How to apply for permanent residency in Spain

How to apply for permanent residency in Spain

Permanent residency in Spain allows you to stay in the country for five years. Your card can be renewed as many times as you need.

To qualify you will need to have legally lived in the country for five years with a Número de Identidad de Extranjero (NID) number. You’ll also need to prove you have enough income or financial resources to support yourself and have valid health insurance. In some cases, you may also need divorce, marriage or criminal record certificates.

You need to spend these five years in Spain on a different kind of visa and it could mean applying several times as these are often only valid for two or three years. And student visas are only valid for 50 per cent of the total duration - two years for example counts for one year towards your permanent residency.

A certificado de residencia from the Spanish police states exactly how many years you have been living there which can help you figure this out.

Compared to some other EU countries, applying for permanent residence in Spain is quite cheap. The application itself only costs €80 though there may be some other fees that are typically less than €20.