THE APPOINTMENT,   IF YOU WISH


PS This is my interpretation.   Not being an  applicant I cannot test drive it, so if you find a problem please let me know.
  Thanks. John

Things are certainly more complicated when you don't speak the language! I am coming from the US on a non-lucrative visa. We arrived in the EU on October 28.

My understanding is that I needed a signed lease in order to get the empadronamiento certificate, and I need the empadronamiento certificate before I can go in for the TIE.

Since we are still house-hunting, I haven't really known where we would end up and so have not started anything, but it is looking more likely that we will be somewhere in Alicante.

Do I understand the order of things correctly, at least so far?

BTW, I received an NIE with my visa.

To clarify not to deviate

The NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero)  carries no residential rights.  It is just a fiscal ID number which anyone from anywhere can obtain.   

As a non EU national, you will need a TIE, which is often referred to as a residencia.


Extract from   http://icnlegal.com/en/differences-tie- … dence-card

What do we mean when we talk about a residence card? Well, there is no document that officially has that exact name. Sometimes the term can be used generically to refer to the TIE, which is in fact the card that proves residency. It can also be used more specifically in reference to the tarjeta de familiar de residente de la Unión, a specific type of TIE to which family members of EU citizens are entitled.

I understand that. Some of these threads seem to deviate into discussions of applying for an NIE and I wanted to head off those detours.

I'd still like to know if I need a signed lease in order to get an empadronamiento certificate, and that I need the empadronamiento certificate before I can apply for the TIE.

The Spanish Consulate in SF told us [in writing] that we had to OBTAIN the TIE within 30 days of arrival -- a virtual impossibility if all those steps are required first. Later in their note they say we had to REQUEST the TIE within 30 days. Can I request it without having the other documentation first? Very confusing.

Various blog posts suggest the authorities are not strict on the 30 days as long as the appropriate events are in process -- but I don't want to push my luck. Any advice?

Hello,
In Madrid you request an online appointment within 30 days of arrival, but appointments are given about 2-3 months later. You can be "empadronado" at a rental property, but the owner of the property will have to give you authorization. Or you can provide your rental contract, electric bill, water bill, etc. I work with American language assistants who register their address at their rented apartments to apply for their TIEs.
Good luck, and welcome to Spain!
PGW

Gracias, Patri

RestaurantDoc wrote:

I'd still like to know if I need a signed lease in order to get an empadronamiento certificate, and that I need the empadronamiento certificate before I can apply for the TIE.

The Spanish Consulate in SF told us [in writing] that we had to OBTAIN the TIE within 30 days of arrival -- a virtual impossibility if all those steps are required first. Later in their note they say we had to REQUEST the TIE within 30 days. Can I request it without having the other documentation first? Very confusing.

Various blog posts suggest the authorities are not strict on the 30 days as long as the appropriate events are in process -- but I don't want to push my luck. Any advice?

Yes, you are correct- you can't get on the padron until you have a long-term residence, which you prove by either showing your purchase paperwork if you bought a place; or by showing your lease, if you rented.

You only are supposed to *request* your TIE before 30 days are up, but they do give some leeway on that. The appointment portal often won't have appointments available in that time period, even if you started looking on day 1 of arrival.

My mother-in-law came in early October on a non-lucrative visa and we couldn't get her TIE appointment until about 6 weeks after her arrival.

When we stopped by the information desk at the police to check on the document requirements we double-checked that and they said "don't worry about it, you made the appointment within the 30 days". Valencia's police department (on Calle Gremis) allow people without an appointment to show up for information, but to actually process for the card, you'll usually need an appointment.

That said, it's not a meaningless requirement, so (to be a bit blunt) you should really get cracking on finding a place to live.

(As far as the TIE itself, you won't get the physical card for 3-4 weeks after the initial appointment to request it, so yeah, you don't have to OBTAIN it in that 30 day time period.)

Johncar wrote:

I am informed by the police that thoughout spain one can only now make an appointment online to submit applications or even to ask questions.

Incorrect, at least in Valencia as of last week. They even have a policeman in front of their office who separates people into two lines, those with appointments and those who are just there to ask questions/get information or pick up their cards once issued.

(Even if you have an appointment, you typically have to wait outside as there are not enough chairs in the waiting room inside- only four seats for the information desk and about 10 or 12 for the processing of TIEs.)

Those poor guys trade off on that job, it's like trying to herd cats sometimes- only in a dozen different languages!

As typical for Spain, local procedures vary, even though in theory they should all be identical according to the national standard.

Re signing on the padron

You need to prove you are resident in the town

I once went with a spanish friend who was staying as a guest in my house.  I confirmed that and they registered her

My son allows a friend to live rent free in one of his two holiday apartments.   (6 years now) .  I have power of attorney for my son.  I gave a letter to the friend saying he was staying rent free.   He.was registered

So owning or renting are not requirements just proof of residing in the town

Non EU national family reunification procedure

When my wife came to spain with her 90 day visa she was required to have started the application for residence within that period.   That the visa exipired before the TIE / RESIDENCIA was issued caused no problems