# How Do I Live and Work in the Canary Islands?



## RajaAfrika

Greetings,

My name is Raja. I am a North American. I´ve been in the city of Los Llanos on the Island of La Palma (Not Las Palmas) for the past 3 weeks. In that time I´ve managed to get myself an apartment (6 mo lease) and a cellphone (pre-pay).

I am a yoga instructor by trade and I would like to live on this island as a resident and teach yoga. I would also like to invite my ex-wife and children to join me as I think the difference in culture and child-friendly way of life here would be really good for my family. My ex has a college degree in German and speaks it fluently. There are a lot of Germans on the island so I figure there must be a place for her, perhaps as a teacher.

My questions:
- What do I need to live and work in La Palma (Residency)?
- Are the schools for children here good? Expensive?
- Same question for healthcare
- Any other considerations for a family that would like to live on this beautiful island?

Thanks in advance lane:,
Raja


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## Suenneil

RajaAfrika said:


> Greetings,
> 
> My name is Raja. I am a North American. I´ve been in the city of Los Llanos on the Island of La Palma (Not Las Palmas) for the past 3 weeks. In that time I´ve managed to get myself an apartment (6 mo lease) and a cellphone (pre-pay).
> 
> I am a yoga instructor by trade and I would like to live on this island as a resident and teach yoga. I would also like to invite my ex-wife and children to join me as I think the difference in culture and child-friendly way of life here would be really good for my family. My ex has a college degree in German and speaks it fluently. There are a lot of Germans on the island so I figure there must be a place for her, perhaps as a teacher.
> 
> My questions:
> - What do I need to live and work in La Palma (Residency)?
> - Are the schools for children here good? Expensive?
> - Same question for healthcare
> - Any other considerations for a family that would like to live on this beautiful island?
> 
> Thanks in advance lane:,
> Raja


Hi Raj and welcome to the forum 

I think you will need to research this more thoroughly. As a non EU passport holder (which I assume you are ?) you are not able to live and work in Spain without a Visa/permit. Likewise, you will not be able to bring family over to live with you, work or take up school places unless these are in place.

I have cut and paste a small article that may help you to get started. Until you get the visa sorted out there wouldnt be much point sourcing schools etc.

Good luck . Sue :ranger:

*Non-EU nationals must obtain a visa from the Spanish consulate at home before coming to Spain to work, study or live. In Spain, you must then apply for a work permit at the provincial office of the Ministry of Labour (Delegación Provincial del Ministerio de Trabajo) or at your local Foreigners' Office (Oficina de Extranjero).

If you already have a job lined up, your employer will most likely deal with the paperwork. Then the provincial labour offices (Direcciones Provinciales de Trabajo, Seguridad Social y Asuntos Sociales) will decide whether to issue the work permit.

The type of work permit you apply for depends upon the job, whether it is permanent or temporary and the region. Some are valid for a certain period and non-renewable, others can be become a permanent permit. *


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## Bevdeforges

As Sue has already said, you need to get yourself (and your family) visas.

Here's the relevant page from the Spanish Consulate website:
Visas

The part that applies to what you want to do is under "Long stay visa" (long stay being anything longer than 3 months).

You have to apply for a long-stay visa in your home country and note the comment that "additional requirements may apply." Just because you provide all the paperwork they ask for, it doesn't mean you will automatically get your visa. Sometimes they make you jump through all sorts of hoops to "prove" that you will really be a solid, contributing resident.

Keep us posted how you are getting on in the process.
Cheers,
Bev


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## RajaAfrika

Hey Bev and Sue,

Thanks for the quick replies as it really cuts down on my cyber cafe rates . 

My understanding of your comments is that before I can establish my family here, I must establish myself. 

That as a Yoga Instructor, I fall under the category of: Residence visa for investors or self-employment.

That there is an impressive check list of paper work required to gain a residency card and work visa to stay in spain longer than 6 months.

Do I have that correct so far?

With the list on the website that you recommeded Bev:
- Alien Residence Card (Green-Card) or residence visa valid in USA (except B-1, B-2). Does this mean my US Passport?

- Police Records Certificate from the country of origin. Do I have to go back to the US for this?

- Documentation that shows that you are financially sound or letter/s from the Bank/s regarding that matter. How sound is sound?

I have to (very begrudgingly, travel back home for a month) which of the items in this list of best taken care of in the US? Which can be taken care of when I return in a month?

Thanks again for your input!

Raja


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## Bevdeforges

Actually, you'll probably have to resolve all those requirements while you are back home. Technically, the visa application has to be turned in over there for processing - and they sometimes want to hang onto your passport while they are processing the paperwork.

Yes, a US passport will do for a "residence visa" for the US, but they may also require some form of legal residence confirmation (usually a utility bill or even a driver's license - something that shows your US address).

Police certificate either means something from your hometown police stating that you have a clean "rap sheet" (or listing whatever record you may have) or you may have to get an FBI "rap sheet" - which involves sending in fingerprints and $18 so they can check your national record. It takes a couple weeks to get, but normally they just return the fingerprint card to you stamped "no record." You have to check with the Spanish consulate to see if they insist on the FBI record.

You might check around on the Consulate website. Some countries give rough guidelines as to what they expect for "minimal financial resources" - either in terms of a monthly income (say, if you were on social security or a pension) or in terms of how much capital you need sitting in a bank somewhere. Basically they want to make sure you have enough money to set up whatever business it is you're basing your application on, and to support yourself for some period of time while you're getting the business up and running. (Starting a business in any European country is considerably more of a "challenge" than just opening up for business in the US.)
Cheers,
Bev


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