justborncitizen

Just Landed proposes legal advice....

Go have a look at the legal issue website www.justlanded.com ....

Beside if you want they have lawyers that can help

lynnxa

you have put a link to the same site on both your posts

forgive me if I'm wrong, but are you connected to them?

if you are, you can advertise honestly on the 'Marketplace' forum

justborncitizen

Nope i'm not connected to them, and i'm sorry if i have broken any rules of this site.

I just posted the link because for me it was useful when i searched for residencia to get help from a lawyer and since they proposed it i just posted it.

And thanks for the tip on marketplace if ever i was to propose any services myself.

lynnxa

No - just seems odd that you should be putting a link to the same site in your 1st 2 posts - and for different topics

BTW - I had a lttle look & some of the info seems somewhat out of date

jdr

Their sim card prices are a ripoff, 48€, you can even buy them from vodafone shops for half their price......

justborncitizen

Well that suppose, when i bought mine i had been quite surprised by the price. Indeed i had it shipped in France, and it came to me with a 30€ recharge included which theorically means that i had only paid 18 € for the card and the shipping...

Anyway for the time being i'm satisfied for the different things they offer now everyone does not have to share my opinion.

jdr

You can buy them for 22€ with 18€ of calls on in Vodafone shops or cheaper in markets.

Nige

I just looked at that website 'justborn' and the first thing I looked at was the Residency page which has the following:
QUOTE
A NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is a number the immigration service issues once you obtain residency (you will find the number on your Residency Card). This is your identification number in Spain. It is needed in order to file taxes, establish a business, open a bank account, and for almost all other forms you fill out. Both EU citizens and non-EU citizens get issued a NIE.
QUOTE
This is a load of nonsense. How can anyone who professes to have knowledge of an NIE possibly write that TOSH. The more I look at some of these jazzy websites that appear to be able to provide professional help, the more I think it's best to ignore the lot of them. Can anyone spot the deliberate mistake?

movetogandia

Hi

There must be many people who acted stupidly or got involved on the wrong side of the law when young. Are we to discard them all. Making a new start in a new environment is a good idea.
Have you and your husband thought it through, It is not simply a change of location, The people and way of life is very different and it is not so easy as some may suggest to get started. You need to think out what work you are going try for and idealy take a visit to the town/area where you are considering settling in, to assess the job prospects.

As far as the question of Residencia is concerened I believe you do have to make a statement. However, I feel you are misguided in saying you dont want to approach officialdom. If you came, didnt admit it and then it came up you could find yourselves in difficult water.

I suggest you write to Mr Russell Thomson the British Consul in Alecante,
he is very experienced, a pleasant and understanding man, he would advise you and help if it were possible. I feel that something that happened 30 years ago would not be an impossible barrier.
My regards and best wishes to you both. Maurice
Email to [email protected]

C-Cat

Hi Maurice (and everyone else who kindly posted)

I completely take on board what you are saying and really appreciate your very helpful points.

After a long working life in the UK, we will be self-supporting financially for at least several years before retirement and as I would be able to continue with my freelance employment anywhere in the world, finding a job in Spain won't be a major factor in our move, although of course we do not plan to be idle!

Yes, we have indeed thought very long and hard about our new life and aren't embarking on this with rose-tinted specs. We are not going for the ubiquitous Brit choice of "villa and pool" but want to integrate within an historic Spanish town.
We have done as much 'homework' over the past year that I believe it's possible to do, spoken to many people and have devoured all the facts and information that has come our way, plus a lot that we have had to go and look for. We are always hungry for more information..............

We have spent time in our chosen part - the Gandia area, as it happens -
and many hours reading through (and digesting!) your fascinating and informative website, Maurice. Thank you for taking so much time and effort to produce it. I'm sure it has helped a great many people.

I am actually still quite nervous about approaching officialdom, (although Russell Thomson does sound very helpful) just in case we prompt the question to be asked that may never have been asked in the first place!

From the replies to my original posting, it does seem that some people were asked and some are not.
Whilst having no intention to ever conceal information, we do feel that it may not be so wise to actually volunteer such information unless absolutely necessary; indeed I believe that in the UK one does not even have to do so under normal circumstances as a 'spent' conviction under the Data Protection Act. I do know that the 'spent' status is not recognised outside the UK - which is why I was concerned.

I am sure you are right, Maurice, and that it may not be an impossible barrier but once we made an official enquiry, we might in effect be banging nails into our own coffin, as by then there really would be 'no going back!'
C-Cat

elgestor

I looked at several other items on their site and I would be surprised if they don't cause more problems than they solve.

The NIE is a fiscal registration number in Spain. It is issued by the Dirección General de la Policía. The number must be used on all official documents and although you may purchase your property as No-Residente, you must as soon as you own property obtain your NIE.

There are two forms both very similar, one is for Residentes ie. people that intend to become residents of Spain. The other is for non-residents that own property in Spain. Should you purchase property in Spain as a non-resident and then decide to become resident you will need to notify the Dirección General de la Policía of your change of status.

The NIE takes on average three days to acquire and the application is very straight forward. You wont need photographs, fingerprints, criminal or medical records. You simply need your passport, a photocopy of your passport, address, reason for application, and parents names.

There is a phrase included on the application form "Autorizacion De Intercambio de Datos". This allows competent government departments: tax, social security, police, etc to share information on the applicant. When you sign the application you are giving authority for the information to be shared. I have never known any EU national to be turned down.

elgestor

I would also like to give some up-to-date information on the much missunderstood requirements of the Tarjeta de Residencia (Spanish Residencia).

First let me surprise most of the readers. EU nationals DO NOT need to apply for Spanish Residency. As a Gestor I am constantly asked by EU nationals moving to Spain to help them apply for Spanish Residencia because every book they have read and every website they have seen tells them it is a legal requirement. It is not.

Below is a copy of the law as it stands at the moment and how it relates to UK nationals. It's in Spanish but briefly it states:

The following people are able to live in Spain without the need for a Tarjeta de Residencia issued from the Spanish authorities so long as they have a valid identity document or passport.

Nationals of the Member States of the European Union, members of the European economic Area, or of the Swiss Confederation.......

A) SUPUESTOS DE RESIDENCIA SIN TARJETA

1. Podrán residir en España sin necesidad de tarjeta de residencia expedida por las autoridades españolas para tal fin las siguientes personas que sean titulares de un documento de identidad o un pasaporte nacional válido y en vigor:

a) Nacionales de los Estados miembros de la Unión Europea, de otros Estados parte en el Acuerdo sobre el Espacio Económico Europeo o de la Confederación Suiza........

To the original starter of this thread I hope this clarifies the situation for you. It is unlikely that your convictions in the 70's will prevent you from living in Spain. Just remember you WILL need an NIE number but there is NO need to apply for a Tarjeta de Residencia for nationals of member countries of the European Union.

ScotinSpain

Thanks elgestor, this is the first piece of UP TO DATE and ACCURATE advice I have seen on Residencia requirements in this Message Board, or indeed many others. The rules are changing so quickly it's difficult to keep up to date, and many legal eagles and relocation 'experts' are so far out of date they are misleading, if not down right dangerous. Most web sites (inc. the UK Consular site) have out of date sections, but the Consul should be able to provide updates.

Spain is slowly adopting EU regulation, but it will be some time before ALL the government agencies sort themselves out. There are also many regional variations but they also are sorting them out ssslllooowwwlllyyy.

Keep up the good work and, no I have no financial or commercial interest in elgestor, just appreciate ACCURTATE advice

ScotinSpain

Thanks elgestor, this is the first piece of UP TO DATE and ACCURATE advice I have seen on Residencia requirements in this Message Board, or indeed many others. The rules are changing so quickly it's difficult to keep up to date, and many legal eagles and relocation 'experts' are so far out of date they are misleading, if not down right dangerous. Most web sites (inc. the UK Consular site) have out of date sections, but the Consul should be able to provide updates.

Spain is slowly adopting EU regulation, but it will be some time before ALL the government agencies sort themselves out. There are also many regional variations but they also are sorting them out ssslllooowwwlllyyy.

Keep up the good work and, no I have no financial or commercial interest in elgestor, just appreciate ACCURATE advice

Beachcomber

But is it not still the case that anyone spending more than a total of 183 days is considered to be a resident of Spain for tax purposes, but who counts the days, and what happens about driving licences?

The DGT web site states that driving licences issued within the EU remain valid for use in Spain as long as the restrictions on age are adhered to and that it must be exchanged for for a Spanish one or be stamped by Trafico within six months of obtaining a residence permit.

Does this mean that if someone does not obtain a residence permit they can drive for ever in Spain without the need to comply with these requirements or will they be considered to be residents anyway if they spend more than 183 days here?

If the former perhaps someone should explain this to the Guardia Civil who have have imposed fines upon hundreds of foreigners locally for driving Spanish registered cars with an unstamped EU driving licence and if the latter then doing away with the need to obtain a residence permit is nothing more than a paper exercise.