Will a criminal conviction for actual bodily harm (only conviction) from 40 years ago affect application for residency in Spain, although it was only one punch no use of a weapon I appreciate it looks bad, many thanks in advance

It is certainly a question that comes up -

https://www.pellicerheredia.com/en/n...ive-visa-spain

But whether your situation is acceptable I do not know I think you need professional advice.

You need to look at The Step-Down Model.

ASSAULT OCCASIONING ACTUAL BODILY HARM ... if that is what it is...

3.15 In the case of an adult, who, on conviction at court, receives a non-custodial sentence in respect of an offence listed in category ‘C’, the conviction history will ‘step down’ after a clear period of 12 years.

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That means on the record certificate it will say "No active record", rather than "No record". Whether this gets picked up will be down to whoever processes it.

Thank you very much for the reply