SPAIN – New Requirements for EEA Registration Applications
The Spanish government has passed a new Royal Decree (16/2012 of April 20). This is an austerity measure which, among other things, changes requirements for the European Economic Area (EEA) national registration process. It will now be required for applicants to prove their economic stability in Spain at the point of registration.
What Are the New Requirements?
The new procedures and requirements for EEA national registration have not yet been fully announced, however, we anticipate the following:
- Workers
- Self-employed applicants will likely need to provide proof of registration with social security as a self-employed worker
- Employees with a Spanish company will likely need to provide an employment contract and evidence of registration with Spanish social security
- Assignees will likely need to provide evidence that their assignment has been communicated to the labour authorities as well as a social security certificate of coverage
- Non-Workers
- Applicants who are not employed will most likely need to provide other evidence of economic stability (for example, bank statements, rental contract for Spanish residence.) plus evidence of full medical insurance
- Applicants who are dependents of someone who is working in Spain will need to provide evidence of ties to that worker plus evidence, as noted above, of that worker’s financial means
Current Situation
Currently, EEA national residence certificates are still being issued in Madrid. However, in Barcelona, the authorities have stopped issuing long term residence certificates and are issuing temporary NIE (identity numbers for foreign nationals) certificates until the new procedures are clarified.
Action Items
- Note that registration procedures for EEA nationals are affected by the new Royal Decree. Procedures will become more document intensive and processing time may be extended.
