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Essential Documents and Paperwork for Canadian Citizens Explained
Fundamentals Crucial to Understand
In light of Spain’s legal definitions, an international digital nomad or teleworker is outlined as an individual executing work-based or career-oriented activities strictly via online platforms on behalf of organizations situated outside Spain. Canadian citizens fitting within this particular bracket are no exceptions.
For those who are encapsulated within this parameter, possessing the qualification in the form of a degree or corresponding professional capabilities, could seek a visa from their existing geographical location or a residential permit if they have already secured legal residential status within Spain.
This visa or permit acquits the right for Canadian citizens to work and live anywhere within the Spanish territories. Depending on the age-related employment laws, this right can potentially be expanded to include family members.
Important Note
For Canadian citizens whose intentions are to conduct a work-related activity, it is vital to remember that your employer must be stationed outside of Spain.
In cases where Canadian citizens are involved in professional capacities– being self-employed, the exception permits you to engage with a Spanish corporation, provided your work engagement with them does not exceed 20% of your total professional operations.
Who is the Provision For?
The provision primarily targets non-European Union nationals who intend to reside in Spain while conducting their work or professional activities solely via IT, telematic, and telecommunication instruments and procedures.
Establishing Your Existing Status
In understanding the different regulations, you must recognize how your present location at the time of application—either legally inside Spain or outside the country—affects the type of permit required to telework from Spain.
If you are based outside of Spain, you must apply for an international teleworking visa.
However, if your current location is within Spain and you adhere to all legal requirements, you should apply for a residence permit specifically drawn up for international teleworkers.
Qualification Guidelines for Digital Nomads
Visa and residence permits must be applied for by the individual aspiring to carry out telework in Spain, often referred to as a digital nomad or teleworker. Nonetheless, there are explicit requirements concerning both the personal and professional conditions for the teleworker and the overseas organisation they are either employed by or are rendering services to.
Essential Eligibility Criteria for Teleworkers
Adequate financial resources for self-sustenance, as well as the sustenance of accompanying family members, is paramount, based on the specifications mentioned below:
- Visa holders and residence permit holders should have a monthly income equivalent to 200% of the Spanish minimum inter-professional salary (for 2023, this would amount to €1,080 monthly).
- For family units that include the visa holder and any dependent, a minimum income of 75% of the Spanish minimum inter-professional salary is required and for each additional family member beyond the pair, an additional 25% of the above salary is needed.
- You are expected to be in a regularized immigration situation in Spain.
- Minimum age limit for the application is 18 years.
- Applicants should not carry any criminal records, either in Spain or in any country where they have resided for the past five years prior to the application process.
- Applicants should not be barred from entry into Spain or be named in the list of persons whom entry can be denied according to any agreement signed by Spain with other nations.
- Maintaining a prior professional employment or relationship for a minimum of three months with one or more groups you propose to telework for is mandatory.
- It is required to hold a health insurance policy, endorsed by an approved insurance enterprise operating in Spain. Exemption applies in case your home country has no bilateral agreement with Spain, under which circumstances you should register yourself with the Spanish Social Security system.
- A mandatory fee for visa or permit processing needs to be paid.
Company/Organization Requirements
- Presentation of evidence that the foreign company or organization, wherein the applicant is employed or professionally associated, has been operational continuously and genuinely for no less than one year.
- Issuance of a documented approval allowing the employee to engage in remote work from Spain, specifying the job role, remuneration and the terms and conditions regulating the overseas professional endeavors.
- Providing proof of social security coverage, including health benefits for the worker (where applicable), either by presenting a certificate proving such coverage (provided there is a social security agreement between Spain and the employee’s home country) or by submitting evidence of the overseas company’s registration with the Spanish Social Security and their pledge to register the employee.
Period of Validity of the Visa
The duration of your visa is effectively one year, permitting you to execute your teleworking responsibilities in Spain within this stipulated timeframe.
If the allure of Spain compels you to extend your stay, you have the avenue to apply for a residence permit for international teleworkers within sixty (60) days before the expiry of your visa. This eliminates the need for a fresh visa or satisfying any obligations tied to your previous residency duration.
The permit is designed to last for a maximum of three years, unless a shorter period is needed.
The permit can be renewed in successive biennial increments, providing the original conditions for entitlement remain active.
Can Family Members Accompany Me?
Absolutely, they can.
Your stint as a digital nomad does not need to be a solo journey. You can bring your family members along with you. They can either apply jointly with you for a permit or visa, or at a later stage, based on their preference. The inclusion extends to:
- Your lawful spouse or registered partner
- Children of the permit holder or of the spouse/registered partner under the legal age, or those who have reached the legal age but are economically dependent on the permit holder/spouse/registered partner and are yet to establish an independent family unit
- First-degree relatives in the direct lineage who are economically dependent on the permit holder or spouse/registered partner
The Essential Steps You Need to Take
- For the Visa: You’re required to present yourself at the respective Spanish diplomatic missions or consular offices within your country of residence to process your visa. Be sure to confirm specific local instructions at the appropriate diplomatic mission or consulate prior to undertaking the process.
- For the Permit: Provided you have a legal right to reside in Spain, the permit process can be done online via the online platform of Large Company and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE-CE).
A Guide to Online permit Submission
The First Step: Filling in the Application Form
- Commence your application process by downloading and filling in the designated application form, referred to as MI-T. This filled form should subsequently be attached to your application. Keep in mind that the official form is provided only in Spanish. To assist you in this endeavor, translations into multiple languages have been made available strictly for reference purposes:
- Refer to the unofficially translated MI-T form in English
- If the scope of your journey encompasses family members, for each of these accompanying persons, you must download, complete, and sign the specified application form for dependents, denoted as MI-F. This form will be a part of the combined permit application. Please note that the official form is accessible exclusively in Spanish. We have made available translations into several languages purely for your reference:
- Consult the unofficially translated MI-F form in English
- It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with and gather the necessary documents in advance of your application period commencement.
Step 2. The Settlement of the Application Fee- Prior to the submission of your application, you must account for the payment of the prescribed fee.
- In order to arrange the payment for the requisite fee (labelled as fee 038 in relation to the standard form 790), you are required to fill in the necessary fields of the form (indicating the method of payment) and subsequently download the duly filled form.
- The form 790 for fee 038 enables you to proceed with the payment either in cash (through a deposit into a Public Treasury account at a bank), or via a direct debit arrangement with your checking account (where you will be required to provide your account number).
- For carrying out this action, you will need to authenticate your identity either by utilizing the digital certificate FNMT-RCM, or via the Cl@ve PIN (PIN code) or Cl@ve Permanente (Permanent code) scheme.
Step 3. Commence your application, provide all the required paperwork, and sign digitally.
- Once you have filled out the form and completed the payment, please proceed to the web-based system “Procedure for lodging applications for residence permits within the international mobility framework regulated by Law 14/2013″, facilitated by the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE-CE).
- For initiating the process and registering your application, you should find and select the option “Alta de solicitud”.
- To validate your identity for this operation, you’ll have to present a government-approved digital certificate or use the Cl@ve PIN or Cl@ve Permanente systems. It’s crucial to grant permission for the signature applet to operate to advance further in your request.
- Post successful identity validation, you will be routed to a page where you must specify the type of application. For this case, opt for initial application. Essential details such as the applicant’s country, detailed address location, postal code, and contact number must be provided on this page as well.
- Further down the same page, a checklist of mandatory documents required for upload will be presented. It is highly recommended to add any other documents you consider appropriate or helpful.
- Ensure that the information provided is both accurate and complete. Upon doing so, agree to the terms and conditions pertaining to data handling and proceed by clicking on the “Sign” button.
- Following the successful registration of your application, an application registration number will be presented. Moreover, a downloadable file containing your signed application and a receipt acknowledgment will also be made available – safeguarding this number will assist considerably in tracking the status of your application in the future.
Step 4. Awaiting feedback on your application
- Following the defined timeframe, a determination about your application for residence will be made and conveyed.
- A response concerning this decision will be delivered to the email you provided during the submission of the application.
Eligibility for Application
Usually, the person applying for the visa should submit the application directly, but in specific exceptional circumstances, an accredited representative may make the submission on the applicant’s behalf to a diplomatic mission or consular office.
For a permit application, either the foreign national or their authorized representative is allowed to make the submission.
Documents to Be Submitted
NOTICE OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE
Please note, all documents must undergo certified translation into Spanish and be suitably legalized. However, EU multilingual standard forms are not required to follow this procedure.
The process for legalization can differ, depending on whether the issuing country of the document is a party to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961:
If the issuing country of the public document is a member, it must have a Hague Apostille stamp to be valid. The certification is generally processed in the issuing country.
If the country that has issued the public document is not a member, the document should be legalized through diplomatic means.
For a more detailed understanding of the process for legalizing and translating documents,you can follow this link.
DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED FOR VISA AND PERMIT APPLICATIONS:
Documents issued by the countries where you resided in the past five years, such as certificate of criminal records, sworn affidavit of non-criminal behaviour for the past five years, etc. should be submitted. However, if you have a permit that authorize residence or a stay in Spain for more than 6 months, this could suffice as it’s deemed to have been provided during the permit application process.
CONDITIONS FOR THE VISA APPLICATION:
A duplicate of each requisite document, along with the original, should be submitted. However, this is a basic list of documents and additional documents may be required. The embassy or consulate may require additional documents at its discretion. You should expect to submit, but not be limited to, the following documents:
- Complete the national visa application form for long stays
- Valid identification document such as a passport
Proof of visa fee payment.
DETAILS SPECIFIC TO THE PERMIT APPLICATION:
- Signed permit application form.
- A thorough photocopy of your current passport or another acceptable travel document is required (all pages should be included).
- Evidence of payment of the application fee.
Expected Processing Duration?
Usually, the processing of your visa application might take about 10 days.
The process of the permit application can extend up to an estimated 20 days.
Associated Fees?
The processing fee for visa application is generally around €60. However, these fees may vary from one country to another, as well as the acceptable payment methods.
A permit application fee is typically €73.26. There may be exceptions in terms of fee reduction or exemption under certain circumstances. Kindly note, this is non-refundable, even if the application is unsuccessful.
Want More Information?
- On Visa Matters: The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a division of the Spanish Government, supervises this.
- On Permit Matters: The Unit for Large Companies and Strategic Groups (UGE-CE), within the Spanish Government, is responsible.
Where to Find More Information
For detailed information, the Spanish Government’s Immigration Portal (be advised, it is mainly in Spanish) and the Website of the Unit for Large Companies and Strategic Groups (UGE-CE) can be of help.
Important Supplementary Processes
In addition to submitting your application, there are some essential processes to complete:
IMPORTANT NOTIFY
Since procedures are often subject to changes, it is pertinent to stick to the regulations applicable at the time you are applying. Therefore, always make sure to stay up to date with the latest rules and regulations
