Question
We are gathering all our documents to apply for the Spain Non Lucrative visa. We will be going through the DC consulate. On the website it says they are now accepting applications 6 months prior to the intended travel date.
Does this mean that if we submit 6 months prior and they issue the visa we have to move within the 90 days of the visa being approved still? I don’t want to apply and then have the visa approved in 2 months and have to move prior to our planned date.
I emailed the consulate 2 weeks ago to clarify but have not gotten a response. Our intention is to move January/Feb 2025.”
Answers
These are the answers of Spainguru’s Facebook group members:
“Yes, they changed the law sometime in 2021 to allow applications up to 6 months before intended arrival date. This is widely known among nationals who normally need Schengen Visa just to visit the Schengen area. I applied last May for intended arrival date of end of October. No problem,” stated a member, clarifying the changes and providing personal experience.
Another member supported this response, adding, “Yes, second the motion! Moving in June but applied in January!”
Further advice was offered by another top contributor: “In the letter we informed SF consulate that we are planning to enter Spain in July and provided our paperwork with one-way airtickets.
They granted our request and gave us entry dates one day before our tickets. If you have miles you can buy tickets, present them to the consulate. Tickets purchased with miles can be canceled even 2 hours prior to the flight and you will be fully refunded.
You don’t need to buy travel insurance to get your miles and money back, only if you paid for the seats air company won’t refund you.”
Conclusion
It appears that the Spain Non Lucrative Visa process now allows for earlier application submissions, up to six months prior to the intended arrival date.
This modification has been confirmed through personal experiences shared by the group members. Additionally, it’s possible to coordinate visa start dates with travel plans, as evidenced by members who provided their flight tickets to the consulate to align their visa validity with their travel dates.
These insights can be particularly helpful for future applicants in planning their move to Spain under the Non Lucrative Visa.
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