On December 9 I submitted my retirement visa application to the Spanish consulate in Washington DC. To get to that point, I had to work with an official Spanish translator to translate my pension estimate document, a letter from my doctor that I am in good health, a letter from my health insurance company that I am covered in Spain, my police record that I had to request from the state of Virginia, and my last quarterly statement of my 401K holdings (just for good measure to show that I had more than enough money to live in Spain without having to work there). Exactly 1 1/2 months later, on January 22, I received word that my visa was approved and that I could pick it up at the consulate. I thought that was quite quick, since there were the Holidays during that period and I was told that it would take one to four months. Today I picked up my visa and I requested that they make the start date March 1. This is my initial visa and it only lasts 90 days + 15 days to fly to Barcelona and to do two things within the first month after entering Spain:
- Go to Barcelona City Hall to register (or "empadronarse")
- Present myself to the National Police Group (Cuerpo Nacional de Policia) with the proper documentation
Although these two steps seem simple, I have read horror stories about how long and how difficult it is to go through this process. So I'll be prepared for the worst and just stick it out. This process then will extend my visa to one full year. At the end of the year, I can renew my visa in Spain.
I am looking at booking my flight to Barcelona the week of March 10.
