Can anyone help with the new "Royal Decree 178/2003 of 14/02/2003" relating to the conditions of entry and residence of citizens of member states of the EU. It appears that stays of longer than 3 months will now require a Residence Card, this Royal Decree came into force on 1st March 2003.
My husband and I are looking to move to Spain this year and are now wondering how this Decree will affect us, we know that we will have to prove that we have a regular income, i.e. pension, bank account details etc. so as not to become a liability on the country's resources.
Any ideas or more information on this subject would be most welcome.

Hi spanisheyes!!

If you do a search on "residence" you will see all the comments that have gone before!!

Thank you madsue for your kind reply, I have done the search and it has proved very useful, its good someone understands these things. I had the wrong end of the stick and was panicking, any more info on the subject and healthcare would be most welcome.

Hi SpanishEyes (very cool name)

Welcome to the board

Try also doing a SEARCH on "healthcare".

There are quite a few threads available.

Saludos,
jer...

Hi again spanisheyes!

Even though the ruling from 1st March has said that residencias are no longer necessary, here on Lanzarote we are all taking no notice of it and continuing to renew residencias as they run out!! Without them we can�t get our 30% travel discount , would have to carry passports around etc etc.

Reviving this thread after so long, but I am just sooo cross, had to post somewhere!!!!! A friend went to start the process of renewing her residencia last Thursday and she told me exactly what paperwork was required. Fine, I went on Tuesday with the exact same paperwork - and it was wrong!! I had too many copies of some bits, and not enough of others . Luckily they did the photocopying for me, so I didn�t have to go away and start again!!

Next problem - I need my residencia to claim my 30% discount off airfares. The police wouldn�t start the renewing of my residencia until it actually ran out. Now it will take at least 3 months before the new one is issued. Spanair will not accept my police letter as proof of renewal, so won�t issue me with a discounted ticket!

The point of this!!! Whatever the new law says about residencia for EU citizens - you should get one....especially if you live in the Canaries , though what paperwork is required seems to depend on who is behind the counter at the time.

quote:

originally posted by madsue:
[qb]
Next problem - I need my residencia to claim my 30% discount off airfares. The police wouldn�t start the renewing of my residencia until it actually ran out. Now it will take at least 3 months before the new one is issued. Spanair will not accept my police letter as proof of renewal, so won�t issue me with a discounted ticket!
[/qb]

As a Balearic resident (for official purposes, I actually live in Madrid now) I know the plight of the flight discount game. Technically the stamped renewal form which has your photo on it should suffice as proof of residency, but in reality it doesn't for some things. This is lots of fun in Mallorca, where it can take up to a year for a new card to be issued (at least, that's how long it took mine last time I needed to get it renewed).

If you're seriously in need of discounts often, then you might be able to take advantage of the old system. Pop over to the ayuntamiento one free morning, and ask for a number of "Certificados de Empadronamiento" (Residence Certificates). These used to be required to get the discount, and you may need to give it up to your travel agent or at the check-in desk. Each separate member of your family needs a separate certificate, and you may need one for each leg of the journey.

On a similar note, If you buy the ticket online, as long as you put your NIE and the localidad (ie postal district) where you live on the extra fields bit, that normally suffices there are instructions on the site. Technically you're supposed to have proof of residency with you when you check in, but either the stamped form or, to be on the safe side, one of those certificates, should suffice.

Moof! It is just Spanair here in Arrecife airport being a pain I think!!! I had my certificate (you only need one, and it is valid for as many flights as necessary over a six month period). Also even if you book online you still have to convert the booking at a travel agent or airline office, so they blocked me there too. In the end, I cancelled the booking at the Spanair desk, walked 20 feet to another desk in the airport, and bought the ticket from them, with the discount! Each ticket shows my residencia number and the municipality I am registered under!