Hi,

I’m Canadian and I will be moving to Spain in September.  I have a job IF they can get me the working papers.  Which I hear is pretty difficult.  So, another option I thought of was to register for Self Employment (or Autonomo) and contract myself out to the school I would be working for.  I have a few questions that I am hoping someone can help me with:

1. Can I get a NIE/NIF number while still in Canada? If so, how?

2. Is this a good alternative to not being able to get a work visa?

3. Where do I get the forms and what documentation do I need?

If you have answers to any of these questions, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks so much for the help.

Raegan

Hi Raegan

In answer to your questions:

1. Yes you can get a NIE by applying to the Spanish Embassy in Canada (wherever that is) by requesting an application form.
I do not know how long this takes in Canada

2. Autonomo, which is self employment and costs about 240.00 Euros per month means no work visa is needed.

3. As I said, Spanish Embassy in Canada and you just need your passport. This is for NIE. For Autonomo you need a residential address in Spain, be it your own or a rental
Good Luck
Stu

Hi Raegan,

As a non-EU citizen, you’d also need to get a .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)in Spain. The Spanish Embassy/Consulate in your area should be able to tell you more about this. Any way you slice it, if you’re not EU, you have to have some sort of residence visa to live legally in Spain.

Good luck!