# Getting resident certificate/card when moving with spouse and not working



## goingtobcn (Sep 9, 2012)

Hello all,

Thought I might share our experience in getting my green card with NIE, in the hope that it might help someone else!

My husband has a job here, so I have moved with him. I don't have a job yet myself. Getting his green card was fine; he had his EX-18 form and a copy, his passport and copy, and a letter with the required information from the HR department (it included his salary and some new info; will check exactly what was in there).

Getting mine was more difficult as I don't have any income yet. In the end, the documents we needed to get my green card were:

- The EX-18 form filled out + a copy
- My passport + a copy
- My husband's passport + a copy
- Our marriage certificate in English + a copy
- A sworn translation in Spanish of our marriage certificate + a copy (see here http://www.maec.es/es/MenuPpal/Ministerio/Tablondeanuncios/InterpretesJurados/Documents/2011sepIIJJ.pdf for a list of sworn translators, by language and area. We paid 30€ and it took a few days)
- My husband's informe de vida laboral + a copy. This is a document issued by the Seguridad Social showing where you've worked and proving that you're in the Social Security system - you can get this as soon as you start work, even if it's your first job in Spain. A lot of people (including the man at the Social Security office!) have been surprised that we needed this to get my green card, but at the office to get residency, they were adamant (we went more than once!) that they would only accept this and not a contract.

I guess the rules will change again sooner or later, but I hope this helps someone!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

goingtobcn said:


> Hello all,
> 
> Thought I might share our experience in getting my green card with NIE, in the hope that it might help someone else!
> 
> ...


I'm going to change the title to resident cert/card from 'green card' if you don't mind - I know they're green, but not everywhere is doing cards yet & 'green card' sounds like the US!!

wow - so you got a vida laboral for your husband after less than a week's work!!!


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## goingtobcn (Sep 9, 2012)

xabiachica said:


> I'm going to change the title to resident cert/card from 'green card' if you don't mind - I know they're green, but not everywhere is doing cards yet & 'green card' sounds like the US!!
> 
> wow - so you got a vida laboral for your husband after less than a week's work!!!


Lol no problem, it's just what we were calling it 

I know, I couldn't believe it when they actually gave him one, but it satisfied those with the ability to give me the magic number and cert!


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

And if you applied for the same where I live, it would all be different, why? because this is Spain and nothing is uniform.


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## Jumar (Mar 14, 2012)

Our situation is slightly different in that we are early retired. Our income is that my husband has a government pension but I have no income for the next 3 years when I get my government pension. Would we both fill in the EX-18 forms and prove the income as a couple or would I have to be a dependant of my husband and fill in some other form? Sorry if I am asking something I should know already, but I cannot find anything here about this and the OPs post just had me thinking.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jaws101 said:


> Our situation is slightly different in that we are early retired. Our income is that my husband has a government pension but I have no income for the next 3 years when I get my government pension. Would we both fill in the EX-18 forms and prove the income as a couple or would I have to be a dependant of my husband and fill in some other form? Sorry if I am asking something I should know already, but I cannot find anything here about this and the OPs post just had me thinking.


you need to both register as resident - so two forms & the income is as a couple

I _think_ it was slightly complicated for the OP because her husband's employer became involved & sorted his out separately, before she went to register


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## goingtobcn (Sep 9, 2012)

xabiachica said:


> I _think_ it was slightly complicated for the OP because her husband's employer became involved & sorted his out separately, before she went to register


Not quite - the HR dept helped us fill out both EX-18 forms. Husband got his residency card fine, but they insisted on me having this informe de vida laboral to prove my husband's in the Social Security system.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

goingtobcn said:


> Not quite - the HR dept helped us fill out both EX-18 forms. Husband got his residency card fine, but they insisted on me having this informe de vida laboral to prove my husband's in the Social Security system.


yes of course.....

jaws101 will have the proof of income in the form of the pension though


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## Jumar (Mar 14, 2012)

Thanks


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## Vlado (Nov 29, 2012)

Just to expand a bit the procedure...I am EU member and my wife is not. I have NIE and am fully registered here in Gran Canaria with address and everything. We applied for my wife`s residency and they demanded my work contract. Since I recently applied to be Autonomo (sole trader) they asked for a bank statement with money flow to check the validity of the whole thing. Apart from that we needed:
-Certificado de empadronamiento con informe policial (police comes to your place to check whether you really live there-around 3 weeks, you have to ask for it in Ayuntamiento and pay 12 euros)
-Private health insurance for both of us
-our marriage certificate translated into spanish (has to have a Hague seal and a seal from the embassy of Spain to confirm the validity of the translation-100 euros more or less for one piece of paper  )
And we are still waiting...


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Vlado said:


> Just to expand a bit the procedure...I am EU member and my wife is not. I have NIE and am fully registered here in Gran Canaria with address and everything. We applied for my wife`s residency and they demanded my work contract. Since I recently applied to be Autonomo (sole trader) they asked for a bank statement with money flow to check the validity of the whole thing. Apart from that we needed:
> -Certificado de empadronamiento con informe policial (police comes to your place to check whether you really live there-around 3 weeks, you have to ask for it in Ayuntamiento and pay 12 euros)
> -Private health insurance for both of us
> -our marriage certificate translated into spanish (has to have a Hague seal and a seal from the embassy of Spain to confirm the validity of the translation-100 euros more or less for one piece of paper  )
> And we are still waiting...


if you're working they shouldn't be asking for private health insurance

& yes, they are now asking for marriage certs to be Hague apostilled (we have a recent thread about this) - though the translation & the other seal seems a bit OTT - maybe that's because your wife is non-EU?

although as Hepa is fond of telling us - everything seems a bit different in the Canaries than on the mainland


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