If you wonder what to do to continue living in Spain legally as you were doing, we show you, step by step, how to renew your Residence Card or your TIE in Spain. It’s easier than you think!
We will see the main requirements according to your residence permit, and a series of very useful tips that will undoubtedly help you.
How to renew the Residence Card?
The first thing to keep in mind is that you are not really renewing your NIE, but rather your TIE or Foreigner Identification Card.
The NIE is the number that identifies you as a foreigner in Spain, and it will always be the same.
Thus, once you have completed one year in the country with your initial residence authorization, it is most likely that you must renew it (although there are some permits, such as the Golden Visa, which will be for the second year).
How to do it?
Although it is true that a few months ago the usual process was to make an appointment with the Immigration Office, prepare all the documentation, go in person to present it, and wait for the resolution but currently everything is much easier.
Because now the vast majority of residence permits can be renewed online electronically.
After the coronavirus crisis and the State of Alarm, the government has expanded the list of procedures that can be carried out online, to expedite the situation of foreigners.
Thus, now you can present your renewal online, and you will get a response much faster.
All you need is a digital certificate. If you do not have it, you can contact our team of lawyers and we will send the documentation for you.
What is needed to renew the TIE?
In order to renew your NIE, you must basically meet all the requirements that you met at the time you initially obtained your residence card.
That is, the exact requirements will depend to a large extent on the type of authorization you have.
And that is what we will analyze next.
However, there are a series of general requirements that no matter what your specific residence card is, must be present.
If you want to renew your residence, you must meet these requirements:
- Not having a criminal record in Spain. That is, not register minor crimes or problems with the police or Spanish justice.
- Not be a citizen of the European Union, Switzerland, or the European Economic Area.
- Not be prohibited from entering the country.
- Provide a valid and current passport. If it has expired, renew it before starting the renewal of your residence card.
- Be the holder of the residence authorization that you intend to renew and make sure you do it within 60 days before its expiration or within 90 after it.
- Have health care in Spain. This can be covered with Social Security if you work for someone else, or with health insurance.
- If you have dependent minor children, they must be in school while they are in Spain.
- Fill in the official application form according to your residence. You can find the full list here. As you can see, it is the same as in the initial request. You only have to mark the 1st or 2nd renewal checkbox.
- Pay the pertinent fees, the amount of which will vary according to your permit.
- Avoid prolonged absences outside of Spain, as this is a clear reason for refusal.
Let’s see what the specific requirements are according to each particular case.
How to renew the Residence and Work Permit (Cuenta Ajena)?
The first case is that of the work permit as an employee, that is, working for a company (which is called, “cuenta ajena” in Spain). So, how to renew it?
The first thing will be that you need to have a job position or a valid offer during the period of the renewal. However, collecting unemployment benefits (Paro) or assistance would also be valid.
Unless it is a permanent residence, this renewal will be for two years.
But there is another requirement that we must meet, and we found three different cases:
The foreigner has been working for 6 months
In this first case, the most important thing will be to demonstrate that you have been working for a minimum of 6 months during the year prior to the renewal.
In the case of renewing a 2-year residence card, the period to demonstrate extends to 1 year of work activity in total (6 months per year).
The foreigner has been working for 3 months
But what if you have only worked for 3 months per year? Renewal is still possible.
But in this case, it will be essential that during the time you have not worked, you can demonstrate that:
- You have been working (justified by registering as unemployed).
- You can justify the reasons why you have not worked at the company that offered you the offer that you used to process your initial residence card application.
- You are working at the time of renewal, are registered with Social Security, and with a salary equal to or higher than the minimum wage in Spain.
If the foreigner is not working but meets the requirements to be reunified then it is also possible to renew even if they do not meet the requirements for it. They would need to go through the reunification process. The renewal is made by certifying that the spouse can, in fact, reunify their partner.
Ideally, to renew, you should have a job. Although collecting unemployment benefits (Paro) or assistance would also be valid.
Unless it is a permanent residence, this renewal will be for two years.
The foreigner has not worked
Finally, and as an exceptional case, the renewal is possible even if the foreigner has not worked.
The fundamental thing, in this case, will be that they meet the requirements to be able to be reunified.
The renewal is processed proving that the spouse can request this process for the foreigner in question and reunify them.
How to renew the Residence and Work Permit (Cuenta Propia)?
Here the requirements are more direct.
To renew a work permit as a self-employed worker (“cuenta propia“), you must continue to maintain the same employment status that gave rise to this residency in the first place.
That is, you must continue to operate as an independent worker.
To do this, you must be up to date with the payment of taxes as a self-employed worker and have no debts with Hacienda (Treasury) or Social Security. This is done by providing the IVA, Personal Income Tax (IRPF), or Corporate Tax Return.
Finally, and as in the previous case, there is also the option for the spouse to demonstrate that they have sufficient financial resources to support the foreign partner. Therefore, continuing with the professional activity would not be necessary for the renewal.
However, in that case, you would only get a residence permit and not a work permit, when renewing.
How to renew the Residence and Work Permit as a Highly-skilled worker
To renew this type of work permit, you must demonstrate and present the same requirements that were necessary for the initial application. These are:
In the first place, the foreigner must provide the contract signed by the company or employer, guaranteeing their employability during the period that the current renewed card will last.
The salary established in the contract must be high enough. We are talking about at least 1.5 over the average salary of the profession to be performed. In this case, as the position is usually a manager or another technical position, this will be around €40,000 or €50,000 per year.
Again, present the documentation referring to the academic training of the worker, demonstrating that they have the necessary experience and training to perform the job.
The foreign worker must be registered with Social Security.
As for the company, it must not only be up to date with its payments to the Tax Agency and Social Security but also be able to demonstrate sufficient economic capacity and solvency to keep the worker on the staff during the established renewal period.
As we have mentioned, the documentation to provide will be the same as in the initial application, with the difference that if the worker changes company, they must provide the data of the new company. We are talking about tax identification data as a self-employed person/company (NIF, CIF, DNI), Personal Income Tax Return, IVA, Corporate Tax, or the company’s work history.
The application form is the EX-05.
How to renew the Residence for Family Reunification
To renew a residence permit for family reunification, the requirements are identical to those of the initial application. Basically, we are talking about three key points.
The first thing is to continue to have an adequate life suitable for all of you who live together to do so in decent conditions. In the case of having changed address, the housing suitability report will have to be requested again from the competent Autonomous Community body.
Then, to have sufficient financial means (100% of the IPREM) on the part of the sponsor. To demonstrate this, you must provide, at the time of renewal, a copy of the employment contract or the last personal income tax return if you work for someone else, and if you do it on your own, the last personal income tax statement and accreditation of your professional activity. If you do not carry out any type of activity, bank certification with the exact possession of money.
Finally, the relationship analogous to the conjugal one must continue to be maintained, and it must be proven.
All this will be formalized through the application form EX-02.
How to renew the non-profit residence
Here we leave you a complete guide on how to renew the non-profit residence. However, in this section, we will see one of the main requirements, the one that generates the most confusion.
As you already know, to obtain this type of residency it is essential to demonstrate possession of a certain amount of money in the bank.
Well, if for the initial application, you had to prove possession of €26,000 in your bank account, at the time of renewal this amount goes up.
Well, the renewal is not for one year, but for two.
Therefore, the amount required doubles; now demanding €52,000. Apart from that, make sure you continue to have health insurance, and the renewal will be yours. In this case, we will use Form EX-01.
Long-term Residence Renewal
In this case, and as long as you are within the deadline, the renewal is much easier and more direct.
It is not necessary to show that you have worked.
The only existing and crucial requirement will be to demonstrate that you have been in Spain for 5 years continuously. That is to say, that they have not left for more than 6 months in a period of one year (not continuous); or that the total amount of departures in the complete period does not exceed 10 months.
Finally, you will have to prove that you are not prohibited from entering Spain, pay the relevant fee, and renew.
Renewal of the Community Card
If you have obtained residence as a family member of a community member, once your 5 years with it come to an end, renewing your community card is very simple.
You simply have to prove that the link with the European citizen (usually your spouse) continues to be maintained, that you have not been outside of Spain for more than the allowed time, and fill in the EX-19 form.
As an exceptional case, if you have separated or divorced from your partner (European citizen), you can continue renewing as long as you have lived together for a minimum of 3 years out of the 5 granted with the initial card.
When can I renew my Residence Card?
The general immigration law establishes that it can be renewed within 60 days before and within 90 days after the expiration of your card.
However, we recommend that you start the process before the residence card expires because they could impose a penalty for the delay.
Thus, take into account the administrative deadlines for renewing and start preparing everything with enough time.
How much is the Renewal Fee?
Each and every one of the procedures with foreigners requires the payment of a fee. And renovations are not an exception.
In this case, the exact cost will depend on the specific type of card. But, to give you an idea, most are governed by Form 790, code 052, whose cost is:
- For temporary residence €15.76
- For permanent or long-term residence €21.02.
Start your Renewal now
Now that you know all the requirements to renew your residence permit in Spain, the only thing left is to prepare all the documentation and send it to the competent body.
However, to save yourself headaches, you simply have to send us an email explaining your situation, and we will take care of submitting your application in record time, and completely online.
In Entre Trámites we invite you to know our immigration services out here. Fill in our contact form and we will call you to help you as soon as possible, schedule your online consultation, or just text our WhatsApp.
