Long-term resident status can be recovered by foreigners who have held a long-term residence permit in Spain and who have, moreover, been absent from European Union territory for 12 consecutive months or have acquired EU long-term resident status in another EU Member State or have completed the period during which they committed not to return to Spain, having voluntarily agreed to return to their country of origin.
EU long-term resident status can be recovered by foreigners who have held an EU long-term residence permit in Spain and who have, moreover, been absent from European Union territory for 12 consecutive months or have acquired EU long-term resident status in another EU Member State or have been out of Spain for more than 6 years.
To obtain a long-term resident or EU long-term resident recovery visa it is first necessary to submit an application to recover the permit. For this reason, the procedure comprises two stages.
Recovering long-term residence or EU long-term residence
Required documents
1. Application form for a long-term residence or EU long-term residence permit
. Each applicant must complete and sign two visa application forms, having filled in each section of the EX-11 form. If the applicant is a minor, one of their parents must sign the application.
2. Passport. A photocopy of every page of a valid, unexpired passport or travel document.
3. Conditions for recovering long-term residence or EU long-term residence. Documents proving that the applicant meets at least one of the criteria for recovering long-term residence or EU long-term residence.
4. Letter explaining the reasons to apply for the recovery of long-term residence. stating the years the applicant resided in Spain and the years he has been residing abroad.
5. Criminal record check certificate. The criminal background check must be issued by the U.S. Department of Justice – Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). State background checks issued by the Department of Law Enforcement and those issued at a local level will not be accepted. The background check must be issued within the five months preceding the submission of the visa application. It must be authenticated with the Apostille of The Hague of Washington DC (US Department of State) and translated into Spanish. The applicant must submit a notarized copy of both the original document in English and the Spanish translation. Under no circumstances will a criminal background check be accepted if it has been altered or damaged in any way, including damages caused by removing staples. If the applicant has lived outside the United States during the past five years, he/she must provide an additional criminal background check from every country where he/she has lived, authenticated with the Apostille of The Hague and translated into Spanish, with a notarized copy of both documents. If the country in which the applicant has lived in the past five years does not subscribe to The Hague Convention of 1961, the background check must by authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country and then by the Consulate of Spain in that country.
6. Medical certificate. Original and a copy of a medical certificate accrediting that the applicant does not suffer from any disease that could cause serious repercussions for public health pursuant to the 2005 International Health Regulations. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, where applicable, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish. Template
7. Proof of residence in the consular district. Copy of driver's license or State Id of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee or Texas.
8. Proof of the representative's identity and capacity. If the applicant is a minor, it will be necessary to present originals and submit copies of the identity document or passport of one of their parents or of their guardian and of the document constituting proof of kinship. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, where applicable, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.
9. Evidence of legal residence in the United States (Non-US passport holders): Evidence of legal residence in the United States: resident alien card, valid US Visa. Applicants holding F1 student visa must also submit a photocopy of their I‐20, with the endorsement duly and recently signed. Holders of B‐1/B‐2 visas cannot apply in the United States; they must apply in their country of residence or country of origin.
10. Payment of the fee. To pay the fee for the residence permit at the Consular Office, the applicant must complete all the fields of, and sign, two copies of form 790 code 052, ticking box 2.6 (long-term residence permit and EU long-term residence permit). Form.
The visa fee is payable only by Money Order made out to the Consulate of Spain in Houston. Visa fee $ 24.00.
The fee can also be paid online, through the link to form 790-052. In this case, the proof of payment obtained from the same webpage must be attached.
11. Financial means (only to recover EU long-term residence). Originals and a copy of each of the documents accrediting that the applicant has a steady and regular financial income that is sufficient to maintain themselves and, where applicable, their family. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, where applicable, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.
12. Health insurance (only to recover EU long-term residence). The applicant must submit an original and copy of documentation proving that he/she will have public or private health insurance coverage provided by an insurance entity authorized to operate in Spain. The insurance policy must cover all the risks insured by Spain's public health system. Travel insurance will not be accepted. Health insurance cards will not be accepted as proof of insurance. The applicant must have health insurance with coverage in Spain during the entirety of his/her stay. The policy cannot have copays, deductibles, or qualifying periods, meaning that it must cover 100% of medical, hospital, and outpatient costs. Exceptionally foreign companies offering limited coverage could be accepted, as long as they meet the other medical requirements and must demonstrate a minimum general coverage of at least 500,000 USD, with no deductibles or copays and must expressly say that the company offers coverage in the rest of the world, or at least in Spain.
13. Only USPS (Express or Priority Mail) self-address prepaid envelope with tracking number.
14 . Postal delivery authorization
- Applicants should not purchase their plane tickets until their visas have been granted.
- We will not accept incomplete applications for processing.
When necessary to assess the application, the Consular Office may request additional documents or data and may also ask the applicant to come in for a personal interview.
Procedure
This Consular Office is competent to accept visa applications from individuals residing in the consular district.
- Who can apply: The application to recover long-term resident or EU long-term resident status must be submitted by the interested party, or by one of their parents if the applicant is a minor.
- Place of submission: Applications and requirements must be submitted via postal mail to General Consulate of Spain in Houston- Visa Department (1800 Bering Dr. Suite 750 Houston, Texas, 77057).
- Proof of receipt: The Consular Office will provide the applicant party with a copy of the application EX-11 form and, where applicable, the receipt substantiating the payment of the fee (form 790-52) and will forward the dossier to the competent Foreign Nationals' Office. The Consular Office has a period of 3 months to reach a decision, counted as of the day following the date on which the application is received.
- Notification: The Consular Office will inform the applicant of the decision issued by the competent Government Delegation or Sub-delegation.
- In the event of a favourable decision, the Consular Office will invite the interested party to submit the visa application.
- If the decision is not favourable, the interested party may submit an appeal for reconsideration to the Consular Office within 1 month of the day following the date on which the notification of the refusal is received. An application for judicial review may also be filed with the High Court of Justice of Madrid within the 2-month period beginning the day after the date on which the applicant receives notification of the permit refusal or of the dismissal of the reconsideration appeal.
Obtaining a long-term residence or EU long-term residence recovery visa
Required documents
1. National visa application form. Each applicant must complete and sign a visa application, filling in each of its sections. If the applicant is a minor, one of their parents must sign the application.
2. Photograph. A recent, passport-size, colour photograph, taken against a light background, facing forward, without dark or reflective glasses, or any garments concealing the oval of the face.
3. Valid, unexpired passport. Original and a photocopy of the page or pages of the passport that contain biometric data. The passport must have a minimum validity period of 4 months and contain two blank pages. Passports issued more than 10 years ago will not be accepted.
4. Residence permit. Original and a copy of the favourable decision recognizing recovery of the long-term residence permit or EU long-term residence permit.
6. Proof of the representative's identity and capacity. If the applicant is a minor, it will be necessary to present originals and submit copies of the identity document or passport of one of their parents or of their guardian, as well as of the document constituting proof of kinship. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, where applicable, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.
7. Payment of the visa fee. Money Order pay to the order of The General Consulate of Spain in Houston.
When necessary to assess the application, the Consular Office may request additional documents or data and may also ask the applicant to come in for a personal interview.
Procedure
- Who can apply for a visa: Visa applications must be submitted by the applicant, or by one of their parents if the applicant is a minor.
- Place of submission: Applications and requirements must be submitted via postal mail to General Consulate of Spain in Houston- Visa Department (1800 Bering Dr. Suite 750 Houston, Texas, 77057).
- Proof of receipt: The Consular Office will provide the applicant with proof of receipt of the application with a code that enables them to check the status of the dossier through the following link: https://sutramiteconsular.maec.es/Home.aspx
- Rectifying the application: The Consular Office may ask the applicant to submit any missing documents, or to provide additional documents or data that are necessary for a decision regarding the application. The applicant may also be called in for a personal interview.
- Decision period: The legal period for reaching a decision is of 3 months from the day after the application submission date, but this period may be extended if an interview or additional documents are requested.
- Collecting the visa: The Consular Office will inform the applicant regarding the procedure for the return of the passport and any other original documentation.
- Visa refusal: Visa refusals will always be notified in writing, setting forth the grounds on which the decision adopted is based.
- Appeals: If a visa is refused, the applicant may submit an appeal for reconsideration to this Consular Office within 1 month of the day following the date on which the notification of the refusal was received. An application for judicial review may also be filed with the High Court of Justice of Madrid within the 2-month period beginning the day after the date on which the applicant receives notification of the visa refusal or of the dismissal of the reconsideration appeal.
- Validity period of the visa: The visa will be valid for 90 days. Once in Spain, a Foreigner Identity Card must be applied for within a period of 1 month from the applicant's entry into Spain, at the Foreign Nationals' Office or the corresponding Police Station.