Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
Hola, has anyone had luck getting a non lucrative Spain visa from the US during these Covid times? I can’t figure out from the Spanish Consulate website whether they are issuing such visas or not these days, and whether some of it may be done via mail vs in person. We are trying to move to Barcelona in September. Gracias!
Answers
These are the answers of some Facebook group members:
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Start the Moving to Spain Hub →“I received mine…but I applied back in April and got it approved in october…although maybe things have changed since then.”
“You do not get a work permit directly from the consulate. First you need to have an offer of a working contract from a company registered in Spain, then…Start the procedure for work & residence permit in the Consulate of Spain. Once it is approved, you get a visa to travel to Spain and when you’re here you apply for the residence permit.”
“Yep…I started back in April 2020 and finally got approved in Oct. Things could be faster now, what took the longest was the FBI Background check certification because it took about 6 weeks to get and by the time I got it and sent it to the Consulate, it expired (90 days from the date of the background check), so i had to get a second one which took almost just as long but by this time I already had seen the Spain consulate in chicago so they just told me to mail the documents back. Get an immigration lawyer here in Spain because they take care of everything. I arrived here in Spain in Dec and next week I get to pick up my Resident card.”
“I got my resident permit last year, started applying in February, and ultimately got it in like october. It’s happening, just slowly”
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Explore Cities →“I have clients from the US now. Consulates are working. Just without applicants’ visits. You have to send them all the documents”
“You can join a NLV Whatsapp group where you can ask any questions or doubts regarding the process to obtain you lucrative visa here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CBnAz6H9YvGHqdaiYURaqG “
Useful links:
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- Make sure to visit Spainguru’s Resources page.
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- Get quotes for the best Health insurances to apply for a NLV
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