I am wondering if anyone has married a spaniard and then gone through the applying for residency process. Is it difficult? How long does it take and what does it cost?

Also has anyone done the tourist visa extension. i was told that I have to go to the local police station to do this. Is that correct? What are the chances that it is approved?

Finally thanks jeremy for the advice about reception salons for the wedding. I found one and now I just have to find a church which is difficult as I am on a 5 month stint in the canary islands. BTW we marched in the manifestation here, not as big as Madrid but a good showing!

thanks for all the help as always!

Hi maraslattery, long time no hear.

I have not yet married a Spaniard but am working on it, soon...soon

I know that at least Chica, tonytorero and Val have married Spaniards and done what you say but am not sure which of them have gone through the residency process post marriag and who was already "legal" before tying the knot.

Chica, Tony, Val???

quote:

"Also has anyone done the tourist visa extension"

See the thread on that HERE

quote:

"thanks for all the help as always!"

No problem but giving back to the board is nice too (hint, hint ).

Saludos,
jer...

Hi Maraslattery--

Yes, as jer mentioned, I married a Spaniard and went through the residency process post marriage. It took me about 10 months all told, but the delay was due to wrong or lack of information that we were given in order to complete the process as efficiently as possible.

My first recommendation is that before you get married, go the the Embassy and see what information they can give you. You are getting married here in Spain, correct? We got married in the USA (chico�s family flew in for the 5 day celebration and the day after the wedding, I was on a plane with my "new" family). Since we got married in the USA, we had a few more steps to take once I arrived in Spain.

1. Marriage license had to be stamped with the Apostille Seal. Also needed original of my birth cert also stamped. This step was necessary in order to apply for the Libro de Familia. Our American wedding had to be legally recognized in the Spanish system.

2. Marriage license, birth certificate and other assorted docs (can�t remember which ones) were needed in order to apply for the Libro de Famiia in Madrid. The libro de familia is an offical and legal document in which all your future family activities will be noted (marriages, children, divorce, death, etc). This is needed in order to apply for a visa for "regrupaci�n familiar".

3. You have to apply for the visa for "regrupaci�n familiar" in the Spanish consulate closest to your US address. In my case it was NYC. To apply, you need to have the libro de familia, a copy of the empadronamiento of your spouse, both your and his passports, clearance letter from your local US police department declaring that you are free of any crime, clearance letter from your local township stating that you are in fact single and free to marry, 2-4 passport sized photos. There may be some other docs that I am forgetting, either the local spanish consulate or the US Embassy can point you in the right direction. NOTE: You MUST return to the USA to pick up your visa. I took an extended weekend and the Spanish Consulate in NYC processed my application in 4 hours.

4. Once you have your visa, go to Extranjer�a here in Madrid to apply for your residency. In Madrid the waiting list (rather the bureaucratic process) is long, could take 3-4 months before you are given a date to present your paperwork (due to the large influx of immigration). And then a couple of months more from there to process the paperwork. I processed through Segovia since it�s where we live and presented the paperwork on the same day that I applied for the residency. Got my card within 2 months.

It�s been a while so I can�t remember exactly all the docs we needed, but the important ones that will take you some time to gather have been mentioned. I don�t remember the cost of the paperwork. I�d allow for about 25€ for each transaction. The visa supposedly costs $50, but they waived the fee for me. I am not sure why. Maybe because I smiled coyly at the funcionario.

Hope this information helps! I believe Val got married here in Spain... and Tony too. We�ll have to see if they post!

I personally just decided to do it the easy way and hired an attorney that specializes in immigration. It�s so nice not to have to put up with the bureacratic bull**** of both countries. Plus since they have contacts in the offices, it gets done faster. My wife�s cousin married a guy from Mexico and they had him legal like 2 weeks after he got here, I�ve been here 4 days and they expect I�ll wait only 7-10 more days. That�s the best advice I can give you in invest some money and save some time to get it done right the first time.

just a question about the immigration attorney. About how much?

sorry Jeremy
I will try to contribute more often but I did use the board to offer my job when i took off to the canaries. And i met up with the guy, he took over the jobs and I told him to use your board to meet people in madrid. Which I intend to do when I am back in Madrid as you are all so nice and friendly.

Depends on what the lawyer charges.

Shiloh,
Question for you, as I did hire a lawyer, and for my case, it should not only have been easy, but an open and shut case- and I ended up wasting money and a LOT of time waiting...and ended up getting rid of him and doing everything on my own!

Your papers, are they processing papers because you recently got married? Or is it a different immigration issue you're getting help with?

I got married 6 years ago, but in the US. Only recently did we move to Spain after living in Salt Lake City for 6 years. You have to do the residency yourself at the Spanish Consulate nearest your home in the US. My attorney here is working on the work permit for me. Basically I spend money for them to do the papers, use their connections to get it done faster, and represent me at the Spanish INS so I don�t have to. Basically, I just get it done right the first time.

Shiloh,
About getting it right the first time... my situation is ENTIRELY different. Thus my question. But thank you for answering, that's all I wanted to know.

My point is, that depending on the issue, a lawyer may or may not help. With marriages, its pretty easy, and like you say, especially being in Spain and having to do things through the consulate where you lived, it saves you the hassle.

Regarding a visa extension, I was at the police station last week, doing yet another one of the thousand steps for my residence permit (as I�m married to an American with work/residence papers) when my hired "gestor" and I (what is he in English?) ran into 2 flustered Americans who were trying to get their visas extended. Theirs were to expire in 3 days and my gestor told them that it�s virtually impossible to be granted an extension unless you�re pregnant, in the hospital, or other emergency situations. He said the best idea would�ve been to leave the EU earlier for a new stamp on their passport.

Not really related, but in case anyone�s wondering, I�ve been waiting 9 months here for my card. They tell me (we�ll see) that it�ll be ready in mid-March.

Cheers!

Rachel, that's the norm. Its important for anyone getting any type of paperwork done that how fast or slow it will go among MANY other things is the type of paperwork you want to get done in relation to how you're going about it.

For instance, Shiloh, in your case, you're married to a Spaniard- so of course your case gets precedence (spelling?) as it deals with a Spanish national. Rachel, in yours, being married to not only a foreigner, but a non-EU member, well, that means it will take longer as the rights you have are second to Spanish nationals and EU citizens- so I'm not surprised that its taking so long- but hey! You're almost there!

And just in case you guys were wondering, I fall into the Spanish national category- but my issues have been complicated by an entire different kind of burocratic beast! Part of which means that there are 5 different ways to read the same exact law and depending on who has to help you that day and how THAT individual reads it... well I'm at the mercy of a person's mood! That is until now, which things have been clarified and now I get to wait in line and just wait until it gets done!

Either way, Good luck to you all! I'm sure you're in capable hands, its just a matter of time! But NOBODY should expect to get ANYTHING done within a day or two! Even if you're a Spanish citizen!

Maraslattery --

Whatever you do, start the processing (if possible) no later than May. If you get all your paper work together and approach it in an organized manner, you should be able to get it done in a few weeks.

My processing got held up due to a comedy of errors, the need to send the marriage cert back to the US for the Apostille seal (won�t apply to you), then started the process in June. Ahh summer vacations interrupted the process and then Sept. 11th happened setting my trip to NYC for the visa back by several weeks.

We didn�t have the money to hire an attorney, nor did we feel it was necessary. The process is relatively easy, once you know what the process is. That was what was the most exasperating for us... no one from one office to the next could tell us the process.

Here you have a resource on this board from the folks who have been there and done that.

Good luck!

Yeah, I realize that it may be normal to wait this long, I�m in Spain and thus getting used to its love of paperwork, long lines and standing around in chaotic situations.

One funny thing, however. My last letter to come and get fingerprinted was postmarked the 25th of January, while the letter was dated the 20th of December telling me that I had an appt. the 22nd of January. Ha ha ha! Thank goodness all I had to do was call the gestor�a and they ironed it all out for me.

Admittedly, last week was a sad scene to see all of the immigrants outside screaming to the officer that they�ve been there since 5am (it was 2pm and they were getting ready to close for lunch) and their babies are hungry. I don�t know if someone approached the officer or what, but all of a sudden I heard him scream to them to get back and if they made him angry again, he�d close the doors and not let anyone in. Same type of situation with the ONE lady who was working inside behind the desk for all of us who were lucky enough to get inside. Too much yelling for me, I�ll be glad when it�s all over.

Sure Espe our cases may be different. I just didn�t start out like so many others by waiting in lines or on the phone with consulates and immigration personell. When my wife and I decided we were going to make Spain our home the first thing we did was call our abogado who specializes in immigration. She guided us through the process of what we needed to do in the US and told us when we had done that she takes care of everything else. The thing is, they won�t talk to you over the phone because of course...how would you pay them. That�s why I suggest at least consulting with an attorney. They know the laws and processes (assuming they know what they�re doing)