Long-term residence or EU long-term residence recovery visa

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. . 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. 

3. Proof of residence in the consular district. The applicant must be a legal resident or be enrolled  in in-person studies at a center within the Consular Section’s consular jurisdiction (Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and West Virginia). Residence must be demonstrated by way of one of the following, valid documents: U.S. drivers license, state ID, or university student ID.

4. 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. 

5. Criminal record check certificate. Applicants of legal age (18 years old and older) must submit the original and a photocopy (not notarized) of their criminal background check certificate(s) issued by their country or countries of residence for the past 5 years. 

The criminal background check must be issued by the U.S. Department of Justice – Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). We do not accept State or Local Police Background Check.

The background check must be issued within the 6 months preceding the submission of the visa application. 

The background check must be authenticated with The Hague Apostille. We do not accept background checks without the Hague Apostille.

 The Apostille must certify the signature on the Criminal Background check, not other signatures. We do not accept apostilles that certify the signature of a notary that stamps a seal on the criminal background check.

The criminal background check will not be accepted if it has been altered or damaged in any way, including damage caused by removing staples. 

The background check must be accompanied by an official translation into Spanish by a sworn/certified translator. (The translation does not need an Apostille and the Apostille does not need a translation). 

If the applicant has spent more than 6 months (more than 180 days) during the last 5 years in another country (outside the USA or Spain), an additional criminal background check from every country of residence must be provided. The criminal background checks must be authenticated with the Apostille of The Hague, unless it is issued by an EU member state. The criminal background check issued by an EU authority does not need to be apostilled to be accepted. If the country in which the applicant has lived in the past 5 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 this country. The background check must be accompanied by an official translation into Spanish (if the original is not written in Spanish or does not include the text in Spanish).

Please submit the original and a photocopy of all the documents: background check, apostille and official translation.

You can find certified translators through the AMERICAN TRANSLATORS ASSOCIATION or Buscador de traductores jurados del MAEC.

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. If you do not use our template, foreign documents must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.

• The certificate must be issued in the 3 months preceding the submission of the visa application.
• The certificate must include a stamp from the issuing Medical Center, doctor’s name and signature, doctor’s License Number and date of expedition.
• The certificate must be signed by a Doctor (Physician), not by a Nurse Practitioner or a Physician assistant.​
• The certificate must be written on letterhead paper from hospital/doctor’s office or directly on the provided template. The recommended model can be found here: MEDICAL CERTIFICATE. 
• If the certificate does not include the text in Spanish, an official or certified translation into Spanish is required. In the case of using the bilingual model from our website, the Spanish translation is not necessary. 

7. 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. 

8. 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). 

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. 

Residency Permit Fee in 2024: $12

9. 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. 

10. Health insurance (only to recover EU long-term residence). Original and a copy of the certificate accrediting the public or private health insurance contracted with an insurance entity authorized to operate in Spain. The insurance policy must cover all the risks insured by Spain's public health system. 

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 (Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina). 

• Who can apply: The application to recover long-term resident or EU long-term resident status must be submitted in person by the interested party, or by one of their parents if the applicant is a minor. 
• Place of submission: Applications must be submitted in person at the Consular 
  Office by appointment only. 
  
  
  Once you have all the required documents you must scan and email them to cog.washington.vis@maec.es. If there is not enough space to include all the attached documents, you can send them in different, numbered emails. Please do not send emails if you do not have all the required documents yet. When we receive all the required documents, we will answer your mail and schedule an appointment to come in person to the Consular Section of the Embassy to submit the application.
  
  
  Please write the email subject as follows: “APPOINTMENT REQUEST. Visa Type. Given Name FAMILY NAME. Email Number”
  
  
• 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. One 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. It can be filled out electronically or handwritten in capital letters. If the applicant is a minor, one of their parents or a duly accredited representative must sign the application. 

2. One photo. Glued or clipped (not stapled) onto visa application form. Photo specifications:  Passport-size, color photograph, recent (taken within the last 6 months to reflect your current appearance), printed on matte/glossy paper, taken against a white, light, clear, uniform background, facing forward, without dark or reflective glasses, or any garments concealing the applicant’s full 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. 

5. Proof of residence in the consular district. The applicant must be a legal resident in our consular jurisdiction (Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina). 

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. The visa fee is $140 for americans, for other nationalities $99. For nationals of Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, different rates are applied for reasons of reciprocity. In these cases, the amount of the fee must be consulted with the Consular Office. 

8. Disclaimer form (DISCLAIMER.pdf )

Additional documents, Interview:

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 (Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina).

Who can apply for a visa: Visa applications must be submitted in person by the applicant, or by one of their parents if the applicant is a minor. ​

• Place of submission: Applications must be submitted in person at the Consular Office by appointment only. 
  
  
  Once you have all the required documents you must scan and email them to cog.washington.vis@maec.es​. If there is not enough space to include all the attached documents, you can send them in different, numbered emails. Please do not send emails if you do not have all the required documents yet. When we receive all the required documents, we will answer your mail and schedule an appointment to come in person to the Consular Section of the Embassy to submit the application.
  
  
  Please write the email subject as follows: “APPOINTMENT REQUEST. Visa Type. Given Name FAMILY NAME. Email Number”.
  

• 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://sutr​amiteconsular.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.  ​