Question
Does anyone have experience of getting a Spanish Non Lucrative Visa: Impact of a Past Offence on Application Success (NLV) with a drinking driving offence from 15+ years ago please? Very interested in success (or otherwise) stories. Thanks!
Answers
These are the answers of Spainguru’s Facebook group members:
“They are really looking for violence in past records. Drink driving won’t affect your nlv as far as I know. My husband had a record worse than that and there were no problems.”
“This offence will not show on your ACRO Police report that you present to the consulate/BLS. The step-down model used by the Police means it is left off due to the amount of time, as long as there have been no offences since. The ACRO will show ‘No Live Trace’ which should be accepted. The offence will only show on the second sheet, which is for you only and NOT for the NLV application.”
“Correct, it is marked clearly in the letter, NOT to be shown. Only the ACRO cert.”
“No issues with that.”
Conclusion
The impact of a past offence, specifically a drinking driving offence from over 15 years ago, on the application for a Spanish Non Lucrative Visa appears to be minimal.
The ACRO Police report, which is necessary for the visa application, uses a step-down model that does not display old minor offences such as DUI if there have been no subsequent offences.
This suggests that past misdemeanours that have since been rectified or that are distant in time may not severely impact the chances of obtaining a Spanish Non-Lucrative Visa, particularly when they are non-violent in nature.
Related article
Does a ‘no live trace’ on my ACRO affect my Spain Non Lucrative visa application?
Spain Non Lucrative Visa application with a Criminal Record: A Guide for UK Applicants
