Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
We figured out that the consulate only gave me a “student” visa and I need to get a dependent or non lucrative visa… We have all the documents. Any idea how to proceed or has anyone gone through this?
I’m here with my husband who is working.. we’re thinking that the issue is the consulate in San Francisco gave me a student visa and I need to change it to a dependent visa here, then apply for the TIE.
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These are the answers of some Facebook group members:
“What did you originally apply for? If they issued the incorrect visa, you need to talk to the consulate as they’re the only ones that can fix that issue. I’d consult a lawyer because this sounds like a potentially tricky situation.”
“A dependant of whom? Did you come here under someone else as their dependant? The only way I can figure they gave you a student visa is because you are the child of someone who moved here and they just assumed you would be a student? A dependant Visa is very different from a Non Lucrative Visa. You need to show 4x the income/savings on a NL Visa.”
“To be a dependent, you’d need to travel with the other person who has you on their visa as a dependent. If you talking about residency as dependent of an EU citizen.
Process is “familiar de ciudadano UE”. Can be done in Spain after legally entering Spain as a tourist (tourist visa may be required).”
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