Spain Non Lucrative Visa: My Application Experience at the New York Consulate – June 2025

By
Bruno Bianchi
-
first hand experience community answers

Firsthand experience applying for the Spain Non Lucrative Visa at the New York City Consulate.

“We had our appointment this morning. Trying to jot this down quickly lest I forget anything. If it helps someone great! Some of you guys have been awesome responding to questions and sharing information. Wanted to do my bit.

It was scheduled for 8:30 am but the consulate itself opens at 8:30 am; so you are asked to wait downstairs at a pseudo-lobby area.

Headed upstairs at around 8:25 am and there were a couple of people before us. The doors open at around 8:30 and they start letting people in.

First the Security person will ask you what you are there for and check your name off in the list. Then you are asked to stand in line at the reception area, where the same thing kinda repeats.

Spain Non Lucrative Visa: My Application Experience at the New York Consulate – June 2025

All members of the family need to be present and the appointments are typically scheduled in 15 min intervals for all of you. Subsequently, you are asked to wait in the waiting area.

The lady at the counter called us at around 8:40 am and looked at our state IDs and returned them (did not keep the copies of the IDs with her but take it with you regardless). She then asked us who the primary applicant was and said she was going to start with that.

I was then expecting her to ask me for the documents by different sections but she simply said “hand over all the documents for the primary applicant”, 😮 and she took EVERYTHING I gave her.

She returned a few copies here and there of the payment form for example and she also returned ALL the original apostilles (she specifically said you are going to need the originals when you go to Spain).

Submitted Documentation

  1. Standard application, EX-01 and the payment form, along with the money order, copy of passport page and passport photo
  2. Letter from checking account stating current balance, average bal for last 12 months, account no., Address of bank; accompanied with a sworn translation
    Separate statement from End of 2024, “certified” by the bank which shows the balance as of 12/31
  3. I had checking account statements for 12 months and she took all of them
  4. Balance verification letters, sworn translation of those and statements for the last 3 months for some of my other accounts
  5. Financial summary of my accounts
  6. Medical certificate, private health insurance certificate
  7. 1040s in English and Spanish, 9325 in English along with sworn translations – both for the last 3 years
  8. FBI apostille with sworn translation
  9. Provided notarized affidavits stating I will not be working in Spain, and our letter of intent

Repeated the process for my wife but in addition provided the marriage certificate with the apostille and sworn translation.
Repeated the process for our kid but in addition provided the birth certificate with the apostille and sworn translation.

P.S. on the payment form (790 I believe), do not enter your US address, it has to be an address in Spain.
Once all the docs were submitted, she asked us to wait and then called us in about 5 mins; asked us to fill out the money orders with our info. Filled it out and handed it back to her.
At around 10:05 she called us again and asked us why we wanted to move to Spain? why we were retiring so early? Why we chose the province we did? And then she handed us our receipts.

Said the wait is typically a month but can be 3 months. I think I covered everything but may have missed a thing or two. Now we wait!”

Questions and Answers

Q: Can you tell me more about your letter of intent? Was it written in Spanish or English?
A: Wrote it in English and translated it into Spanish. Got both notarized. It was one page.

Q: Was the letter of intent required?
A: I don’t believe it was a required document. We prepared it just in case and I don’t think it hurts.

Q: Did you resign from your job before the appointment? Can you still be employed and write a letter of intent to quit later?
A: Yes, we resigned. And in my opinion, no—you can’t just say you’ll quit later. I’ve seen posts where people were denied.

Q: Did you get a form showing new financial requirements?
A: Nope. They probably got everything they needed.

Q: When did you email the consulate and when was the appointment scheduled?
A: I emailed them on April 4th 2025 and got a response on April 7th with a May 29th appointment. I had said we were moving in July.

Q: Did they keep your passport?
A: Nope. They returned it at the end of the appointment.

Q: Did you apostille the notary pages or notarize doctor letters?
A: Only apostilled FBI, marriage, and birth certificates. Didn’t notarize medical certificates, just had them signed and translated.

Q: Were both the FBI background and apostille translated?
A: Yes, both were sworn translated.

Q: Can I use a retirement account like an IRA instead of a bank account for proof of funds?
A: Not sure. I assume cash and/or brokerage accounts are fine. Unsure about only retirement accounts.

Q: How did you make the appointment with NY consulate?
A: I just sent them an email requesting it. Email: cog.nuevayork.visnac@maec.es

Q: What’s the address of the New York consulate?
A: 150 E 58th

Comments

“We are in NY as well & this is such valuable information!”
“This is so helpful! Thank you!!”
“Thank you for such detailed report! We’ll be going to NYC consulate in 2026.”
“Thanks for all this info! Our appointment is in August.”
“Hard work hopefully paid off. Enjoy!”
“Congratulations! We applied April 4th… got a call to bring passports on April 22nd!”
“Thank you for sharing!”
“It’s interesting how NY consulate differs from Miami’s.”
“Thank you! May I ask if you got apostilles of the notary pages?”
“THANK YOU! This was incredibly helpful.”

Conclusion

The Spain Non Lucrative Visa process at the New York Consulate involves clear organization, early arrival, and detailed documentation.

Applicants should prepare notarized and sworn translated documents, including apostilles for FBI background checks and vital records. While the letter of intent is not officially required, many find it helpful.

Bank documentation must be thorough and ideally dated close to the appointment. Communication with the consulate is by email, and scheduling timelines can vary depending on when you want to move.

Applicants should not expect their passports to be held during processing, and they should be aware that procedures differ from other consulates, like Miami.

Disclaimer:The content of this article is based on personal experiences and contributions shared by members of the Spainguru community. It is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult a qualified expert for guidance specific to your situation. The images used are for illustrative purposes only and do not depict real individuals, locations, or events.

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