Hi to everyone, I’m making some rather early enquiries on behalf of my fianc?e. Here is some background info. I’m English, with residency in Spain since 2005. I’m currently in Peru with my (Peruvian) fianc?e who also holds US citizenship. We plan to settle in Spain in November, and we’ll be getting married in Gibraltar almost as soon as we arrive. My parents own property, and currently live in Spain, so their address will be our home address.
With a marriage certificate, our Volante de empadronamiento and having attended her first appointment for the Tarjeta de Residencia de Familiar de Cuidadano de la Union, would this satisfy an employer, or can one only start a job once the residency card has been issued? I assume this is both the logical path to my fianc?e being allowed to work in Spain, and the quicker option, with regards to work visa applications.

Remembering that my employer had to do all the paperwork right on day 1, my guess will be that they probably would prefer your wife to have her working rights before starting. Especially in this climate with many Spaniards out of work, they?d be a little be more cautious, moreover, most of them take advantages of government incentives (such as, if your wife is young and can work on an internship contract they get grants from government, etc).. so it really depends on the situation and type of job.

Plus working will also mean paying Social Security, so without proper permit and Social Security number (which she?ll need to show the proper NIE de Cuidadanos in order to get), this could be a bit tricky for employers.

Of course everything depends… if she works in the black, that?ll be easier.

With this working climate, she?ll probably need all the time whilst paperwork is being processed to find a job anyways!! Apparently it takes an average 6 months to find a corporate job here, and for an experienced hire.

Otherwise, why not bum around til the card/paper (guess new format is now a piece of paper) arrives! Mine took 2ish months.

Good luck!!!

Thanks for your reply Gretina! I guess 6 months is realistic for finding work. My fianc?e is a degree-qualified accountant. She gained several years experience in the US and is also fluent bi-lingual. Our primary concern is the 90-day visa deadline. I need to enquire about waiting times for an appointment at our local Oficina de Extranjeros in Motril, Granada. I heard it can take months in some provinces, so we’ll try and set that up before we leave Peru in November.

Thanks for reminding me about the Social Security number. I’ll add that to our check-list! As you say, with the current economic climate, the paperwork is likely to take less time than finding the right job.

No worries! Being a non-EU expat and spouse myself, I know how frustrating it is!

I hope your fianc? has a Chartered Accountant accreditation (CA, CPA, etc), because there?re a lot of unemployed ADE graduates in accounting in Spain. A good-ish thing is, once your fianc? has her NIE, she can register straight away at the INEM office as unemployed, and have access to their courses. I saw many accounting ones, and they are usually a good way to get a job through teachers and colleges.

As for the 90 day visa, don?t worry. As long as she?s “in the system”, it shouldn?t be a problem. Just have all the paperwork with you, or when you?re in the neighbourhood, I believe you can ask for a piece of paper showing that she?s in the system. I doubt that the timeframe in Motril would be worse than Madrid! And waiting time… is always flexible… Welcome to Spain!!