Many people today live in Spain with a non lucrative Spain visa. These are people who decide to come to Spain to reside but who do not have permission to work in the country, neither as an employee nor as a self-employed person.
Like any other type of TIE, if you have a non-lucrative residency card and you are close to its expiration you need to renew it to be able to stay in Spain legally. In this blog post we give you all the details you need to renew the residency obtained through your Spanish non-lucrative visa or NLV.
Non lucrative Spain visa regulations
The rules governing the granting of the non-lucrative visa permit (as well as its renewal) are:
- Organic Law 4/2000, of 11 January, on the Rights and Freedoms of Foreigners in Spain and their Social Integration (articles 30 bis and 31). (“Ley Orgánica 4/2000, de 11 de enero, sobre Derechos y Libertades de los Extranjeros en España y su Integración Social (artículos 30 bis y 31)”
- Regulation of Organic Law 4/2000, approved by Royal Decree 557/2011, of 20 April (articles 45 to 51). (“Reglamento de la Ley Orgánica 4/2000, aprobado por Real Decreto 557/2011, de 20 de abril (artículo 45 al 51).”)
Non lucrative Spain visa authorization
The non-lucrative visa authorization is a residency authorization that enables a foreign citizen to live and reside in Spain without the need to develop a work activity for their livelihood in Spain.
Requirements to renew the non lucrative Spain visa
The requirements to be able to renew the non-lucrative visa are:
- Not be a citizen of a State of the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland, or a family member of citizens of these countries, to which different rules appliy (the regime of citizen of the Union).
- Lack of criminal records in Spain.
- Not to be prohibited from entering Spain and not to appear as “rejectable” in the territory of countries with which Spain has signed an agreement in this regard.
- Be the holder of a non-lucrative visa permit in force or be within ninety calendar days after its expiration.
- Have the necessary financial means to cover the expenses of stay and return and, where appropriate, those of their relatives, in accordance with the following amounts:
- For its monthly support, 400% of the IPREM, which in this year 2023 amounts to 2,400 euros.
- For the support of each of their relatives, 100% of the IPREM that is in 2023 an amount of 600 euros.
- Check How much money do I have to show when I renew my Spanish Non-lucrative Visa in 2023
- Have a public or private health insurance arranged with an insurance company authorized to operate in Spain. Check Spainguru’s recommended private health insurances that comply with all the NLV requirements.
- Have schooled the minors in their care of compulsory schooling age during their stay in Spain.
Documentation to renew the non lucrative Spain visa
The documentation that you must provide to the renewal of the non-lucrative visa is the following:
- Application form in official form (EX-01) (two copies), duly completed and signed by the applicant.
- Passport or travel document, recognized as valid in Spain, with a minimum validity of one year.
- Full copy (every page) of valid passport or travel document.
- Documentation accrediting having a means of livelihood for the period requested. To be able to prove that you have these economic means you can use any document admitted by law, including real estate property titles, certified checks or credit cards accompanied by a bank certification that proves the amount available as credit on the card. If the means come from shares or participations in Spanish, mixed or foreign companies, located in Spain, it must be certified that the applicant does not exercise any work activity, accompanying an affidavit in this regard. CHeck out this Question and answer article “How many months of bank statements are needed for Spanish Non Lucrative Visa renewal process for years 2-3?“
- Documentation accrediting having medical insurance, or health insurance certificate.
- In case of being in charge of minors of compulsory school age, a report must be issued by the competent authorities, regional or state, or the educational center.
- Where appropriate, the integration effort of the accredited foreigner will be assessed through the positive report of the Autonomous Community of his place of residence.
- Proof of payment of the fee 790 code 052.
- Any document contributed to the renewal of your non-lucrative visa and that comes from outside Spain, said document must be apostilled or legalized where appropriate, and translated. The translations must be done by a sworn translator authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.
Addendum: It has been reported by Spainguru’s community members that some regions may also require duplicate of Marriage certificates and/or birth certificates, when the renewal includes spouses and or dependent children.
Source: Renovación de la autorización de residencia temporal no lucrativa (HI 11) – Ministry of Inclusion
This article is not legal advice and doesn’t replace the official requirements.
When should I file for a non lucrative Spain visa renewal?
As mentioned, once you are close to the expiration of your card you must start with the renewal of it to be able to continue in Spain legally.
These are the deadlines:
- Within 60 days prior to the expiration of your non-lucrative visa.
- Within 90 days after the expiration of your non-lucrative visa.
It is recommend that you to renew the non-lucrative visa within 60 days prior to the expiration of the card. It is true that you can also renew within 90 days after the expiration of the card, but in this case the immigration office could fine you for having let your residence card expire.
The renewal can be done by yourself or your legal representative or voluntary representative.
Where and how can I renew the non lucrative Spain visa?
The renewal of this residence permit must be requested at the Immigration Office where you have your registered address (empadronamiento).
There are currently several ways to renovate the non-lucrative visa:
- by appointment at the immigration office itself
- through any public register of sub-delegation or government delegation
- also through postal mail
- through electronic means.
The best thing is that the renewal of the non-lucrative visa is done by electronic means, this way part of the path by which the renewal is processed is already done. In this way the renewal is presented directly at the immigration office without intermediaries and a file number is assigned without having to travel or request an appointment with all that this entails.
This online processing can be done with your digital certificate or permanent password (cl@ve permanente).
Once the Immigration Office is aware of your request, it has a 3 month legal period to process and respond to our request. If after this period you do not have news of your request, it can be understood that it has been approved by “administrative silence”.
How do I check the online status of my residency renewal application?
To check the status of your renewal application, you can go here: https://sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es/infoext2/
You can access your status con formulario, where you just fill in your NIE, the date you submitted the request and the year of your birth.
Alternatively, you can do it with the Cl@ve pin (which you need for various other actions with Hacienda). To get the pin, you first register either in person or online.
After you’re registered, you download the Cl@ve pin app, and it should be quite straightforward!
Granting of the non lucrative Spain visa renewal
Once the renewal of the non-lucrative visa has been granted, it will be valid for two years.
From the notification of the granting of the non-lucrative visa permit you have one month to carry out the fingerprint procedure and request the issuance of your physical card. To be able to do this procedure you will need the following documentation:
- Application for Foreigner’s identity card, in official model (EX-17)
- Proof of payment of the fee 790 code 012.
- Three recent color photographs, on a white background, passport size.
- Granting of the non-lucrative visa
- Valid passport
- TIE (Tarjeta de identificación de extranjero)
