sunny_side

Hi,

I'm living in Alicante close to 3 months now, unfortunately i do not know a lot of Spanish only a few bits and pieces to get me buy.

I understand that if you want to stay in excess of 90 days you take your passport and €10.40 to the local office and get some sort of a certificate. I was told it is easy and painless. One of the offices was just up the road literally 5 mins walk. Also i'm only staying for maybe 5 months so i wont need the full residency thing but you do need some sort of a certificate to extend your stay past 90 days as an EU citizen, i'm Irish btw.

Day 1 i arrived, went to the desk, he didn't speak English so i tried to explain, waited around for a while, brought me over to a police officer, he asked me some more questions and also had very little English, after a while the guy told me to come back tomorrow.

So i did that, this time i wrote out exactly what i needed and translated it via google translate to make things easier, same guy at the office desk, different police officer this time, same story and this time he started saying something like Ocho merida or something like that (I was thinking he was saying to come back at 8 tomorrow or something) and pointed out the door, i asked if he could write it down and he just looked a bit angry and just waved me out the door and it was clear he wasn't very much interested in helping me or explaining any further which isn't typical of what i have seen so far since i moved to Spain, i have found the Spanish very friendly and helpful.

I was thinking of going to the other center in the city tomorrow hoping maybe they had some English speakers. Is this certificate really necessary, i don't really know much about it but if i leave after 5 months and don't have this will i be flagged at the airport leaving or what is the consequences. I'm happy to do it don't get me wrong, but i'm starting to get the runaround and its getting to be a bit of a pain.

mikelincs

The 90 days is the signing on the padron, or register of foreigners, it's not essential, and there are many people who have lived there for a long time who have never doen this, however it's all now one with the 'residencia' and you usually do both at the same time. If you are having difficulty, and want to do this, then the simplest way is to get a 'gestor' to do it for you, or just take a translator along

lynnxa

ocho y media - half past eight - that's when he wants you back

the 3 month thing is registering as resident - for that you need prove income & healthcare - so that's what he was probably getting annoyed about - you didn't have all your paperwork

if you're only staying another 2 months then tbh it's a bit of a pointless exercise, even though you're supposed to do it - but you've tried & they've turned you down, so there's nothing they can do about it

no, you won't get into any trouble for not doing it - there won't be any issues at the airport or anything

the only thing I would point out, is that after 3 months you are considered resident even if you don't register - so you shouldn't use your EHIC any more since it's for holidaymakers

lynnxa

the padrón & the register of residents (foreign ones) are two entirely different things

everyone, of all nationalities should register on the padrón in the town in which they live asap after they move there

Lynn R

It sounds like the guy was telling you to come back at 8.30 am (a las ocho y media). It also seems the information you have been given about signing on the official register of foreigners is a bit sketchy, to say the least. You will need more than your passport and the €10.40 fee, I'm afraid. You need a certificate from the local Ayuntamient to say that you are empadronamiento (ie on the list of official residents in your town). You also need proof of sufficient income to show that you are not going to become a burden on the state (either a work contract or proof of sufficient funds either in a lump sum or regular payments into a Spanish bank account - money in a British bank account will not suffice. The exact amount they require isn't set in stone but the general consensus seems to be at least €6,000 per annum for a single person). Plus proof that you are either covered under the Spanish state health system (a Form S1 from the UK DWP is acceptable if you have one) or that you have private health insurance cover.

sunny_side

Thanks, i did actually hire someone to look into what i needed, where to go etc and they rang several offices to confirm. They said i needed a “Certificado de Registro de Residente Comunitario”

They said the only thing that would be needed is a passport and €10.40. When you say 'residencia' is that the thing full time residents need, which requires signing up for compulsory health insurance, submitting finances etc

While i will do that if i have to based on the research my Spanish friend done because i wont be here 6 months i do not need the full residency cert.

You mention its not necessary and many people living here long term havent done it, does that mean if i leave the country before the 6 months there wont be an issue, i dont want to end up missing my flight home because i get detained for questioning over a silly form i didn't fill out but if its just a fine and a ticking off or something its probably less hassle than trying to explain to the guys in the foreign office what i want to do lol

Fred James

That should not be required as the padron is only for people who have their habitual home in the town.

After 3 months you must register on the foreigners register but that does not necessarily make you eligible to sign on the padron.

If I was staying for 5 months I really wouldn't bother as officially you have to sign off when you leave. There are hundreds of thousands of winter visitors who stay for well over 90 days and it would be madness to expect them to sign on and off every time they come out.

That said as far as what individual offices and town halls require, anything is possible - they seem to make up the rules as they go, as a result few people have much respect for the rules.

lynnxa

there's only one kind of 'residencia' - registering as resident & getting a “Certificado de Registro de Residente Comunitario” - that's what you're supposed to do at/by 3 months if you're planning to be here that long or longer - & that's what you need the healthcare & income proof for

even if you stay here for years, as long as you don't get into any legal trouble/want to work/want to get kids in school/register for state healthcare/etc/etc, it won't be an issue

you won't have any problems at the airport when you leave, either

Spain requires it, but if they 'refuse' you, as they sort of have, then they can't throw you out for not registering - as an EU citizen (you are, yes?) you can live here

as I said before though - you have no healthcare cover at all

sunny_side

Thanks for all the replies, i guess that clears things up. I can prove income, i work freelance and have a set wage and i also have medical insurance but it probably isnt sufficent. Initially i just bought holiday insurance which i believe covers me for 90 days.

With that in mind, is there any good online sites i can buy private insurance with, since my 90 days will be up soon and i probably have to get insurance from a Spanish insurer now. I just want something hassle free i can buy online without having to bring tons of paperwork to somewhere if possible, have no health issues so just want something pretty basic. I presume i dont need a certificate of residence to get private insurance, that would be strange if i had to get the certificate but yet i cant get the certificate until i proved i had health insurance

sunny_side

Ok, thanks for clearing that up, really helpful. So does that mean without this i cannot get any new health insurance either from an Irish company or a Spanish private health insurer.

Fred James

I will take issue with you on this as registration on the register of foreigners does not make you a resident - if merely gives you the right to stay in Spain for more than 90 days..

Clearly if someone came for 100 days and then went back home and followed the rules they would have to sign on but no one in their right mind would say that they are now residents.

The only legal form of residency is fiscal residency which doesn't have to be applied for - it just happens after staying for 183 days in one year..

Yes it is perfectly true to say that you need to produce evidence of signing on to get through certain bureaucratic processes but it is not correct to call it "residency". A true resident would have had to go through that process but it is not "residency" - it is much more like a visa to remain for over 90 days.

lynnxa

I don't know about an Irish company - but I think you'd have to be 'resident' to deal with a Spanish company - they'd almost certainly want a NIE number at least

I don't know - I've never tried to get health ins here without a NIE/resident cert

lynnxa

I don't think we're disagreeing - the point I was making was that NOT registering, doesn't make you NOT resident - you are considered so & Spai just wants to know that you're here

I had to speak to the consulate on a somewhat related matter last week, and was told that the certificate is just a formality, which makes no difference to your status - but that you are simply no longer a 'holidaymaker' after that 3 months/90 days

Fred James

Yes, that's exactly the way I see it as far as the green certificate is concerned. I just don't like to see it described as "residencia".

OK after 5 years they change the wording to the right to permanent residence but that doesn't really mean a lot.

lynnxa

nor me - it just confuses things!