Long-term resident status can be recovered by foreigners who have held a long-term residence permit in Spain and who have, moreover, been absent from European Union territory for 12 consecutive months or have acquired EU long-term resident status in another EU Member State or have completed the period during which they committed not to return to Spain, having voluntarily agreed to return to their country of origin.
EU long-term resident status can be recovered by foreigners who have held an EU long-term residence permit in Spain and who have, moreover, been absent from European Union territory for 12 consecutive months or have acquired EU long-term resident status in another EU Member State or have been out of Spain for more than 6 years.
To obtain a long-term resident or EU long-term resident recovery visa it is first necessary to submit an application to recover the permit. For this reason, the procedure comprises two stages.
Recovering long-term residence or EU long-term residence
Required documents
1. Application form for a long-term residence or EU long-term residence permit
. Each applicant must complete and sign two visa application forms, having filled in each section of the EX-11 form. If the applicant is a minor, one of their parents must sign the application.
2. Passport. A photocopy of every page of a valid, unexpired passport or travel document.
3. Conditions for recovering long-term residence or EU long-term residence. Documents proving that the applicant meets at least one of the criteria for recovering long-term residence or EU long-term residence.
4. Criminal record check certificate. This requirement is not mandatory if the duration of the requested stay is less than six months. However, if the length of stay requested is longer than six months, a negative criminal record certificate, together with an official translation into Spanish, is required. It must be issued by the authorities of the country or countries in which you have resided for the last 5 years. In the case of Canada, only the negative criminal record certificate issued by the RCMP containing the visa applicant's fingerprints will be accepted. You will find more information about how to obtain it here.
Criminal records certificates from local police stations will not be accepted. The Canadian Criminal Record Certificate must be with the Hague Apostille Certification, and translated into Spanish. If the criminal record certificate has been issued outside of Canada, it must be legalized by the Spanish Consular Office with jurisdiction in that country, unless the country that issued it has signed the Hague Convention, in which case it must be apostilled. You can check the list of the countries signing the Hague Convention here..
5. Medical certificate. This requirement is not mandatory if the duration of the requested stay is less than six months. However, if the length of stay requested is longer than six months, a medical certificate is required. It must be issued by your family doctor and formulated as follows: "This medical certificate certifies that Mr. / Mrs. [...] does not suffer from any of the diseases that may have serious public health repercussions in accordance with the provided in the International Sanitary Regulations of 2005.”
6. Proof of residence in the consular district. The Consulate General of Spain in Montreal only accepts applications from residents of Quebec (except Gatineau), Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. If you reside in any other place, you must apply for your visa at the Consulate General of Spain in Toronto (provinces of Ontario (except Ottawa), Manitoba, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Northwest Territories, Yukon, and British Columbia) or at the Embassy of Spain in Canada (Ottawa and Gatineau), according to the demarcations of the aforementioned institutions. To complete your application, an original and a copy must be submitted.
7. Proof of the representative's identity and capacity. If the applicant is a minor, a copy of the identity document or passport of the parent and the document that proves the relationship must be presented. The originals will be shown at the time of submitting the application.
If the visa is requested by a representative, a copy of the identity document or passport of the representative and the power of attorney previously legalized or apostilled or document proving the representation, must be submitted. Original documents will be shown when submitting the application. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, if necessary, submitted together with an official translation into Spanish. Please note that the consulate reserves the right to accept or deny the representative.
8. Payment of the fee. To pay the fee for the residence permit at the Consular Office, the applicant must complete all the fields of, and sign, two copies of form 790 code 052, ticking box 2.6 (long-term residence permit and EU long-term residence permit).
The fee can also be paid online, through the link to form 790-052. In this case, the proof of payment obtained from the same webpage must be attached.
The fee must be paid in Canadian dollars in cash or money order. You can check the fees in "Tasas consulares" found in the comunicación/noticias section.
9. Financial means (only to recover EU long-term residence). Originals and a copy of each of the documents accrediting that the applicant has a steady and regular financial income that is sufficient to maintain themselves and, where applicable, their family. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, where applicable, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.
10. Health insurance (only to recover EU long-term residence). Original and a copy of the certificate accrediting the public or private health insurance contracted with an insurance entity authorized to operate in Spain. The insurance policy must cover all the risks insured by Spain's public health system.
When necessary to assess the application, the Consular Office may request additional documents or data and may also ask the applicant to come in for a personal interview.
The translation into Spanish of all the documents may be required, in accordance with Art. 15 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the common administrative procedure of public administrations.
Procedure
This Consular Office is competent to accept visa applications from individuals residing in the consular district.
- Who can apply: The application to recover long-term resident or EU long-term resident status must be submitted in person by the interested party, or by one of their parents if the applicant is a minor.
- Place of submission: Applications must be submitted in person at the consulate. It is mandatory to request an appointment by writing an email to cog.montreal.vis@maec.es in which you must indicate your name as it appears in your passport and the date of travel, and attach a copy of your passport (if you do not have Canadian nationality, a Canadian visa) and official proof that you reside in our consular demarcation.
- Proof of receipt: The Consular Office will provide the applicant party with a copy of the application EX-11 form and, where applicable, the receipt substantiating the payment of the fee (form 790-52) and will forward the dossier to the competent Foreign Nationals' Office. The Consular Office has a period of 3 months to reach a decision, counted as of the day following the date on which the application is received.
- Notification: The Consular Office will inform the applicant of the decision issued by the competent Government Delegation or Sub-delegation.
- In the event of a favourable decision, the Consular Office will invite the interested party to submit the visa application.
- If the decision is not favourable, the interested party may submit an appeal for reconsideration to the Consular Office within 1 month of the day following the date on which the notification of the refusal is received. An application for judicial review may also be filed with the High Court of Justice of Madrid within the 2-month period beginning the day after the date on which the applicant receives notification of the permit refusal or of the dismissal of the reconsideration appeal.
Obtaining a long-term residence or EU long-term residence recovery visa
Required documents
1. National visa application form. Each applicant must complete and sign a visa application, filling in each of its sections. If the applicant is a minor, one of their parents must sign the application.
2. Photograph. A recent, passport-size, colour photograph, taken against a light background, facing forward, without dark or reflective glasses, or any garments concealing the oval of the face.
3. Valid, unexpired passport. Original and a photocopy of the page or pages of the passport that contain biometric data. The passport must have a minimum validity period of 4 months and contain two consecutive blank pages. Passports issued more than 10 years ago will not be accepted.
4. Residence permit. Original and a copy of the favourable decision recognizing recovery of the long-term residence permit or EU long-term residence permit.
5. Proof of residence in the consular district.
6. Proof of the representative's identity and capacity. If the applicant is a minor, a copy of the identity document or passport of the parent and the document that proves the relationship must be presented. The originals will be shown at the time of submitting the application.
If the visa is requested by a representative, a copy of the identity document or passport of the representative and the power of attorney previously legalized or apostilled or document proving the representation, must be submitted. Original documents will be shown when submitting the application. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, if necessary, submitted together with an official translation into Spanish. Please note that the consulate reserves the right to accept or deny the representative.
7. Payment of the visa fee. The fee must be paid in Canadian dollars in cash or money order. You can check the fees in "Tasas consulares" found in the comunicación/noticias section.
When necessary to assess the application, the Consular Office may request additional documents or data and may also ask the applicant to come in for a personal interview.
The translation into Spanish of all the documents may be required, in accordance with Art. 15 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the common administrative procedure of public administrations.
Procedure
- Who can apply for a visa: Visa applications must be submitted in person by the applicant, or by one of their parents if the applicant is a minor.
- Place of submission: Applications must be submitted in person at the consulate. It is mandatory to request an appointment by writing an email to cog.montreal.vis@maec.es in which you must indicate your name as it appears in your passport and the date of travel, and attach a copy of your passport (if you do not have Canadian nationality, a Canadian visa) and official proof that you reside in our consular demarcation.
ALL CITIZENS APPLYING FOR A VISA MUST ATTEND THE CONSULAR OFFICE IN PERSON, INCLUDING MINORS.
- Proof of receipt: The Consular Office will provide the applicant with proof of receipt of the application with a code that enables them to check the status of the dossier through the following link: https://sutramiteconsular.maec.es/Home.aspx
- Rectifying the application: The Consular Office may ask the applicant to submit any missing documents, or to provide additional documents or data that are necessary for a decision regarding the application. The applicant may also be called in for a personal interview.
- Decision period: The legal term to make a decision is 3 months from the day after the application is submitted, but this term may be extended when additional documents are requested or an interview is held. Visa applications submitted by nationals of some states require a consultation process with central authorities which may affect the duration of the visa procedure.
Visa applications submitted by nationals of some states require a consultation process with central authorities which may affect the duration of the visa procedure.
You can check the status of your visa application here, by entering the information on the receipt that was given to you at the consular office. If the processing status of your visa application appears as “RESUELTO”, the procedure of your file has been completed. To collect your documents, follow the instructions provided by the visa agent on the day of your appointment.
Another status of the process is: “EN TRAMITACIÓN”. The request is pending resolution.
- Collecting the visa: The visa must be collected in person by the applicant or by their legal representative (if the applicant is a minor) within a maximum period of 1 month, counted as of the day after the date on which the favourable decision is notified. The Consular Office will inform the applicant regarding the procedure for the return of the passport and any other original documentation.
- Visa refusal: Visa refusals will always be notified in writing, setting forth the grounds on which the decision adopted is based.
- Appeals: If a visa is refused, the applicant may submit an appeal for reconsideration to this Consular Office within 1 month of the day following the date on which the notification of the refusal was received. An application for judicial review may also be filed with the High Court of Justice of Madrid within the 2-month period beginning the day after the date on which the applicant receives notification of the visa refusal or of the dismissal of the reconsideration appeal.
- Validity period of the visa: The visa will be valid for 90 days. Once in Spain, a Foreigner Identity Card must be applied for within a period of 1 month from the applicant's entry into Spain, at the Foreign Nationals' Office or the corresponding Police Station.