We got our residencia yesterday ...

As this is very topical at present, due to Brexit, I thought our experience may be helpful. We have actually lived here for 13 years but never got round to getting our Residencia. We always MEANT to but weeks became months became years …..   We both have NIEs and are registered with Doctors at our local health centre. My husband was of Pension age when we came so was immediately elegible for Spanish healthcare, I was his dependent for a few years until I could also claim it in my own right.

Yesterdays appointment was made last August. Because of the demand (presumably because of Brexit) it was not at the main Oficina de Extranjeria on the edge of Murcia city, but at a smaller "overflow" office in the centre of Molina de Segura. We were allotted 20 minutes per appointment, in fact we were both in and out within 30 minutes clutching our Residencia cards.

If you look at the RHS of this page and scroll down, you will see a link to "Jim's Guides". There are many different subjects including "The Residency Certificate". There is a huge amount of information and links to both the EX18 (the application form) and the 790 (the form to pay the tax/admin fee before your appointment), both of which can be completed online before printing. Jim mentions both the 790-012 and the 790-052, in Murcia Region it is the 790-012 which is used, the fee is 12 Euros. Jim explains exactly how to complete the forms.

We took our completed 790s to our bank last week, there are 3 bits of paper, the bank retains the 3rd bit, the other 2 you take to your residencia appointment. The bank also printed us off a 6 month statement which ran to about 8 pages. I did not photocopy this but highlighted all the incoming pension payments.

At home, I made 3 copies of:  the EX18, Passport, NIE, recent Padron, Health cover (more on that later!), and each of our annual Pension statements showing our income for the year ahead with the relevant figures highlighted. You MUST take the originals of these documents with you to the appointment.

We took all these to yesterday's appointment, plus the bank statement and several photos. We took our Escritura with 3 copies of the certificate showing we had paid our mortgage off. Even our marriage certificate! (Just in case.)

At the appointment, he wanted just 1 copy of the EX18, same for the Passport, NIE and Padron, and 1 photo. He glanced at the Pension statements, did not seem very interested and did not keep any of the copies. He looked at (and kept) the Bank statement. It's fairly healthy but not to the tune of 14,000 Euros! (My first post on this forum was to enquire whether anybody had been asked to have 7,000 Euros EACH in their account as we had been told. Nobody had.) No comment was made about the balance in our account.

He did not keep any copies of the mortgage certificate, but wanted a photocopy of the first 3 pages of our Escritura. We went to a little shop across the road to get these.

Because we are both registered with the Spanish healthcare system, we took (with copies) the paperwork showing our right to the state healthcare:  "Documento Acreditativo del Derecho a la Asistencia Sanitaria (Normativa Internacional)" and the paperwork from our local health centre stating which Doctor (and even which Nurse) we are under. My husband also had his card, I'm still waiting for mine. Nope. Not interested. He wanted the S1. Or an EHIC would do.

( For those below retirement age who live in Spain: when you get your State Pension information, you will receive two copies of form S1 which will allow you access to the Spanish healthcare system. You take them to the local Spanish social security office. They will take BOTH copies of the S1 and give you the relevant Spanish paperwork as mentioned above. After Brexit - who knows?)

He said, at one point, we would need to come back with S1s. I was gobsmacked! Our interpreter was talking with him, then we went across the road to get the photocopies I have already mentioned. When we got back to the office less than 5 minutes later, he handed me my Residencia card, my husband's was ready within a few more minutes. No more was said. We scarpered.

Perhaps he had made a phone call whilst we were across the road? or discussed with his colleague?

Our interpreter thinks you can request a copy of your S1 from the UK if you have already given the originals up so if you're in the same situation as us, it might be worth it.

On the EX18, there is a space to put the date you arrived to live in Spain. We didn't know what to put. My husband's health paperwork is dated 2006, bearing in mind you are supposed to apply for Residency within 3 months of living here. So we left it blank, expecting to be asked at our appointment. Nothing was said, our cards have yesterday's date on them.

One other point: a recent post on here re Residencia states that the EHIC card will no longer be accepted. Well it would have been yesterday!!

Sorry, I've gone on a bit, hope it's at least a bit helpful.