Next, I signed it and took a number again. After a short wait, I went to the correct window and swore its validity in front of a notary who was behind it and she signed the form and applied the seal. I left here around 10:30 am.
The next and final task I had lined up for that day was to then go to the MAEC Office near Metro Banco de España to legalize the affidavit (US Embassy letter) so that it was valid in Spain. I had to make an appointment online (and appointment times were organized by 4-minute time slots) so I chose to go around 12:20 to give myself enough time to arrive in case the appointment at the Embassy lasted longer. It was quick, painless and not to mention free! The whole process took only about 6 minutes and then I was officially done with all the running around. You can make an appointment with their office here but you can only make it up to two weeks ahead of time, just as an FYI.
Now, the only thing left was to make my appointment at the Extranjeria on Calle de Silva and I did that on this very same day. (I would recommend setting it a little more in advance but I didn’t have that luxury.)
I did the last minute preparation for the appointment which included making copies (not entirely needed, by the way), organizing and categorizing all my documents in my trusty file folder and printed out the copy of my appointment form. All that was left was to try to get some sleep that hot summer night and not be too nervous!
I would definitely recommend getting a good night sleep and eating breakfast before your appointment in order to feel rested and ready to go in case you get assigned to a less than cheerful funcionario (civil servant) the next day.
The day to turn in all my paperwork had arrived and ironically this was also the last day my student TIE card was valid. I, later on, tried to apply to a TEFL program in order to extend my student visa but I was not successful. The important thing was that I turned in my application while the card was still valid, though I realized that I did take a big risk. Anyway, I went to my appointment at 10 a.m. at Calle de Silva and I successfully turned in my full packet of paperwork. The only tasa I had to pay was the cost of the card for 10,86 euros. It didn’t match what was listed underneath the tasas for this visa and I was never asked to pay the larger fee at any other point during the process so I didn’t. (This could be subject to change, but it seems like some nationalities are exempt from paying the more expensive tasa and others are not. As a precaution, I would plan to have enough money in your budget to pay for it either way.)
Did I mention that during those two months I waited, I stayed in Madrid in August? As see you can see in this photo, I almost melted in the process but good thing I didn’t!!
After some doubts about getting my application approved at all, the Spanish government decided to approve my visa modification! Woohoo! I, however, didn’t check online to see the status of my application due to my doubts and potential missing documents (a missing translation) so I had no idea it had gotten approved at this point.
I received a certified letter in the mail around 12 p.m. that day from the Oficina de Extranjeria, Calle de Silva and opened it with bated breath. It was delivered straight to my door (after the Correos worker couldn’t find my door and was confused by my name) so make sure you list is the one where you actually live and not a friend’s, as you have to be there to sign and receive the letter. Luckily, it said favorable (approved/favorable) and I knew that my application had been approved. I was about to pay a deposit on a TEFL course in order to renew my student visa the very next but now I didn’t have to! I was no longer a student! Besides celebrating and calling everyone I could about the news, I made an appointment for my fingerprints at the immigration center at metro Aluche. It was one of those high volume times of year as I was given an appointment then for November 28th.
The letter also stated that I had to register myself into the Social Security system within a time frame of 30 days. At this point and taking away bank holidays, I only had 13 business days to do so. Talk about pressure!
Celebratory tintos de verano were in order after learning I had gotten my visa approved! (Breathes a huge sigh of relief)
(In the meantime and for the entire month of November I was also searching for a new apartment, new private classes and new freelance projects I could work on as a US person (for the time being). You can imagine my stress levels were through the roof some days as I managed all of these things at once. And you’re familiar with searching for an apartment in Madrid, it can take forever to find a good one.)
I made my first visit to the correct Social Security Office for freelancers in my zip code (see photo below for the full list of offices). I requested my SS number by simply filling out a short form and presenting my approval letter. This was the easiest of my visits there.
I went to both Hacienda, the Tax Office (locations are all over Madrid and require an appointment, cita previa, but I went to the one located near metro Guzmán El Bueno) and returned to the same Social Security Office. Unfortunately, I made a mistake and listed my start (work) date as past November 9th (the last possible day for me to register) and it was a holiday only in Madrid. A nice man at the Social Security office told me to go back to Hacienda and ask them to change it. Didn’t seem like too much of a hassle but remember…this is Spain.
I had gotten another appointment to see someone at Hacienda in order to change my start date but this time for the afternoon. I don’t recommend ever making an appointment at a Spanish government office in the afternoon. Case in point was that I had my appointment around 1:45 p.m. and around 2:20 p.m., the funcionario I was assigned to informed me that I was not able to change the date until that date had passed. I turned to the Spain Immigration Group and asked about it. And found out the next day, it was NOT TRUE! After crying a bit out of frustration and then calming down, I made yet another appointment at the Hacienda but I chose to go to a location near Avenida de América.
Around 11:30 a.m. the next day, I went to a different Hacienda where a very helpful man changed my start date in the system (after I had given him an abridged version of my life story in Spain) with ease. I then hurried on over to the Social Security Office in the opposite direction and got into the Social Security system. I had finally crossed these hurdles and breathed a sigh of relief.
I was all set for this appointment -or so I thought- at Aluche around 1:30 p.m. until I realized with a gasp, as I started at a sign that said pasaporte, that I had left my passport on a shelf in my room. Major facepalm moment but I was able to recover. I made another appointment at Aluche and was given a date in 2018. Great…
I had my second and final fingerprint appointment around 1:30 p.m. (don’t ask me why I kept getting assigned this time) and I came prepared with everything I needed. I finished the appointment in under 15 minutes and I can pick up my fancy new card in 30 days, as well as apply for my Cl@ve PIN to pay quarterly taxes online.
I hope you found this post helpful and useful as you pursue your own application and continue living and enjoying Spain. Any questions or comments, please add them below and join the discussion!
**If you’re also living in Madrid and want to chat or receive coaching/mentoring in person for a small fee during the process, please reach out or contact me on Upwork (for things such as proofreading your CV, writing a business plan or general advice). I would be happy to help you achieve your own goal of working and living in Spain legally.**