I am a freelance opera singer who came to Spain from the USA (US citizen) for a job in February, fell in love with the country and now want to move here. I originally thought I could get EU citizenship through my great-grandparents, who were Lithuanian nationals who never repatriated, but they moved to the US before Lithuania was an independent state and I am informed that it is not possible, even though they never changed their citizenship.
Would it be best for me to try to get Autonomo or non-lucrative residency? Either is possible - I am not rich, but can show the required means of support for non-lucrative. My only question is, can I work if I do that?
And if I try for Autonomo, do I need to show upcoming contracts? I do have some, but they are currently handshake, with actual contracts coming later (you know, it’s Spain. They still get you contracts sooner than Italy does).
In truth, I travel so much that I probably would not spend more than six months at a stretch in Spain (or anywhere else), but would much, much prefer to be legal. As a freelancer with gigs in many countries, I am not in one place long enough to get a student visa and then convert it to a residency.
Any help/advice you can give is appreciated. I can’t seem to really get a straight answer from anyone in Madrid on where to BEGIN this process.
sounds like if you’re going to work then you’d need to go the autonomo route no? not sure but i’d imagine that a non-lucrative visa is called that for a reason… ie you’d not be able to work legally, get a work contrat, etc. at least if you’re autonomo you can work independently and bill clients, get into the social security system legally, etc.
if you do go the autonomo route, you’ll need a lawyer/abogado in any case. from what i’ve heard, yes, you’ll need some contracts, or assets, or something like that, but again a laywer will help you out with all that inluding the getting of an NIE, residency, etc etc. it’ll probably cost you around 1500+ euros.
are you playing in barcelona? you should post on here when you do any shows in spain, although you might want to ask the editor /moderators first.
Nothing in Barcelona for the moment, although I am not entirely sure where all the spring shows will be (mostly in Asturias, I think, but I’ll ask). If the editors ok it, I’ll post performances as I get them! Would love to meet some of you.
Thank you very much (sorry, was offline for a few days & just saw this). Do I need to have contracts in hand for this process? Currently for most things I have a handshake and contracts are forthcoming, but my experience so far is that the contracts finally show up about three weeks before the gig is about to begin (this is not unique to Spain, but it may be unique to the opera business).
Nothing in Barcelona for the moment, although I am not entirely sure where all the spring shows will be (mostly in Asturias, I think, but I’ll ask). If the editors ok it, I’ll post performances as I get them! Would love to meet some of you.
K
Hi Konstanze,
You’re welcome to post your show dates on here. I’d suggest putting them in the Tapas Bar or the Lifestyle in Spain section.
I don?t think you need to have actual contracts but be registered as an autonomous worker and pay the taxes involved…
Right, that’s how I understand it as well. As an autonomo you’re setting yourself up very much like a freelance worker or, say, a tradesmen contracter. These types of workers are their own employers, gain certain tax advantages (in Spain you’ll have to check on that), and are responsible to pay taxes and social security payments themselves… even if you’re having a slow month! (Mar?a, correct me if I’m wrong)
I’d highly suggest finding a gestor or abogado (lawyer) to help you set this up, and ensure they can include the visa and the monthly accounting at a reasonable rate (less than 150 euros/month).
Thank you - now that vacation time is over and everyone is coming back to Madrid, I’ll get ahold of a (preferably, er, bilingual, as I do not yet trust my Spanish legalese) lawyer and sit down with him to set this up. I want to get it taken care of. Any recommendations for lawyers in Madrid?
I’m sorry to bump this thread back up to the top, but uh…I’m still confused.
I’ve been told by one immigration lawyer here in Madrid that I would need to invest a certain amount of money and hire people to obtain residence as a self-employed artist. This doesn’t read quite right to me.
Help?
Maria?
I’m happy to hire a gestor or abogado if anyone can recommend one - I just got offers for a couple more shows and am running around like a chicken with no head trying to prepare them and figure all this stuff out before I hit the States in October.
I want to take care of the paperwork while I’m in the US, so there is some slight rush on this. The Consular sites I have read seem to indicate that I need to file the solicitud de permiso de trabajo here in Spain BEFORE I can file the rest of the stuff in the States - does that make sense to anyone?
I swear, I promise, all I want is to be legal & stuff. Seriously.
You don?tt need to hire anybody. Just be in order with Social Security and Public Treasury departments. Be registered as Autonomo and pay your monthly instalment.
Please email me if you want: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Regarding the filing. Yes, you need to apply here in Spain and then get the visa in the States once you have your papers ready here.
Best regards,
Mar?a L. de Castro
