Buying Citizenship In Spain
It is possible to apply for permanent residency in Spain after living in the country for five years. Citizenship can be applied for after living full time for ten years. Although the temporary residency permit (the golden visa) can be easily renewed without living in the country, the route to both permanent residency and citizenship requires the investor and their family to reside in Spain. For this reason, the Spanish Golden Visa programme is popular with those applicants who either wish to reside full time in Spain or simply maintain a second residency in Europe but without a path to citizenship. Investors looking for potential European citizenship are advised to consider the Portugal Golden Visa program.
buying citizenship in spain
Barcelona absorbs over 40% of all inward investment for the golden visa in Spain. In many ways the Spanish government have failed to extract any real political or economic value from the golden visa programme. The investments are almost exclusively the buying of resale property. However, that is often the attraction in that investors face no restrictions.
The key disadvantage is the inability to apply for Spanish citizenship without a period of residency in Spain. Our clients prefer that flexibility not to have to reside and that is one of the key reasons why Portugal remains more popular than Spain for Golden Visa investors.
La Vida has extensive experience of all the Golden Visa programmes in Europe. In addition to Spain we can advise on Portugal, Malta, Greece and Turkey. We also offer citizenship by investment options in the Caribbean. La Vida has extensive global reach with our expert team having helped clients in over 150 countries worldwide.
Under the residence by investment program, individuals and their immediate family members can become residents of Spain (through a temporary residence permit) within less than a month. Subject to general immigration rules and requirements, residents by investment can acquire permanent residence status after five years of continuous residence in Spain, and may gain Spanish citizenship thereafter.
Residents may apply for citizenship only in their 10th year of residence in Spain. However, Sephardi Jews and citizens of Equatorial Guinea, Latin America, and the Philippines can apply for Spanish citizenship after only two years of effective residence in Spain. Dual citizenship restrictions apply to most foreign nationals.
According to the legislation, in order to obtain Spanish citizenship by investments, the applicant should invest in one of the options. Compliance with additional requirements that contribute to development of the country's economic well-being is also required.
The lawyers of International Holdings will select advantageos investment option according to your goals to achieve guaranteed result. We will consult you on the requirements of each option. In order to qualify for Spanish citizenship you have to apply for investor visa and residence permit first.
After 10 years of permanent residence in Spain it is possible to apply for citizenship. Application approval by the Spanish government will allow the investor and his family members to receive EU citizen status and to obtain Spanish passports.
Spain Golden Visa is neither a visa nor a citizenship program. The program offers residency permits to those that invest in Spain. It is not designed as a program for outsiders to get citizenship. Basically put, the foreign investors already interested in buying property in a different country than theirs can get a real estate in Spain and expect to get some benefits in return. Perhaps the most important benefit of this program is the allowance of a residence permit to the investor and his/her immediate family. One should invest in Spain with a minimum amount of 500.000 Euros to apply to the Golden Visa though, so it is natural to expect some returns on your investment other than its economic benefits.
Permanent residency can be identified as the next best thing to having actual citizenship from a country. One does not necessarily identify as a citizen of that country yet, but technically they do live as a citizen of the country in most regards. This status can be achieved via a Spanish Golden Visa program if the investor sticks around his/her investment for five years. You need to live at least 6 months every year in Spain for those five years to be eligible for this upgrade. This means that your investment in Spain is now well on its way to get citizenship for you too.
People that chose to invest in Spain using a Golden Visa scheme can, if they prefer to, apply for Spanish citizenship after 10 years of the initialization of their investment. At this point as long as you can prove that you were a citizen of the country for 10 years you will be reviewed for citizenship and a new passport. Moreover, ever since you had your permanent residency, and especially when you get your citizenship, the investor can actually dispose of their initial Golden Visa investment in Spain to perhaps look for new opportunities elsewhere.
In addition, there are other requirements for obtaining Spanish citizenship, such as knowing the language and having ties to the country. A Spanish passport will give the holder access to the EU job market and visa-free access to over a hundred countries.
However, if you intend to apply for permanent residence, then you must live in Spain for at least five years without interruption (at least six months out of the year). If you ever plan to apply for Spanish citizenship, then you have to live in Spain for at least ten years.
Spain only recognizes dual citizenship for nationals who have acquired Spanish nationality at birth. Naturalized citizens must renounce their previous nationality, except those from countries with which Spain has concluded a double-nationality agreement. Currently, citizens of the following countries may become Spanish naturalized citizens, without giving up their previous nationality: Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Uruguay and Venezuela.
citizenship benefitsBecome an EU citizen, with the right to live, work, do business, invest, own property and access to healthcare and education benefits throughout the European UnionVisa-free or Visa on arrival to 174 countries, including United States, Schengen Area, United KingdomGet one of the most valuable passport worldwidePassport with optimal reputationVisa-free access to the United Statespermanent residency benefitsThe right to live and work in Spain, without any time limitBe eventually eligible for citizenshipAccess to healthcare and educational benefitsInvestment recoverytemporary residency benefitsPotentially profitable investmentPeaceful, democratic and politically stable countryWarm climateHigh quality of lifeBe eventually eligible for permanent residencyTravel visa-free across the European UnionAccess to healthcare and education systemLow cost of living
According to Spanish nationality law, the residence permit leads to Permanent residency permit. Permanent resident card for 10 years then leads to Spanish passport citizenship after 5 years. That also gives you Citizenship of the European Union.
There is a fast-track citizenship option that will grant you a Spanish passport in just two years. However, this option is only available to not only to non EU citizens, but also only to citizens of former Spanish colonies.
If you are not from one of the former Spanish colonies, you must also be willing to renounce all other citizenships to become a naturalized Spaniard because Spain does not recognize dual citizenship.
The Spanish property market has many quirks, and it pays to do your research before buying a home in Spain. Knowing what to expect when buying property in Spain can help avoid any pitfalls of setting up your life abroad. Factors to be aware of when buying Spanish property include property scams, high capital gains tax, and fluctuations in the Spanish real estate market.
The steps to follow when buying a house are not always intuitive. In addition, it is necessary to have clear which taxes and expenses we will have to pay to acquire the house.
The only thing you need when buying a property in Spain as a foreigner (in legal terms) is the NIE (Número de Identificación del extranjero). This number, which is unique to each individual, is essential to carry out any transaction in Spain. Since it must appear on all documents that you sign or are issued in Spain, you must have it before signing the deed. The NIE is not complicated to obtain, but it does take a long time; ask your real estate agent to make it easier for you to obtain the NIE in order to speed up the process as much as possible.
Yes! If you are British and you are thinking of buying a house in Spain to retire you are still allowed to do so. However, you will be subject to the Non-EU regulations, which make the path of buying property in European Countries a little bit more complicated. Applying for a Spanish Non Lucrative Visa might speed the process of purchasing the house.
When buying a resale property (a property that has changed hands at least once) you will be required to pay the Transfer Tax or ITP in Spanish, that is levied on a sliding scale depending on the purchase price.
Hello and thank you for such great information and guides to buying properties in Spain.I would like to know in order for a foreigner to apply for NIE, for the purpose of buying a property in Spain, does the applicant have to present a signed purchase contract from the seller or the real estate agent as the reason for applying for NIE?Thank you in advance,Ali Jannati 041b061a72