Who should apply?

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

• 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.
• Passport. A photocopy of every page of a valid, unexpired passport or travel document.
• 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.
• Criminal record check certificate. Applicants of legal age must submit both the original and a copy of the criminal record check certificate(s) issued by their country or countries of residence for the past 5 years. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, where applicable, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.
• Medical certificate. Original and a copy of a medical certificate accrediting that the applicant does not suffer from any disease that could cause serious repercussions for public health pursuant to the 2005 International Health Regulations. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, where applicable, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.
• Proof of residence in the consular district.
• Proof of the representative's identity and capacity. If the applicant is a minor, it will be necessary to present originals and submit copies of the identity document or passport of one of their parents or of their guardian and of the document constituting proof of kinship. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, where applicable, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.
• Payment of the fee.
• 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.
• 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.