Residencia no lucrativa
Residencia no lucrativa: living in Granada on your own means
Retirees from outside the Union, and others who live on a pension or savings, usually settle in Granada on the residencia no lucrativa: a visa requested at the Spanish consulate where you live, then a TIE made from fingerprints after arrival. It does not allow work of any kind.
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Requested at the consulate
The visa is requested at the Spanish consulate of the place where you live, before you travel. The file shows means sufficient to live without working, a private health policy from an insurer authorised in Spain, with no co-payments, and two certificates: one on your criminal record, one from a doctor; foreign papers come translated and legalised where the rules ask.
This residence does not allow work, employed or self-employed. If you intend to keep working for clients abroad, the teleworker residence is the one to consider.
On arrival in Granada
- Register on the padrón of the address where you live
- Pay the 790-012 fee for the card
- Book the fingerprint appointment on the cita previa for the province
- Attend with form EX-17, the passport with your visa, a photograph and the padrón certificate
- Collect the TIE when it is ready
Renewals
The first authorisation is followed by renewals requested in Spain, which ask again for means and health cover and look at how many months you really lived here. Keep bank statements and insurance certificates in order from the first year.
Official sources for this page
Checked against these sources in . If a source and this page disagree, the source prevails.
Questions
Can a retired couple apply together?
Yes. One partner holds the main application and the other joins as a family member, with the means assessed for both.
Do I need this residence to buy a house?
No. Buying property needs only a NIE. The residence concerns living here, not owning: the two are separate matters.
Does this route suit British pensioners?
British citizens arriving now apply like any other non-EU national, and retirees usually choose this residence. Those who lived in Spain before 2021 hold rights under the Withdrawal Agreement instead.
Régimen general
Other trámites from beyond the Union
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Toma de huellas · Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero
TIE fingerprints
Landed in Granada with a long visa or a favourable resolution? Fingerprints come next, then the card itself: EX-17, fee, collection.
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Estancia por estudios
Students at the University
From the student visa to the TIE, and the EU route for Erasmus: what international students at the Universidad de Granada arrange after arriving.
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Auxiliares de conversación
For language assistants
Auxiliares de conversación placed in Granada and its province: the visa, the TIE fingerprints or the EU certificate, the padrón of the town you live in.
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Residencia para teletrabajo de carácter internacional
Remote workers
The residence for international teleworkers, for non-EU professionals who work from Granada for companies or clients abroad.
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Acuerdo de Retirada
British citizens since Brexit
Withdrawal Agreement residents, newcomers who now need a visa, and the 90-day limit for British owners who visit Granada.
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Autorización de regreso
Travel while a card is pending
Flying home for the holidays while your TIE is being renewed or made? The autorización de regreso that lets you back into Spain.
Solicitud
Your case, set in order
Tell us your passport, your reason for being in Granada and your dates. We reply by email with the procedure, the documents and a plan for the appointment.