Last Updated on April 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
My husband works in maintenance. Since his job is on-site and not remote at all, will he be expected to resign from his job during the Spain Non Lucrative Visa application process? We want to delay a resignation for as long as possible because his health insurance is the best.
Any chance the New York City consulate would accept a letter explaining our situation in lieu of a resignation letter from HR?
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These are the answers of Spainguru’s NLV Facebook group members:
“When I applied at the New York City consulate in Feb 2024, I used a termination letter from July 2022. I was not working during that time frame. Also supplied a letter that I wouldn’t be working while in Spain.”
“You’d have to get private health coverage anyway for the application. Can’t use his company scheme.”
“The San Francisco consulate requires a notarized letter stating you will not work online and will stop working once your visa is approved. You can check the SF consulate website for the wording; it might be similar for NYC.”
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Explore Cities →“I worked right up until a few days before we left. I had an official letter from work stating my finishing date. I also wrote a letter explaining clearly what my intentions were and when I would be entering Spain and had this translated. I had no issues getting the visa (Edinburgh).”
“We are in the process of applying for our NLVs and had a meeting yesterday with a company who are going to help us with paperwork etc. we were told MUST be P45, and we will be applying in Edinburgh”
“I needed a P45 to prove I’d finished in Manchester”
“We had to quit as they (London) asked for P45 .”
“Depends on the consulate. We submitted notarized letters promising to turn in our 2 week notice upon acceptance of NLV, and that was fine. San fran consulate, June 2024.”
“In Boston you need your resignation letter before they will let you make an appointment.”
“We have been told we can’t have our BLS appointment in London without my husbands P45, so we have had to delay our appointment until he actually receives it.
Conclusion
Applying for the Spain Non Lucrative Visa often involves demonstrating that the applicant will not be employed during their stay in Spain. Requirements vary by consulate—some, like San Francisco, accept a notarized letter promising resignation upon visa approval, while others, such as London and Manchester, require official proof like a P45.
It is essential to research the specific consulate’s requirements and prepare accordingly.
Private health insurance is mandatory, as employer-provided coverage is not accepted for visa purposes.
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Answers
These are the answers of Spainguru’s Facebook group members:
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