New adventure: Spanish NLV (Manila)

I successfully obtained my Spanish NLV (non-lucrative visa) in December of last year. Reflecting on my journey, part of it of course are the steps and expenses that I’ll share here. Please note that I used the services of https://www.bureaucracy.es/ I highly recommend them if you have a complicated situation like mine, although you can do everything yourself. In my case, I wanted to ensure that I had all the correct documents from the beginning and found their help invaluable.

 

Since I’ve been living and working in Vietnam since 2017, part of the requirements has to come from there. Anywhere you’ve lived for the past 5 years you would need a police check and if you worked there (or anywhere else), you could also be asked to present proof of resignation from your former place of work.

1. HR letter confirming resignation – This was relatively easy as I just requested a letter from HR giving details of my resignation. It was printed on a letterhead and then signed and stamped with the company seal.

2. Police check from Vietnam (Phieu Ly lich tu phap)

a. Requirements:

                                            i. Temporary residence registration which had to be requested from the landlord and stamped by the police

                                          ii. Certified copy of passport and visa

                                         iii. Form requesting for issuance of police clearance certificate

b. I then appeared in person at the Department of Justice to submit my application and paid the fee of 200,000 VND (+ 5,000 VND for an extra copy).

c. Wait for 16 business days

d. I took it to the Department of Foreign Affairs the next business day for consular legalization. I needed a copy of it plus a copy of my passport. It was relatively painless as there was a VIP service who helped me fill out the application form and all I had to do was pay a bit extra. I don’t remember how much exactly but it was around 100,000 VND and I picked it up the next day.

e. I could’ve arranged the next part via courier or friends/acquaintances in Hanoi but I didn’t want to risk it, so I flew to Hanoi from HCMC to bring the legalized police check to the Spanish Embassy. Photocopy needed again! 188,000 VND for consular legalization and took 5 business days.

f.  Initially translated to English (including the legalization stamps at the back) for about 200,000. I got two copies.

g. DHL from Hanoi to Manila cost 950,000 VND.

 

I needed to gather way more documents in the Philippines, of course. The lack of language barrier, general helpfulness, and familiar courtesy were much appreciated. People who have lived in Vietnam will understand why I say this. It’s not because everyone was rude per se, but sometimes abrupt manners and abbreviated answers were difficult. I know that much of this can be blamed on my poor (or rather lack of) Vietnamese language skills but clear guidelines weren’t available either, so a gentler or friendly approach would’ve suited me more.

 

Anyway, back to my Philippine documents.

 

Financial means: To demonstrate my income, I gathered the following:

1. 12 months of bank statements

a. PNB was able to give me my bank certificate and bank statements on the same day. Altogether they cost 310 PHP (200 for the bank certificate). Just signed but no bank stamp was available.

b. BPI took about a week and a half because I’m with BPI Direct. Any branch was fine to request documents, but they would then have to contact BPI Direct first and wait for 3-5 days. A bank certificate costs 300 PHP and 50 PHP per page for a statement of account.

2. Other evidence of financial means – Because I am using money from my mom to apply for this visa I needed more documents.

a. Deed of sale – this is to support the amount of money received in a bank account. The copy needs to be notarized.

b. Affidavit of financial means – explanation of funds from my mom outlining the receipt and transfer to my individual bank account. This was then notarized (300 PHP) and then taken to the regional trial court with jurisdiction over the notary public who notarized the document. The document is called a Certificate of Authority for a Notarial Act. It cost 110 PHP (60 for the CANA and 50 for the documentary stamp) and was available before the end of the day. If you have anything that needs to be notarized and you are in the Taguig area, I recommend https://www.facebook.com/bonifacioglobalnotary/

 

Criminal record/NBI clearance – It only costs around 350 PHP for the renewal fee, processing fee, and express delivery fee. I used this site https://myeg.ph/services/nbi-clearance

 

Medical Certificate – This can be done at any DOH-accredited hospital or clinic indicating the non‐existence of diseases that may have a serious effect on public health, according to International Sanitary Regulations of 2005. I did mine at https://angelusmed.com/ which cost me 3,050 PHP with DOH Authentication (2,800 for males). It was professionally done, and they seem quite experienced. Although the dental exam was cursory and the eye exam was a joke, I think it was fine for what it was and includes a Spanish translation which is definitely helpful. I got everything back after a week.

 

Documents that needed to be brought to DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs)

1. Affidavit of Financial Means

2. Medical Certificate

3. NBI Clearance

To legalize documents in the Philippines: https://www.apostilleonline.ph/  

You can wait 5 business days for 100 PHP per document or 2 days for 200 PHP.

 

Other requirements

1. Last tax return – 2022 PIT report from Vietnam generated from my online account

2. Other proof of savings – I obtained updated policy statements and reports from my retirement and savings plans. (these were later scrapped by my consultant)

3. Entire passport has to be scanned including blank pages

4. Photocopy of passport information page

5. Passport-size photo

6. Application form EX – 01

7. 790 tax form (code 052)

8. Letter of intent

9. Private health insurance – I used Asisa. It cost 696 EUR for one year. They let me start the policy in January 2024 even though I needed the documents in November.

 

I submitted my documents on 20 November 2023. After two bank holidays, I received my passport on 5 December 2023.

I paid PHP 6266 at BLS Spain. PHP 4740 for the visa fee, PHP 1006 for the BLS service fee, plus PHP 370 courier fee, and PHP 150 for SMS. You can buy an envelope from them and have documents photocopied if there are any missing or incorrect. It's better to wait till you're in front of the officer to write on the envelope as they're quite particular. I brought my own but had to buy a new one. They were very nice and I had no problems during the day of submission.

 

I arrived in Spain on 31 January 2024 and got my padron shortly after. My TIE appointment was on 12 March 2024 and I was asked to present the following.

 

1. Photocopy of passport information page

2. Photocopy of visa and entry stamp

3. Original passport

4. One passport size photo

5. EX-17 form

6. 790 012 fee: paid (16.08) EUR

7. Padrón certificate

 

Now, the only thing I’m waiting for is my card which will be available a month later.

 

This blog hasn’t been updated in years, but I figured an informative post was the best way to get back on the proverbial horse. I’ll post something personal sometime soon and let’s wait a few more months before I talk more about what I’m currently doing.