Ola! 

I am a Filipino citizen residing in Canada.  Can I obtain a resident visa for Spain from Canada being a Filipino citizen?  How convoluted is that but I want to relocate to Spain.  I have tried to contact the Spanish embassy but no luck.

Any information is much appreciated.

SpanishFil

spanishfil,
why do you want to relocate to spain?
you said you tried to contact the spanish embassy but no luck.
what do you mean? were you able to contact them or did they say you cannot get a resident visa?
if you do not speak spanish you will have a very hard time getting a job.
it may be like a monolingual anglo canadian looking for a job and trying to live in quebec.

I want to relocate to Spain because I want Spanish citizenship. That is my sole reason.  I want the freedom to travel and live in the EU.  I do work remotely so I don’t have to have direct work in Spain.  As for contacting the Spanish embassy, I meant I have been emailing them but the mails keep bouncing back.  I tried calling and I get voice mail.  I haven’t been able to get through to just ask the question.  I am learning Spanish.  I will try and call them again today but if you can direct me other sources, I would be grateful. And because I am a Filipino citizen, and have Spanish blood in me, I thought why not take advantage of that. 

Thank you for responding!

spanishfil,
do you have at least one spanish born grand parent?
if you don’t, you will have to get either a residence permit or a residence and work permit.
to get a residence and work permit, an employer in spain has to hire you.
the job must be in the catalogo de trabajo de dificil cobertura.
to get a residence without authorization to work permit, you must have at least 50, 000 euros in your account to support yourself while you are living in spain.
you will have to accumulate 2 years residency before you can apply for citizenship
processing may take 2 to 2.5 years so you will have to reside in spain a total of 5 years more or less before you can get citizenship.

Hi Aritz,

No, my grandmother was not born in Spain - I think it was her father.  So, I realize I will need a residence permit.  I appreciate the information about the 50K euros.. I was not aware of that.  However, if I can prove that I have the equivalent of funds in Canada, is that sufficient?  You said I would have to live in Spain an additional 2-2.5 years.  If I were to reside in a small town, would things proceed faster?  And during my residency there, would I be allowed to move around the EU?  Spain is my base but I want to be able to go to travel as well.

I really appreciate your time in this matter.

Thank you,
SpanishFil

spanishfil,
you will have to consult a lawyer how to get the residence w/o work permit visa.
the difference may be 1 to 1.5 years in small towns.
with the spanish residence permit, you can travel without tourist visa in the schengen area.

Thank you for the information.  I have a lot of work ahead of me.  😊

spanishfil,

you can check the spanish consulates around the world in this link

http://www.maec.es/es/EYC/Paginas/embajadasyconsulados.aspx

and if you choose “estados unidos - san francisco” in the consulados box
then click on “visas” on the far right column
scroll down till you see “long stay visa” and click on “non-lucrative residence”

and you will see the ff

http://www.maec.es/subwebs/Consulados/SanFrancisco/en/MenuPpal/Servicios Consulares y Visados/Visados/Documents/NonLucrative.pdf

it should be a good guide.

good luck