Talk Quesada forum

Espanabums - this was residency for EU citizen. It is the current requirement according to the official list we were given. The rules seem to change frequently and given the volume of applications at the moment it appears to have gotten tougher. Friends of ours that went through the process some time ago had no problem and didn’t have to jump through the hoops that we had to. In addition it’s worth mentioning that if you are below state retirement
age you have to prove medical insurance paid up 12 months ahead. It seems to be quite tough to get residency at the moment!

Which police station was that? They are reading the rules wrong or have a downer on anyone applying to go on the Register of Foreign Nationals (residency) because the rules state that you must show proof of income OR a savings balance but not both.
The amount is laid down in the Spanish Budget regulations and there is a minimum wage under which Spanish nationals can claim certain benefits.
As of March this year, those amounts are:
First person €5164 or €368.90 per month (Spanish work on 14 paydays a year)
Each additional person €3615.20 per year

So for two people the minimum is €8779.82 per year or €627.13 per month.
OR (and I stress OR) a bank balance equivalent to the €8779.82.

This level is set as the basic income and you have to show you have above that and they use the minimum wage of around €800 per month to base their decision on. I would suggest €800 is the amount to aim for OR €11,000 (ish) in savings but not both.

Non-EU must show an income equivalent to $32,000 a year.

Now, I know it would be very difficult to argue this with the jobsworth at the place you went to but to quote you around double the amount you need AND a bank balance as well is tearing the backside out of it.

I wonder if you went to a different place, such as the foreigners' office in Torrevieja* as opposed to a National Police station whether they'd be a bit more accommodating. It really annoys me when they seem to change the rules to suit them on a regular basis.

*Note, the two foreigners' offices in the Torrevieja area and Orihuela Costa have a long waiting list for appointments. Apparently there's been a huge demand for these appointments lately.

I’ve pmd you marcliffe

Marcliff - I don’t doubt for a minute that your facts are correct ... however how they apply the rules on the day is another matter... I was told by my interpreter that on one occasion he was told that every applicant that day would be refused regardless!!

Yes, I did say they tend to change the rules and don't stick to them. The point is, the DGT website specifically says a regular income OR savings to the annual value. They are saying both which is stretching it.
I've just been speaking to someone from Andalucia who, voluntarily, assists at the National Police station and he is adamant that the income they ask for is just over €5,000 a year or access to that amount. At no time do those in the police station he works at ask for the income to be paid into a Spanish bank account. He says this amount is a national statement and they get a copy sent to them every month.


I shouldn't be surprised at how the different provinces within different regions have different rules depending on the person you are dealing with. Then again, the Spanish civil servants appear to take the jobsworth level to a degree that even the French would baulk at (or maybe not.)

Edited: apologies. Not DGT website but comes under

Ley de Presupuestos Generales del Estado

We obtained our residency with the assistance of Sunflower at Orihuela National Police in November 2017. At that time we were told we had to show at least 6 months' payments into our Spanish bank account of minimum Eu 700 per month, plus savings of minimum Eu 10,000 in Spain. My wife had already read the DGT regulations, so she ignored the savings element as we didn't want to transfer that much money to Spain. She simply provided bank account statements to prove an audit trail from our income streams in the UK to our Spanish bank account. That, along with our private health insurance (because we're not State pension age), appeared to be more than sufficient - they didn't even ask about the savings 'requirement'.

Orihuela seems much more friendly than Elche (where we obtained our NIEs), but it does feel like the Extranjeros offices are already treating UK expats like Third Country citizens, even though we haven't left the EU yet.

I agree with everything that’s been said here, but they do seem to be making it difficult at the moment. I know there’s an increase in applications and substantial waiting times for appointments. At this point in time, having just been through the process my advice would be ‘belts and braces are required’.

My husband and I are moving to Queseda permanently at the start of January and have appointments booked but we need to get the padron first. Can anyone tell us which town hall to go to for Queseda residents and what we need to take with us please

JaneS wrote:My husband and I are moving to Queseda permanently at the start of January and have appointments booked but we need to get the padron first. Can anyone tell us which town hall to go to for Queseda residents and what we need to take with us please

Rojales Town Hall upstairs
You need passport
NIE Certificate
Documents proving your address (Deeds, Nota Simple or Rental agreement)
Utility Bill to be on the safe side but wasn't asked for last time I went.