# Residence card change of address



## iant2050 (Jul 15, 2013)

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone could help me out I am married to a Spanish citizen and I currently have a residency card. I've moved recently and I'm not sure how to go about updating the card. Do I go through the same process to renew the card? Has anyone been through the process/could hep me out?

Thanks!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

iant2050 said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I was wondering if anyone could help me out I am married to a Spanish citizen and I currently have a residency card. I've moved recently and I'm not sure how to go about updating the card. Do I go through the same process to renew the card? Has anyone been through the process/could hep me out?
> 
> Thanks!


You pretty much go through the same process, although you don't have to show proof of income etc. again.


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## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

*Address*



xabiachica said:


> You pretty much go through the same process, although you don't have to show proof of income etc. again.


I have moved twice since I got my card and I just go to the town hall with new contract.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Justina said:


> I have moved twice since I got my card and I just go to the town hall with new contract.


The town hall has nothing to do with residence cards. I think you mean padrón?


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

Justina said:


> I have moved twice since I got my card and I just go to the town hall with new contract.


That would be to register on the padron at the new address. But then to get a new residency card reflecting the new address (required of non-EU members) it's necessary to go through extranjeria.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Justina said:


> I have moved twice since I got my card and I just go to the town hall with new contract.


What card is that? Do you mean the green one (which is sometimes an A4 sheet) because the NIE is on a white sheet of paper as is the padron.


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## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

*Padron*



xabiachica said:


> The town hall has nothing to do with residence cards. I think you mean padrón?


Yes, you are right. It was to do the empadronamiento. I would take your advice over my own, but ultimately they all connect up.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Justina said:


> Yes, you are right. It was to do the empadronamiento. I would take your advice over my own, but ultimately they all connect up.


Really?

The padron is to do with funding for local town halls, the NIE is to do with hacienda (primarily) whilst the green card/sheet is for immigration.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Justina said:


> Yes, you are right. It was to do the empadronamiento. I would take your advice over my own, but ultimately they all connect up.


You'd think so wouldn't you?

but no.... although my gestor has told me not to bother changing my address at the extranjería since I'm in so many other systems at my current address, that they'd find me if need be


I think for a non-EU citizen such as the OP that it could cause a lot of problems for him if he didn't though 



We moved not long before the local elections last year & changed our address for the padrón. Our voting cards went to our old address - so even systems in the same building hadn't caught up.


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

Non-EU citizens are required to report a change of address to extranjeria and get a new residency card reflecting the change.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

kalohi said:


> Non-EU citizens are required to report a change of address to extranjeria and get a new residency card reflecting the change.


Thanks - that's as I thought


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## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

*Residents*



kalohi said:


> Non-EU citizens are required to report a change of address to extranjeria and get a new residency card reflecting the change.


I think it all depends on where one lives. We moved from Cadiz to Chiclana over a year ago and my husband with his non eu visa duly went along with me to sign on to the empadronamiento. When he asked what else he should do was told to go along to the police which we duly did where they took note of our address. He asked if he should go to immigration and was told not to bother cos they (police) would know where to find him.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

I am an EU citizen and have had residency certificate for a lot of years but when I moved house I went along to the Dept. de Extranjeros, waited for over an hour, finally got to my turn for some bloody jobsworth to tell me I have to bring my employment contract. I have to admit I got a little stressed at the guy because it is not necessary to prove my income surely?? I have been here years, I had with me my SIP which shows I am a tax payer (i mean if you are foreign and not working you don't get one) and all this and he point blank refused. I suggested politely that he just check with the seguridad social my details and he said that new rules mean I have to prove I can support myself in Spain (I'm bloody married to a spaniard and have been paying taxes here for nearly 14 years!).

Anyway, I went back with my work contract and other things, saw someone else and when I went to show them he told me it wasn't needed and proceeded to print the certificate!

GRRRR


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

xicoalc said:


> I am an EU citizen and have had residency certificate for a lot of years but when I moved house I went along to the Dept. de Extranjeros, waited for over an hour, finally got to my turn for some bloody jobsworth to tell me I have to bring my employment contract. I have to admit I got a little stressed at the guy because it is not necessary to prove my income surely?? I have been here years, I had with me my SIP which shows I am a tax payer (i mean if you are foreign and not working you don't get one) and all this and he point blank refused. I suggested politely that he just check with the seguridad social my details and he said that new rules mean I have to prove I can support myself in Spain (I'm bloody married to a spaniard and have been paying taxes here for nearly 14 years!).
> 
> Anyway, I went back with my work contract and other things, saw someone else and when I went to show them he told me it wasn't needed and proceeded to print the certificate!
> 
> GRRRR


That's why so many don't bother. Too many jobsworths who don't know their job 

My daughter went to get a copy of hers, we couldn't find the original & she needed it for something. She was told that now she had turned 18 she had to re-register in her own right & they wanted proof of 10,000€ funds. She was still at (state) school.....

They were wrong on both counts, but it just wasn't worth arguing with them. Luckily we found a way around the missing cert.

For this reason alone, as soon as we get time to go to the extranjería, we're getting permanent certs.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

xabiachica said:


> For this reason alone, as soon as we get time to go to the extranjería, we're getting permanent certs.


Permanent certs? What's the difference? 

Bring back the plastic cards I say!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

xicoalc said:


> Permanent certs? What's the difference?
> 
> Bring back the plastic cards I say!


Well, it's a flimsy little card now which is no good as ID, any more than the A4 cert. After 5 years legal residency, we are automatically entitled to permanent residency, and you can get a card which states this.

You don't have to prove income nor healthcare provision again to get one, either.

Residencia de carácter permanente - Ministerio del Interior


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

xabiachica said:


> Well, it's a flimsy little card now which is no good as ID, any more than the A4 cert. After 5 years legal residency, we are automatically entitled to permanent residency, and you can get a card which states this.
> 
> You don't have to prove income nor healthcare provision again to get one, either.
> 
> Residencia de carácter permanente - Ministerio del Interior


Ah.. yes i have the stupid flimsy card... although better than the green A4 paper I had before which the police man kindly reminded me to carry everywhere and my passport... yeah right! Mine doesn't have an expiry date on it so i presume its permanent... well... anyway... they are hardly going to throw me out are they? Although... if uk leave the EU..............  Time to apply for DNI me thinks!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

xicoalc said:


> Ah.. yes i have the stupid flimsy card... although better than the green A4 paper I had before which the police man kindly reminded me to carry everywhere and my passport... yeah right! Mine doesn't have an expiry date on it so i presume its permanent... well... anyway... they are hardly going to throw me out are they? Although... if uk leave the EU..............  Time to apply for DNI me thinks!


Yeah - we've been talking about applying for Spanish citizenship for a couple of years. Might just be time to get on with it............

Even if the UK leaves the EU they won't/can't chuck you/us out ..... but....


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

xabiachica said:


> Yeah - we've been talking about applying for Spanish citizenship for a couple of years. Might just be time to get on with it............
> 
> Even if the UK leaves the EU they won't/can't chuck you/us out ..... but....


but they could make life difficult! Although to be honest, having DNI does one with other benefits... as they say... tomorrow maybe!


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Have you seen the sort of questions you have to be able to answer to get your citizenship?

Take a look here Spain's citizenship test: eight questions The Local


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> Have you seen the sort of questions you have to be able to answer to get your citizenship?
> 
> Take a look here Spain's citizenship test: eight questions The Local


That you _may _have to answer. I believe it still remains very much a regional thing and also on who's on duty on the day. I suppose these questions are quite representative although I can't believe that they would ask about Podemos. I suppose that's a prime example of the question depending on the ayuntamiento. The one about the river became famous a couple of years ago. I would hope that if that was ever a real question that it had been binned by now.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> Have you seen the sort of questions you have to be able to answer to get your citizenship?
> 
> Take a look here Spain's citizenship test: eight questions The Local


Not seen that one, but I did a very long test which was in El País I think. You needed 80% to pass..... I got 82%


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> That you _may _have to answer. I believe it still remains very much a regional thing and also on who's on duty on the day. I suppose these questions are quite representative although I can't believe that they would ask about Podemos. I suppose that's a prime example of the question depending on the ayuntamiento. The one about the river became famous a couple of years ago. I would hope that if that was ever a real question that it had been binned by now.


I believe, or I'm sure I read, that it's a multiple choice written test. 

And in Spanish, of course


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

The test is given through the Instituto Cervantes. Here's a link:

Pruebas para la obtención de la nacionalidad española. Instituto Cervantes


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

kalohi said:


> The test is given through the Instituto Cervantes. Here's a link:
> 
> Pruebas para la obtención de la nacionalidad española. Instituto Cervantes


That's the one!

The link I used was online on El País I think


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