Abroad in Spain: Travel Blog » Legal

Halleluiah! I’m “homologated”

Chris — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:28:42 +0000

As you can tell from the “halleluiah” title of this post, I’m pretty happy. Why? The answer’s simple, really. You see, my university degree from the USA has recently been officially recognized by the Spanish Ministry of Education. In case you didn’t know, the process of getting a university degree recognized here in Spain is known as homologación (hence the title: “I’m homologated”) and it’s both a very lengthy and a very time-consuming ordeal.

Let me give you the rundown on the whole “homologation process” (does anybody know if “homologation” is really a word in English??). To have your degree “homologated” (another possibly made up word in English), the ministry you need to talk to is the Ministry of Education; which, incidentally, has changed its name about three times in the past year. But this post isn’t about the various name-changes that the Ministry of Education has undergone recently, it’s about degree recognition — so let’s get back on track. You can find information about the recognition of foreign studies on the Ministry of Education’s website.

Basically, there are two types of university degree recognitions in Spain. The first type is what they call Homologación a un Grado Académico Español. This first type gives you a piece of paper saying that your degree is similar in difficulty and duration to a Spanish Diplomado or Licenciado degree. Thus, it does what its name suggests: it aligns your degree to a specific academic grade or level but it doesn’t align your degree to a specific academic major. The second type aligns your degree perfectly to a Spanish degree from the Official Spanish Catalog of Degrees. With this type of homologation, not only do you have your level of studies recognized but also your major. In both cases you have to submit legalized copies of your university degrees and transcripts, along with sworn translations.

I have the first type of degree recognition for two reasons. First, it’s faster than the second type (my homologación a un grado académico took about eight months, people tell me that the other type can take over a year). Second, my degree from the USA doesn’t really align perfectly with any degree from Spain’s Official Catalog, so I figured the chances of them actually giving me a “type-two homologation” were pretty slim.

In any case, I got a letter the other day in the mail stating that my degree had been “homologated” and telling me that I had to go to the central office in Madrid to pick up my official certificate. Making a trip to Madrid from Burgos just to pick up a piece of paper… convenient, right?

In fact, the exact words in my “homologation letter” were the following:

“Con objeto de ofrecerle un mejor servicio, le rogamos no demore la recogida de su documentación.”

Translated, that basically means, “In order to serve you better, we respectfully request that you don’t delay in picking up your documentation.” I love that logic: in order to serve me better, I have to make a three-hour trip to Madrid ASAP to pick up a certificate that they could have easily sent to me in the mail. Oh well, it’s not the first time I’ve had to handle Spanish bureaucracy and it probably won’t be the last.

So I went to Madrid and picked up my official document and now I can proudly say that I have my degree recognized to the level of Licenciado in Spain. I’m hoping to do a master’s degree here soon, so this recognition should be helpful with that in the near future… I hope.

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

The “quick and hassle-free” process of renewing my residency card in Spain

Chris — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:03:17 +0000

Last month I picked up my new foreigner residency card at the police station so that I could be “legal” for another year in Spain. This was the first time I have actually had to renew my card from within Spain and I must say that the process, while extremely interesting to me as a foreigner (I’d never seen anything quite like it in my life), was not exactly what I would consider “seamless.”

To give you an idea of what I had to do to get my residency card renewed here in Spain, I’m going to break the process down into steps. So, without further ado, here are the steps along with their approximate dates:

Step 1 (June, 2009): I went to the Foreigner Services Office and requested information about renewing my residency permit. I was given forms to fill out and was told I wouldn’t be able to submit them until August because my current card wasn’t actually due to expire until September.

Step 2 (August, 2009): I returned to the Foreign Services Office and turned in the forms that they had given me in June. But I ran into a problem — I didn’t have all the photocopies I needed (they neglected to tell me about the copies when I went for information the first time). To fix the problem I needed to get photocopies.

Step 3 (August, 2009): I left the Foreign Services Office, walked down the street, and made photocopies at a UPS Store.

Step 4 (August, 2009): I returned to the Foreign Services Office — this time with the correct photocopies — and submitted the paperwork. I was told that the next step would be to wait for a letter to arrive in the mail.

Step 5 (September, 2009): The letter arrived in my mail saying that my request for the renewal of my residency permit was granted. Along with the letter came a form for me to pay a fee into a public account at the bank.

Step 6 (September, 2009): I took the letter to the bank and made the necessary payment. The man at the bank gave me a receipt for me to deliver personally back to the Foreign Services Office.

Step 7 (September, 2009): I delivered the receipt from the bank to the Foreign Services Office. There, they instructed me to go to the main police station of the city with three passport photos so that my foreigner ID card could be made.

Step 8 (September, 2009): I went to the police station and told them I was there to have my ID card made. Once there, they told me that there was another fee that I would have to pay (not the same as the one I paid to the Foreign Services Office) and there were also several other forms I would need to fill out. I got all the information.

Step 9 (September, 2009): After getting the information at the police station, I filled out the forms and made the second payment at the bank. The bank again gave me a receipt. This receipt was to be submitted with the forms at the police station.

Step 10 (September 2009): I returned to the police station with my receipt from the bank. My fingerprints were taken and they told me to return in one month to pick up my new ID card.

Step 11 (October, 2009): After the one-month waiting period, I returned to the police station to pick up my ID card. By this time, I had made so many trips back and forth to public buildings that I practically kissed the officer who handed me the card because I knew it meant the end to my “paperwork madness.”

So, after an eleven-step process that spanned four or five months, I can finally say that I am in possession of my new residency card. For the most part, the public workers who I encountered during this ordeal were friendly and helpful; however, I found all these steps to be, well, a bit illogical and counterproductive. Towards the end, however, the “haphazardness” of the whole process became a bit amusing to me; in fact, I even began to chuckle a bit to myself during one of my several trips between banks and public offices.

So, here is my question to those who have lived in Spain longer than I have. Is everything like this when it comes to submitting paperwork to the government? I would love to hear your stories related with these types of “situations” in Spain. Leave your comments below.

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

Immigration info for foreigners in Spain…

Chris — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:41:01 +0000

One good resource that all foreigners living in Spain should know about is the Spanish Ministerio de Trabajo e Inmigración’s website. The website actually has a special “foreigner’s section” located at http://extranjeros.mtas.es/ which provides a wealth of information about the documents required for getting work permits for Spain, residency permits for Spain, NIE numbers, etc.

I hope this information has been helpful to someone! Stay tuned for more….

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

Visa granted…

Chris — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:18:01 +0000

I decided to try my luck with the whole “video blogging” thing and so I made this video to let everyone know that my visa has “officially” been granted and now I’m one step closer to going to Spain in September. It’s probably not the best video on the internet… but hey, it’s my first attempt.

If you would like to read more about the visa process, you can read my post on how to get a visa to go to Spain.

If you can’t see the above video, you can watch it on YouTube.

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

How to get a Student Visa to go to Spain…

Chris — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:47:22 +0000

The next step in preparing for the scholarship that I have been awarded is to apply for a Student Visa to go to Spain. I have studied abroad in Spain before so this is actually the second time that I have had to apply for a Student Visa. I’d like to outline the general process for applying for a visa to study abroad in Spain in this post. Please remember that this information is just a guide which was written in June of 2008 – always check with your local consulate for updated information before applying for a visa.

Find a Spanish Consulate in the USA:
In most cases, you must apply for a visa in person at the appropriate Spanish Consulate. There are several Consulate Generals of Spain throughout the USA. Each consulate has a different jurisdiction and it is your responsibility to get to the one that serves your state. You can use this webpage (in Spanish) to look up the consulate in your jurisdiction. Remember to make sure that you go to the right consulate – you may want to call and make sure that the one you are planning to use serves your state. Also remember that you may be required to make an appointment before showing up at a consulate. Call to find out.

Once you find the consulate in your jurisdiction, you can go to their webpage and get specific instructions for obtaining a student visa. I’m going to outline the general procedure below….

General requirements for a Spanish Student Visa:
My nearest consulate is located in New York City; thus, these requirements are from their website. You may need to check with the consulate in your jurisdiction for more specific, updated requirements. Basically, you need the following documents to apply for a Student Visa:

Two Schengen Visa Forms: You can get these from the consulate’s website. Remember that both forms must be filled out and signed by hand. You cannot fill out one form and then simply photocopy it to get the second one. Also, these forms are two pages long and must be printed back-to-back. Do not print the two pages of the form on two separate sheets of paper and then staple page one to page two.
Passport and Secondary ID: You will need to bring a valid passport (that is valid the entire period of study) to the consulate along with a secondary form of ID (your driver’s license or ID card, in most cases). They will give your secondary ID back to you; however, they will keep your passport so that they can affix the visa to it. Your passport will be returned to you in the mail with the visa affixed.
Two Recent Passport Photos: You can get passport photos at drugstore chains like CVS and Rite Aid. They are also available at most photography stores and travel agents. A set of two typically costs between $10.00 and $15.00. You need to staple one passport photo on each of the two Schengen Visa Forms. There is a spot on the form where you should staple them.
Study Abroad Acceptance Letter: This is a letter from your school or university that tells the good people at the consulate that you’re really going to Spain for studies and not for some other purpose. You should get this letter from the school you’re planning on attending in Spain or, in my case, I’ll get the letter from the people who are giving me the scholarship. There are certain things that must be stated in this letter, but it’s the school’s responsibility to include everything… not yours.
Proof of Medical Insurance: Americans are not covered by the Spanish Health System; thus, you need to buy private insurance in order to live in Spain to study. In most cases, insurance is provided by the university or program through which you’re studying and usually proof of health insurance is included in the previously-mentioned “Study Abroad Acceptance Letter” (see above). If your acceptance letter doesn’t mention that you’ll have health insurance, you’ll need to provide some other form of proof.
Proof of Financial Means: You need to prove to them that you’ll have money to study abroad in Spain. Normally, there is a statement in the previously-mentioned “Study Abroad Acceptance Letter” that says that everything is pre-paid or that you’re receiving a scholarship, etc. If your acceptance letter doesn’t state that, you’ll need bank statements to prove that you have enough money to live in Spain or a letter from some other person assuming financial responsibility for you in Spain. Contact your consulate for more specific details if you have questions.
Medical Statement: This document is only required if you’re staying over six months in Spain. You need to have your doctor write you a statement on doctor’s office stationary (with a letterhead). The letter should say that the student is physically and mentally able to study abroad and that he or she does not have any contagious diseases, drug addiction, severe mental illness, or any other disease that would prohibit him or her from studying abroad. Remember that your doctor must hand sign this letter (no rubber stamps allowed).
Certificate of Absence of Police Records: This document is only required if you’re staying over six months in Spain. Basically, you need a criminal background check and it must be notarized and sealed with the Apostille of the Hague. See my post on obtaining a Criminal Record check with the Apostille of the Hague for more details.
Prepaid, Self-Addressed “Express Mail” Envelope: As I mentioned above, the consulate will keep your passport and mail it back to you with the visa affixed; thus, you will need to supply the consulate with a pre-paid, SASE in which to return the visa to you. The only type of envelope accepted is a USPS Express Mail Envelope. Go to your local post office and ask for one of the flat rate express mail envelopes. They cost about $16.50 but ensure that you will have enough postage. Once you buy the envelope you’ll have to address it to yourself and bring it with you to the consulate.
Money Order for Visa Fee: The visa costs $100.00 and must be paid by a money order made out to the “Consulado de España.”

**If you’re under 18, you may need a letter from your parents (notarized) that says you’re allowed to study abroad. Contact the consulate for details.

Submit the documents and wait:
Once you gather all of the above-mentioned documents, you need to go trotting off to the consulate. Remember to bring the original and two photocopies of any of the papers you are submitting (police records, health statements, acceptance letters, insurance papers, etc.). They do keep the originals and photocopies of the legal documents. I always like to bring a couple extra passport photos as well and extras of anything else I think they may need.

As I mentioned above, they will keep your passport and all your photocopies and mail back your passport and visa once it has been processed (the visa is nothing more than a little slip of paper they put inside your passport). It typically takes at least two months to process the visa so be sure to apply ahead of time. In most consulates you can apply for a visa up to four months before the date you are entering Spain and no later than seven weeks early. Check with the consulate in your jurisdiction for specific times.

One last note about visa duration:
If you are planning on studying abroad in Spain for three to six months, you will be issued a visa for the amount of time requested (up to six months) and that visa will be mailed to you with your passport as I mentioned above; however, if you are going to be in Spain to study for more than six months, you will apply for a year-long visa but will only be granted a three-month provisionary visa (this is what they’ll send to you when they send your passport back in the SASE). You will use that provisionary visa to enter Spain and once in Spain you will have to apply for an extension at the local police station or an Oficina de Extranjería. The extension is basically always granted and you will receive a NIE card which will allow you to be in Spain to study for up to a year. Your NIE number is almost like an American Social Security number and will let you open a bank account, etc. Remember, you cannot work in Spain on a Student Visa.

I hope that this information has been helpful to you. If you have any comments or questions, be sure to leave them on this post and maybe I (or someone else) will have an answer. Please remember, I am not a visa expert and I have posted this information as a guide to try to be helpful. I cannot guarantee that this information is 100% accurate or up-to-date and I recommend that you check with your consulate before applying for a visa. I wish you luck in your visa process… it really isn’t as hard as it looks.

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

Getting the Apostille of The Hague for Spanish documents…

Chris — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 22:43:44 +0000

Well, as my loyal readers know, I am currently working on an application for a scholarship which would allow me to go to Spain and teach English for one year. The application process is going nicely and I am collecting all of the supporting documents that I need, except for one little hiccup: The Apostille of The Hague.

You see, in order for me to get a visa to go to Spain (and for me to apply for the scholarship that I want), I need what the Spanish authorities call a “Certificado de Antecedentes Penales” (criminal background check) that is sealed with a thing known as “The Apostille of The Hague.” Now, it is not hard for me to get a clear criminal background check; however, it is a bit of a process finding the right authority to seal my background check with the correct Apostille.

For those of you who have also had this problem or are having it right now, you can find more information about how to obtain the infamous Apostille of The Hague at the Embassy of the United States in Spain website, HERE. Basically, I’d like to describe the process that I’m currently going through in hopes that it might be able to help someone else…..

Soooo, after doing some research on the US Embassy site (the one I linked to above) and the Hague Conference Website, I found out that in my state (Pennsylvania), Apostilles for foreign documents are issued by the Department of State. I then went to the PA Department of State Apostille Website (don’t ask me how I found that site, it was a stroke of Google luck) and did find detailed instructions for obtaining an “Apostilled” document.

So, I just basically followed the instructions on the PA Department of State Apostille Website for how to get my criminal background check from the PA State Police notarized and then how to send the notarized copy of my background check to the Department of State to have the Apostille placed on it. I really don’t know if I did the process right or not because I haven’t heard any response from the PA Department of State yet; however, I am hoping that I get my document, with the correct Apostille, sometime soon.

I don’t really know if my experience on this matter will help anyone else out there and I can’t guarantee that what I did is the “correct” procedure for obtaining this document, but, I thought I’d write my own experience here so that maybe someone else can benefit from it. There is a lot of information on the sites I listed above. If you’re in the same boat as me, I recommend you review those sites first.

Until next time, wish me luck with the rest of the application.

Hasta la próxima,
–Chris
http://www.abroadinspain.com

Working in Spain is tough for Americans…

Chris — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 19:41:47 +0000

Well, I just wanted to write a quick post about a subject that I wish I knew more about: Working in Spain. I’m no lawyer and I really don’t know what the “standard” procedure is for an American who wants to obtain permission to work in Spain; however, I can say that, from talking to other Americans who have worked abroad, the process seems to be quite difficult and it appears to vary from individual to individual.

Basically, getting a job in Spain is hard because companies there don’t always want to hire Americans. This is due to the fact that, in order to hire an American, a company must deal with a lot of paperwork and prove that there is no other Spanish or EU Citizen as qualified for the job as the American – a daunting task. This, of course, means that if you’re from the USA like me, finding a job in Spain is probably going to be a little difficult at first. Despite having said that, it does appear that people have done it and it certainly is possible to find legal work in Spain if you’re American. (On a side note, I DO NOT advocate doing anything illegal to work in Spain… no sense getting yourself into a huge mess!)

Since I’m a student, I have a bit of an advantage that others who have already graduated from college don’t have: a scholarship to teach English. The scholarship is a good option for me because of one simple fact: it would get me a guaranteed year in Spain with a temporary job as an English teacher and the correct visa. This would be great because I’d be able to live in Spain for a year, work there, get a paycheck, and study Spanish life in depth. Later, when my time under the scholarship was over, I could make the decision as to whether or not life in Spain is something that I want to pursue even more and then decide if I want to take on the daunting task of getting a more permanent work visa to live in Spain longer.

Honestly, I really don’t know if I want to spend the REST of my life in Spain or not. That’s why the scholarship that I’m applying for, if granted to me, would be a great way for me to “test the waters” and see how things go as an English teacher before making any definite decisions. Later, if I did decide that I wanted to look for a permanent job in Spain, I’d probably have to hire a lawyer to try to figure out the work visa process – something that won’t be happing for quite some time. Right now, I’m just worried about getting the scholarship I’m after and spending a year abroad as an English teacher to see how things go. We’ll have to see what happens as I begin the application for the scholarship…. Stay tuned!

Hasta la próxima,
–Chris
http://www.abroadinspain.com