ok, i know how to do it and have all that i need to renew it. i even went on friday and waited 2 hours in line, only to have them close the doors at 2pm (friday closing time) and be left "out in the cold".
so, before i go back one morning this week, i pose to all of you "in the know" the following questions...
i am an eu citizen with a valid nif and as i understand it, a residency card is really not needed since your passport does the same thing and gets you the same rights/priveledges here in spain.
so, aside from being smaller, easier to carry around, more convenient than having to carry your passport with you and maybe a "cool" thing to have, does it really make sense to renew a residency card?
i ask since mine expired yesterday and i am not looking forward to going to the police station AGAIN and waiting hours in line to apply for the renewal
am i missing something here? any input will be "mucho" apreciated
Obviously there are different benefits for residents of the Canaries, or Balearics, and I do know there are benefits for people trying to sell property with regard to withheld tax etc.
For me the main benefit is not having to carry my passport around!!!!!
________________________________________ Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional
since March 2003, EU Citizens do not need to have a residency card. I think the only advantages of having one are not worrying about taking your passport with you for ID (I've been here for nearly 3 years and have never been asked to show ID on the street and anyway a photocopy of your passport should be sufficient) and needing the card to get credit with banks etc. In your case Jer as you've been here quite a while and should imagine already have all your bank accounts set-up, I wouldn't worry.
I spend most of my money on beer and women, the rest I just waste.
Agree with what EnglishPilot says, since we do have students sometimes who are EU citizens we do recommend that they get their DNI but for purposes of having a handy ID to take around and if they want to open accounts or stuff like that. It doesn't hurt to have it but there is no obligation to get it. I have been here 13 years and I have been asked to show ID a couple of times. If you happen to get a cop with an attitude he will raise a stink about a photocopy of your passport as that is not an "official" document and therefore worthless. I think if you travel within the EU you also can only carry your DNI and don't have to use a passport. Good luck with the colas if you decide to go on and renew it. Lena
not a waste fo time after all since i now find myself needing to do other official stuff and said stuff requires me to show my residency card with my nif on it.
since my brit passport does not have my spanish nif on it, it is no good for what i need to do.
so, back to the police station tomorrow bright n early
Jer, did you not get that little blue card from Hacienda when you first opened a bank account? I know they don't issue them nowadays, but I have various nonresident friends who use them with no problems?
________________________________________ Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional
Sorry, you are right of course, just that "way back then" banks insisted on NIF cards to open accounts here. So, it is not possible to use that card along with a copy of your passport?
Just trying to think of a way to keep you from having to queue up tomorrow
________________________________________ Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional
I have to renew my card in Barcelona and I'm quite keen to do it for practical reasons. As per the norm in Spain there is very little (coherent) information available...
I'm not entirely sure what I have to do next. The two immigration offices in the city always have an enormous queue and the last thing I want to do is wait 3 hours only to be told I don't have the right form.
I have the photocopies and the photos but can't track down this 'application form' for the renewal.
My Spanish is OK, not great, but the last time I went down there I had a similar experience to Jer and seemed to be surrounded by hundreds of people wanting Visas so I couln't help but feel I was in the wrong place...
Can anyone give me a quick run-down as to what I have to do and where to go?
Many thanks
Posts: 2 | Location: Barcelona | Registered: 23 March 2006
I just learned that our immigration office in Madrid has special hours (from 4-6pm) for people who already have a card and need to renew, duplicate (what I had to do), or do other stuff. The lines are MUCH shorter then. Not sure if they do the same in Barcelona?
- if you are eu, you need form "ex16" to renew your current residecy card, click HERE FOR THE FORM (a pdf doc you will need adobe acrobat reader). you can do what i did, the form allows you to fill it in online and print it out ready to go.
if that is not what you need, let us know and we will try to find what you are looking for.
at any rate, i would not worry too much about having the wrong form, when you get online you will see others in your situation and can ask there. i highly doubt they would have you wait on line for hours and then make you get back to the end of the line if you had to fill in a diff. form. at worst, they would give you the correct form and have you fill it in there, letting others in line pass in front of you until you have filled it in.
then again, maybe not, after all you are in cataluuuuuunyyyyyaaaaaa (wishing i could make the nasal intonation come across here in writing ).
Thanks Jer and Juliette (nice website by the way...!). Got some more info...although there are pdfs dealing with 'renovaciones' but for some reason they are not online...I can't make a 'cita' either in Barcelona..
Your accent seems to be fine....
From the UK, so give David Beckham my regards when you see him...
Posts: 2 | Location: Barcelona | Registered: 23 March 2006
tanx, been practicing half pinchin my nose and saying "catalunya" since i last posted above, office mates think i am ready for the funny farm
hope you were refering to multimadrid when ya said "nice website" and not to that of the ministerio del interior
if so, thanks, it is my pride and joy
quote:
although there are pdfs dealing with 'renovaciones' but for some reason they are not online...
i do not know what you mean since the pdf i linked to (form ex16 HERE) IS for renewing. see section 5, option 7 (when checked off in combination with one of the options 1-6) is for renewing a previous card. that is the form you should need.
quote:
From the UK, so give David Beckham my regards when you see him...
ok, let's not have a perfectly helpful and positive thread go south by bringing footy into it shall we
- rent or buy a cell phone from me for your stay in spain, more info at 
- already have a cell phone, get a spanish SIM card for it at 
). 
