Today I became officially a permanent resident of Spain, after 5 years living and working here. Although is not a really big deal, I am really proud of myself for not giving up when it was hard or when I felt like not finding my place.
I remember when I first started blogging that everytime I was writing, I had this habit: to always kick things off with whatever song I was listening to. So here we are again: Play it while you read this article. It helped me write this article. 😀
First things first. 😀 Spain and Romania don’t have (yet) a double nacionality agreement, so it took me 5 years to become a permanent resident. The entire process took about 1h, but mostly because I live in a small town in northern Spain. Here, we do not have the craziness of Madrid or Barcelona, which means that, in general everything, works faster. Points for living in smaller cities. 😀
What I had to bring:
After booking a “cita previa” on the Foreigner Police (Policia de Extranjeria) in my city, I had to ensure I had:
My old NIE
A recent document from the Town Hall showing that I am “empadronada” (registered in the city)
A “vida laboral” report showing that I’ve been working in Spain for over 5 years and contributed by paying taxes and stuff. Downloadable from the Social Security website.
A document showing that I paid the fee (they will give you the paper with all your data. You can pay it in cash at any ATM (or at your bank – I have Santander so it was reaaaally easy as they took it directly from my account).
These 5 years did not come easy…
I moved to Spain looking for something that at that time I wasn’t able not define. Now, I know that I was eagerly trying to find and know myself. And, oh boy, did I find myself. And lost and found myself again a couple of times more.
But I would not change a thing of this entire journey. Not an up or down, not a meltdown, not one happy cry. I met amazing people (and many not so amazing but about this, I’ll share more in another article). Traveled solo and with friends. Dated. Took chances. I became a freelancer for a moment. Did so many things.
So… for me… Spain feels like home. More than Romania. And this create a bit of an internal confusion. What am I? But the truth is… in Spain I feel more protected. Tranquila. With no worries. Or social pressure.
And the mediterranean style helps a lot. If you want to read more about my first time in Spain, check my article: I moved to Barcelona. Now what?