What Spanish long-term residence lets you do in another EU state

Key rules

• Admission: Holding Spanish EU long-term residence lets you apply to move, but the other country can still refuse you.
• Application window: Apply for a permit in the second EU country within 3 months of entering it.
• Lapse: Your Spanish status lapses after 12 consecutive months outside the EU, or after 6 years away from Spain while living in another EU state.
• Right card: Only the EU long-term residence card carries these rights, not Spain's national long-term permit.
• Ordinary permits: An ordinary Spanish permit allows only travel for up to 90 days in any 180 days.

The short answer

Spanish EU long-term residence gives you a conditional right to apply to settle in another EU country. The other country can still say no. And your Spanish status can lapse while you are away.

Which card gives you this right

Only the EU long-term residence card carries these rights. Spain also issues a national long-term permit, which is valid only in Spain and gives no right to move. Temporary, family and work permits give none either. Card names have changed with recent reforms, so check which card you hold before you plan anything.

An ordinary Spanish residence permit gives no right to live or work elsewhere in the EU, only travel for up to 90 days in any 180 days.

What you can do in the other country

You can move for more than three months to work as an employee, work for yourself, study, or for other purposes. To qualify you need:

• The status held in Spain for the required time, which starts with five years of legal residence, and a valid permit.
• Stable, regular resources that support you and your family without social assistance.
• Sickness insurance covering all risks.
• Proof of why you are moving: a work contract or job offer, or proof of enrolment if you will study.

What the other country can ask for or refuse

Each country applies the rules in its own way. It may:

• Apply job-market tests and quotas for employment.
• Ask for evidence of accommodation.
• Require you to meet integration measures, such as language courses. These cannot be a condition before you move.
• Refuse you for public policy, security or health reasons.

Ask the immigration office of the country you are going to what it requires before you leave.

How to apply

Apply to the second country's immigration authority within 3 months of entering it. Some countries let you apply before you arrive. The country should decide within four months, and it can extend that by up to three months for complex cases. If it grants your application, you receive a renewable residence permit there. If it refuses, you must leave. Fees and procedures differ by country.

Your family

Family members who already lived with you in Spain can come with you. They apply for their own permits in the second country, within the same 3 months. If your family was not formed while you lived in Spain, the second country's own family reunification rules apply instead. It may also set extra conditions, including integration measures.

Keeping your Spanish status

Moving does not end your Spanish status straight away. But it lapses after 12 consecutive months outside the EU, or after 6 years away from Spain while living in another EU state. It also ends if you obtained it by fraud, if an expulsion order is issued, or if you gain long-term status in another EU country. Absence from the EU can be excused in exceptional, justified cases, so ask Spain's immigration office before a long stay outside the EU.

The timeline, documents, checklist and questions below cover the steps in more detail.

Timeline and deadlines

• Confirm you hold the EU long-term residence card and gather your resources, insurance and purpose documents: before you leave Spain

• Apply to the second state's immigration authority, with your family members applying for their own permits: within 3 months of entering it (latest 90 days after entry date)

• Wait for the second state's decision: within four months of applying

• Allow for a longer wait if your case is complex: up to three more months on top of the four

• If granted, receive a renewable residence permit in the second state: after a positive decision

• If refused, leave the second state: after a refusal

• Keep your Spanish status alive by not spending 12 consecutive months outside the EU: throughout your stay abroad

• Know when Spanish status ends if you stay away: 6 years away from Spain while living in another EU state: after 6 years abroad

Documents you need

• Your valid Spanish EU long-term residence card, issued in Spain, plus a valid travel document

• Proof of stable and regular resources that support you and your family without social assistance, such as payslips, a contract or bank statements

• Sickness insurance that covers all risks in the second state

• Proof of why you are moving: a work contract or job offer, or proof of enrolment if you will study

• Evidence of accommodation in the second state, if its authority asks for it

• For family members: their Spanish permit or residence document, proof of the family relationship, and proof they lived with you as family in Spain

Checklist

• Gather proof of stable resources and sickness insurance covering all risks

• Ask the second state's immigration office about job-market tests, quotas, integration measures and accommodation proof

• Avoid 12 consecutive months outside the EU, and ask Spain's immigration office before taking another state's long-term status

What to watch out for

• Admission is not guaranteed: The second state can refuse for public policy, security or health reasons, and may apply job-market tests and quotas for work. If you are refused, you must leave. Ask the destination's immigration office about its tests and quotas before you move, and have your documents ready.

• Late application: Missing the application window in the second state puts your right to stay at risk. Apply within 3 months of entering, or earlier if the state lets you apply before arriving.

• Spanish status can lapse: Your Spanish status ends after 12 consecutive months outside the EU, or after 6 years away from Spain while living in another EU state. It also ends if you obtain long-term status in another state, or if it was obtained by fraud or you are expelled. Track your time abroad, and in exceptional cases ask Spain's immigration office whether the 12-month absence can be excused.

Frequently asked questions

Can my family come with me to another EU state?

Yes, family members who already lived with you in Spain can join you in the second state, and they apply for their own residence permit within 3 months of entering. They need their Spanish residence document, proof of the family relationship and proof they lived with you in Spain. If the family was not formed while you lived in Spain, the second state's normal family reunification rules apply.

Does my Spanish permanent permit let me move to another EU state?

Only the EU long-term residence card does; Spain's national long-term residence permit is valid only in Spain. The EU card is issued after five years of continuous legal residence.

Do I have to take a language or integration course before I move?

No, the second state cannot require integration measures before you move, but it may require them afterwards. This can mean language courses under its national law. Ask the immigration office there what it expects and by when.

What happens if the second state refuses my application?

If the application is refused, you must leave the second state. The state can refuse for public policy, security or health reasons, and it can apply job-market tests and quotas for work. Your Spanish status carries on unless one of the lapse cases applies.