# I have NIF but no Residency Card, can i travel to France?



## IamChyno (Nov 20, 2011)

I am a Syrian in Barcelona working as a personal assistant to someone from the German Consulate in Barcelona. I have only been here 2 months but I haven't been given my Residency Certificate. I was told that people affiliated with the embassies living in Spain don't get a Certificates nor NIE's, they get NIF's and a plastic Residency Card with their picture on it like an ID. I still haven't received any sort of card but i have received an e-mail which i was told to print out and use because it has the NIF number with my Electronic Number.

I am in dire need of traveling to France for an Emergency. My only Visa is Spanish NOT shengen which is neccessary if you are doing residency (even though i have many shengens before on my passport ).

I am a resident of Spain but is the paper with the NIF verification enough for me to travel to France?


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

IamChyno said:


> I am a Syrian in Barcelona working as a personal assistant to someone from the German Consulate in Barcelona. I have only been here 2 months but I haven't been given my Residency Certificate. I was told that people affiliated with the embassies living in Spain don't get a Certificates nor NIE's, they get NIF's and a plastic Residency Card with their picture on it like an ID. I still haven't received any sort of card but i have received an e-mail which i was told to print out and use because it has the NIF number with my Electronic Number.
> 
> I am in dire need of traveling to France for an Emergency. My only Visa is Spanish NOT shengen which is neccessary if you are doing residency (even though i have many shengens before on my passport ).
> 
> I am a resident of Spain but is the paper with the NIF verification enough for me to travel to France?


Ask the French consulate. Rules regarding travel document for embassy staff can be a minefield and can only be satisfactorily answered by them. If the worst comes to the worst, you may have to get a Schengen visa.


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## IamChyno (Nov 20, 2011)

actually made it into Paris and Back. Kinda glad...it was an emergency and i just pushed my luck.

See i'm a resident but my card hasn't been issued yet...my only proof was a piece of paper. Glad it didn't even come down to showing that piece of crap.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

IamChyno said:


> actually made it into Paris and Back. Kinda glad...it was an emergency and i just pushed my luck.
> 
> See i'm a resident but my card hasn't been issued yet...my only proof was a piece of paper. Glad it didn't even come down to showing that piece of crap.


You were very lucky. In view of what is going on in Syria and all the security alerts, any contact will officialdom would probably have meant an extended stay courtesy of Mr Sarkozy!


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

Agree with you Joppa, the OP was lucky they wasn't arrested travelling on those documents. French security must be very lax. If this OP originally Syrian coming from the Philippines, why didn't they use their passport if they are legally in Spain ??? they must have one from some country!!!
The Op will never get a card as such- because cards are not issued any more in Spain, only temporary resident status which you have to register at the area police office for, or permanent residency certificates which require a lot of documents to support the residencia certificado before it is issued, proof they are legally allowed to live in Spain and support themselves,good luck to them.
Also residencia certs are given there and then, when the application is processed at the desk, mine was, so I can't understand what the op thinks they are waiting for.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

fergie said:


> Agree with you Joppa, the OP was lucky they wasn't arrested travelling on those documents. French security must be very lax. If this OP originally Syrian coming from the Philippines, why didn't they use their passport if they are legally in Spain ??? they must have one from some country!!!
> The Op will never get a card as such- because cards are not issued any more in Spain, only temporary resident status which you have to register at the area police office for, or permanent residency certificates which require a lot of documents to support the residencia certificado before it is issued, proof they are legally allowed to live in Spain and support themselves,good luck to them.
> Also residencia certs are given there and then, when the application is processed at the desk, mine was, so I can't understand what the op thinks they are waiting for.


The Tarjeta de residencía is still issued to non-eu citizens. With free passage across EU countries now you can't even tell where the border was in many cases ! I drove from here to Frankfurt in august & although you can tell where the spanish /french border was there's nothing whatsoever to tell you where the french /german border was ! I only saw 2 spanish police on bikes nothing in france except a gendarme in a laybay & none at all in germany !


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

gus-lopez said:


> The Tarjeta de residencía is still issued to non-eu citizens. With free passage across EU countries now you can't even tell where the border was in many cases ! I drove from here to Frankfurt in august & although you can tell where the spanish /french border was there's nothing whatsoever to tell you where the french /german border was ! I only saw 2 spanish police on bikes nothing in france except a gendarme in a laybay & none at all in germany !


Depends on how you travel. There is more chance of meeting officials doing spot-checks at airports and on board international trains, and they target people who don't look like Western Europeans for special attention.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Joppa said:


> Depends on how you travel. There is more chance of meeting officials doing spot-checks at airports and on board international trains, and they target people who don't look like Western Europeans for special attention.


Whilst you can roam all over europe in vehicles without seeing a soul !


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

gus-lopez said:


> Whilst you can roam all over europe in vehicles without seeing a soul !


True, but should you come to the attention of traffic police such as by speeding, accident etc, your ID will always be checked and questions start to be asked...


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## IamChyno (Nov 20, 2011)

fergie said:


> Agree with you Joppa, the OP was lucky they wasn't arrested travelling on those documents. French security must be very lax. If this OP originally Syrian coming from the Philippines, why didn't they use their passport if they are legally in Spain ??? they must have one from some country!!!
> The Op will never get a card as such- because cards are not issued any more in Spain, only temporary resident status which you have to register at the area police office for, or permanent residency certificates which require a lot of documents to support the residencia certificado before it is issued, proof they are legally allowed to live in Spain and support themselves,good luck to them.
> Also residencia certs are given there and then, when the application is processed at the desk, mine was, so I can't understand what the op thinks they are waiting for.



Firstly THERE WAS NO WAY THEY COULD ARREST ME?

What were the charges? I have a Syrian passport with a valid Espana Visa. I am LEGALLY IN SPAIN I have Valid Visa for 3 Months Multiple to Spain and it says in the Visa that I am applying to residency through a job in another foreign Consulate. and i have an NIF and Electronic Number, so i get a Diplomatic Card (which is a plastic card as a form of ID, and that im sure of because the embassy applied and i was told i would receive it...its not an ASSUMPTION). So i don't have to register at no POLICE because the consulate would do that for me. and i have multiple papers that conclude my official contract of business with my employer. Apart from that i have 4 older Visas of Shengen 3 of them 6 month multiples.

They WOULDN'T ARREST ME ANYWHERE...worst case scenario they wouldnt let me leave Spain...and if caught in France they would fine the Plane Company for not checking my papers properly before putting me on board since its an EU flight. 

I guess too much stamps and visas on the passport...so he thought it has to be Valid...plus Spanish Visa looks exactly like Shengen except it says Valid to Espana and not Shengen, and type of Visa would be D not C. kinda hard to differentiate amongst many.


But no sweat...made it in and out.


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## IamChyno (Nov 20, 2011)

it was an EMERGENCY...i said from the 1st post...hence the super high risk-taking...and the REWARD WAS SWEEEET!


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## IamChyno (Nov 20, 2011)

I am Syrian/Filipino with both Nationalities coming from Lebanon


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

fergie said:


> Also residencia certs are given there and then, when the application is processed at the desk, mine was, so I can't understand what the op thinks they are waiting for.


You have seemingly missed the point that the OP is not a citizen of a member state of the EU and therefore different rules apply.


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

I would imagine it would be a more difficult process for a person from a non EU member state to become a permanent resident here.


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## IamChyno (Nov 20, 2011)

fergie said:


> I would imagine it would be a more difficult process for a person from a non EU member state to become a permanent resident here.


yes very difficult....doesn't mean i havent covered the proper paperwork for me to be here...thank you


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