For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
Yes, but I already speak Spanish and I don't want to stay wherever that school is.I have heard that if you enroll in a language school you can sometimes get a longer term visa.
If that's the only obstacle, just rent the cheapest cupboard of an apartment in the cheapest town you can find. Use it as a storage locker. Be seen coming and going sometimes by the neighbours.I can get an apartment easily, but I don't want to
Actually, since my 2014 retirement, I have lived five months in an albergue in Navarra, two in Burgos, two in a shantytown in Perú, and fifteen weeks in seven other countries; and biked or walked probably a thousand kilometers. So I have done the test!Try this out first. Come to Spain, do your Nomad thing, go back home after the visa days are up, and see if wandering around is something you really want to do full-time.
The pertinent websites explicitly quote an income level lower than what I have, but considerably higher than what has allowed me to spend three years on the road. One of them hinted that officials may have discretion to vary it a little. Criminal records check is also required, and a certificate from a doctor that you aren't contagious. Then the health insurance. Officially, full coverage with zero deductible or co-pay. This is galling, because it requires me to pay for coverage I won't use in Spain, because anything beyond routine care, my traveler's insurance gets me back to USA where the government takes care of it (they also cover emergencies outside of USA).First you have to prove means of self support and second you need to show proof of healthcare insurance.
True, Basque and Polish are on my wish list, but I think I need to first get better at the languages I've already started on. A long-stay visa has to be received from the country you are actually going to stay in and it does not change the ninety-day rule for the rest of Schengen. Allowing longer than ninety without a long-stay visa is a violation of the Schengen Agreement—are you sure they do that?If you want to stay longer somewhere in the EU but not necessarily in Spain I think it is easier to get a long term visa in France. Also Denmark and Poland will allow you as an American to stay in their countries past the Schengen 90 day limit. If you reconsider the language school option remember that Spain has other languages to learn other than Spanish/Espanol/Castellano.
That's what I'll end up doing if I can't persuade the government that Spain does have hotels and hostels.If that's the only obstacle, just rent the cheapest cupboard of an apartment in the cheapest town you can find. Use it as a storage locker. Be seen coming and going sometimes by the neighbours.
That is my understanding.A long-stay visa has to be received from the country you are actually going to stay in and it does not change the ninety-day rule for the rest of Schengen.
I'm not going to provide any legal advice here but I will pass on information and links that provide you with something useful to discuss with lawyers.Allowing longer than ninety without a long-stay visa is a violation of the Schengen Agreement—are you sure they do that?
Thanks, lots of good things to check out. I was referred to some lawyers from SpainGuru.com and will probably make an appointment.I'm not going to provide any legal advice here but I will pass on information and links that provide you with something useful to discuss with lawyers.
I will be in Spain next month to walk Leon to Santiago. Then a week in Valencia. After that I'll be with my buddy for three weeks in Spain & then he's coming to Jersey to spend 10 days with me. Plenty of time to pick his brain clean on this immigration thing. He's not an immigration lawyer but I'm sure he can give me more information than I have now.The pertinent websites explicitly quote an income level lower than what I have, but considerably higher than what has allowed me to spend three years on the road. One of them hinted that officials may have discretion to vary it a little. Criminal records check is also required, and a certificate from a doctor that you aren't contagious. Then the health insurance. Officially, full coverage with zero deductible or co-pay. This is galling, because it requires me to pay for coverage I won't use in Spain, because anything beyond routine care, my traveler's insurance gets me back to USA where the government takes care of it (they also cover emergencies outside of USA).
I (and maybe others) would be interested in what your lawyer friend has to say.
For me the health insurance requirement is a sticking point.One person told me they applied for and received their visa in Madrid in spite of the statements on consulate websites (and confirmed by an immigration lawyer in Madrid) that you are not allowed to apply anywhere but the consulate for your district (home), and you have to do it in person.
The consulate websites (all but one that I checked) say your application must include proof of a place to stay in the form of an actual contract for lease or purchase. In other words, go to Spain, find a place, sign a contract, and then pay for it without living in it for however many weeks it takes to get the visa. But I can find no evidence of that requirement in Spanish law (not that I am very good at such research) and the immigration lawyer in Madrid that I already mentioned said it is not the law (and for a fee, she'll educate the consulate).
Many people, including realtors, said you can't buy or rent without NIE and bank account. But I did it.
Many people, including bankers, said you can't get a bank account without NIE. But I did it.
I'm wondering how many other "impossibilities" are just old wives' tales.
Obviously it's not impossible if you did it. I take you at your word. The question isOne person told me they applied for and received their visa in Madrid in spite of the statements on consulate websites (and confirmed by an immigration lawyer in Madrid) that you are not allowed to apply anywhere but the consulate for your district (home), and you have to do it in person.
The consulate websites (all but one that I checked) say your application must include proof of a place to stay in the form of an actual contract for lease or purchase. In other words, go to Spain, find a place, sign a contract, and then pay for it without living in it for however many weeks it takes to get the visa. But I can find no evidence of that requirement in Spanish law (not that I am very good at such research) and the immigration lawyer in Madrid that I already mentioned said it is not the law (and for a fee, she'll educate the consulate).
Many people, including realtors, said you can't buy or rent without NIE and bank account. But I did it.
Many people, including bankers, said you can't get a bank account without NIE. But I did it.
I'm wondering how many other "impossibilities" are just old wives' tales.
Well, I assume the banker and realtor that prepared all the documents thought they were legal.Obviously it's not impossible if you did it. I take you at your word. The question is
is it legal?
I have no idea, but I would guess not without your cooperation or a court order. And obviously not if you only have twenty Euro in the account.If I get hit by a car and run up a $60,000 hospital bill.
Will they just take it out of my Spainish bank account?
My insurance gripe is (if this is not another case of misinformation) that I am supposed to buy duplicate insurance. I already have health care that covers emergencies anywhere, and if I need non-emergency hospitalization, other insurance will get me back to USA where my current health care pays all. So I bought a €30/month policy for routine care only, but people tell me I have to get full coverage, no deductible, no co-pay to get a visa.My problem is with my insurance company that won't cover me up front. I have to lay the money out and then get reimbursed.
Buen camino! Keep us posted of your progress.I'm leaving tomorrow for Spain.
If I remember correctly, Adeslas from LaCaixa would be €120/mo. Same place I got my €30/mo which only covers office visits and labs. I don't really have "insurance" in USA. I am a "veteran" so the government does everything for me in USA but outside USA, emergencies only. If I were not a vet, I would still have the COBRA from the company I retired from, which pays anywhere in the world, but has a high deductible outside of northern Indiana.I'm curious as to what full coverage, no deductable, no co pay insurance would cost in Spain
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?