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Essential Documents and Paperwork for New Zealand Citizens Explained
Fundamentals Crucial to Understand
Under Spain’s legal framework, an international digital nomad or teleworker is defined as an individual performing work or career-related activities exclusively via online platforms for organizations outside Spain. New Zealand citizens who fit this category are included in these regulations.
For individuals within this bracket, possessing qualifications in the form of a degree or equivalent professional capabilities allows them to apply for a visa from their current location or a residence permit if they already have legal residential status in Spain.
This visa or permit grants New Zealand citizens the right to live and work anywhere within Spanish territories. Depending on age-related employment laws, this right might extend to family members.
IMPORTANT NOTE
For New Zealand citizens planning to undertake work activities, it is crucial that your employer is based outside of Spain.
In cases where New Zealand citizens are self-employed professionals, an exception allows engagement with a Spanish company, provided this does not exceed 20% of their total professional operations.
Who is the Provision For?
This provision primarily targets non-European Union nationals who wish to reside in Spain while conducting work or professional activities solely via IT, telematic, and telecommunication tools and methods.
Establishing Your Existing Status
Understanding different regulations requires recognizing how your present location at the time of application —either legally inside Spain or outside the country— affects the type of permit needed to telework from Spain.
If you are based outside of Spain, you must apply for an international teleworking visa.
If you are currently in Spain and meet all legal requirements, you should apply for a residence permit specifically for international teleworkers.
Qualification Guidelines for Digital Nomads
Visa and residence permits must be applied for by individuals intending to telework in Spain, often referred to as digital nomads or teleworkers. There are specific requirements for both personal and professional conditions for the teleworker and the overseas organization they are employed by or rendering services to.
Essential Eligibility Criteria for Remote Teleworkers
Adequate financial resources for self-sustenance and the sustenance of accompanying family members are essential, based on the specifications below:
- Visa and residence permit holders should have a monthly income equivalent to 200% of the Spanish minimum inter-professional salary (for 2023, this would be €1,080 monthly).
- For a family unit that includes 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 must be in a regularized immigration situation in Spain.
- The minimum age for the application is 18 years.
- Applicants should not have any criminal records, either in Spain or in any country where they have resided for the past five years before the application process.
- Applicants should not be barred from entry into Spain or be listed as individuals prohibited from entry based on any agreement signed by Spain with other countries.
- Maintaining a prior professional relationship for at least three months with one or more entities you propose to telework for is mandatory.
- It is required to hold a health insurance policy endorsed by an approved insurance company in Spain. Exemption applies if your home country has no bilateral agreement with Spain, in which case you should register with the Spanish Social Security system.
- A mandatory fee for visa or permit processing needs to be paid.
Company/Organization Requirements
Present evidence that the foreign company or organization where the applicant is employed or professionally associated has been operational continuously and genuinely for no less than one year.
Issue a documented approval allowing the employee to engage in remote work from Spain, specifying the job role, remuneration, and terms and conditions regulating the overseas professional endeavors.
Provide proof of social security coverage, including health benefits for the worker (where applicable), either by presenting a certificate proving such coverage (if 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 commitment to register the employee.
Period of Validity of the Visa
The visa duration is one year, permitting you to execute your teleworking responsibilities in Spain within this timeframe.
If you wish to extend your stay, you can apply for a residence permit for international teleworkers within sixty (60) days before the visa expires. This eliminates the need for a new visa or fulfilling any obligations tied to your previous residency duration.
The permit lasts for a maximum of three years, unless a shorter period is needed.
The permit can be renewed in successive biennial increments, provided 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 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 must present yourself at the respective Spanish diplomatic missions or consular offices within your country of residence to process your visa. Confirm specific local instructions at the appropriate diplomatic mission or consulate before undertaking the process.
For the Permit: If 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).
Understanding the Application Process
THE IN-PERSON VISA APPLICATION STEPS:
Step 1: Begin the application by downloading and filling out the national visa form, addressing every question related to your travel purpose. If the trip includes family, each family member traveling with you must fill and sign an individual national visa form, and these applications should be submitted concurrently.
Step 2: Complete the previous dossier by securing an appointment with your country’s relevant diplomatic mission or consular office. The necessity of the in-person application process cannot be understated. However, rare and extremely justified circumstances may permit application submission via a verified representative.
Step 3: The third stage involves paying the required fee that caters for your international teleworker residence visa application processing. The precise fee amount can be consulted below.
Step 4: Submit the relevant documents to your country’s diplomatic mission or consular office for official evaluation.
Step 5: Once your documents have been inspected and ratified, the fee paid entirely, and all previous steps meticulously followed, the final decision on your international teleworker residence visa (also known as the digital nomad visa) will be reached.
The diplomatic mission or the consular office will then notify you of your visa application’s status via email. Based on your residence country’s specifications, your visa might be dispatched to your home, or you might need to personally pick it up from the diplomatic or consular office.
If your visa application is denied, you will be informed promptly.
A guide to online permit submission
Step 1: 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. The official form is provided only in Spanish. To assist you, translations into multiple languages have been made available strictly for reference purposes:
Refer to the unofficially translated MI-T form in English
If your journey includes family members, download, complete, and sign the specified application form for dependents, denoted as MI-F. This form will be part of the combined permit application. The official form is accessible exclusively in Spanish. Translations into several languages are available for reference:
Consult the unofficially translated MI-F form in English
Gather the necessary documents in advance of your application period commencement.
Step 2. The Settlement of the Application Fee
Before submission, you must pay the prescribed fee.
Fill in the necessary fields of the form (indicating the method of payment) and download the duly filled form to arrange the payment (labelled as fee 038 in relation to the standard form 790).
The form 790 for fee 038 enables payment either in cash (through a deposit into a Public Treasury account at a bank) or via direct debit arrangement with your checking account (where you will provide your account number).
Authenticate your identity using the digital certificate FNMT-RCM or the Cl@ve PIN or Cl@ve Permanente scheme for this action.
Step 3. Commence your application, provide all required paperwork, and sign digitally.
Once you have filled out the form and completed the payment, 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, select “Alta de solicitud”.
To validate your identity for this operation, present a government-approved digital certificate or use the Cl@ve PIN or Cl@ve Permanente systems. 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 an initial application. Essential details such as the applicant’s country, detailed address location, postal code, and contact number must be provided on this page.
A checklist of mandatory documents required for upload will be presented. Add any other documents you consider appropriate or helpful.
Ensure the information provided is both accurate and complete. 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. 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.
Step 4.
Documentation Review
The responsible Unit (UGE-CE) will undertake a thorough review of the submitted documents and verify the payment. During this stage, you might be requested to provide additional information or documents.
Stay vigilant regarding notifications through the electronic notification system; any required additional documentation or information might be requested through this medium.
Final Considerations:
Throughout your time in Spain, you are expected to adhere to Spanish laws and regulations. Keep up to date with any changes to the visa or residency requirements, and ensure you have valid health insurance throughout your stay.
