Hi again, all!

I was doing a little research about the real possibility of obtaining (for myself) a Self-Employment visa and went to the Spanish Consulate website (@ http://www.consulate-spain-chicago.com/ ) and then the page on the Self-Employment visa ( HERE ) and here are some of the requirements:

Requirements:

1.- Schengen Visa application form, filled out in print and signed, and three photocopies.

2.- 4 recent original passport photographs. Staple one picture to each application form.

ALL DOCUMENTS LISTED BELOW MUST BE SUBMITTED ORIGINALS AND 3 PHOTOCOPIES:

3.- Regular passport, or travel document, still valid for 6 more months, with at least one blank page to affix the visa.

4.- Non-US Citizens: Alien Registration Card or notarized copy of it, or Visa, or Reentry permit or other BCIS (Bureau of Citizenship & Immigration Services) document allowing return to the US.

5.- Official Work Authorization approved by pertinent Labor Authorities in Spain, or

a.- Declaration of specific type of activity or occupation to engage in;

b.- Proposal of a projected business to engage in, with market analysis and feasibility study showing sufficient investment;

c.- Diploma of education degree required for proposed activity, validated by Spanish Authorities;

d.- Bank statement from a bank in Spain showing a minimum balance of $100,000 ( ) or certificate by the Direction General of Foreign Transactions that applicant has investments in Spain for said amount, or Public Deeds showing investments in Spain for same amount, or a combination of all three for the same established amount.

6.- Certificate(s) by police authorities of country(ies) where applicant resided for more than six months during the last five years, as to the absence of police record. If the country is not the U.S., the certificate must be legalized by the Spanish Consulate in that country.

7.- Medical Certificate: a doctor’s recent statement, on doctor's or medical center's letterhead, indicating that the applicant has been examined and found in good physical and mental health to reside abroad and perform the activity applied for.

8.- Valid health/accidental insurance with full international coverage with a minimum coverage of $37,000.

9.- Non-refundable visa processing fee. Money Order payable to the Consulate General of Spain or cash (exact change). Personal checks cannot be accepted. US citizens: $100.00. Non-US citizens: $72.36.

IF RESIDENCE VISAS WILL ALSO BE REQUESTED FOR THE FAMILY OF THE APPLICANT, THE APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED AT THE SAME TIME. EACH FAMILY MEMBER MUST PRESENT ALL OF THE DOCUMENTS LISTED ABOVE, EXCEPT #5, AND:

FOR SPOUSE: Marriage Certificate. If the country is not the U.S., the certificate must be legalized by the Spanish Consulate in the country where the document was issued.

FOR CHILDREN: Birth Certificate. If the country is not the U.S., the certificate must be legalized by the Spanish Consulate in the country where the document was issued.

v PLEASE NOTE: Residency visas require special authorization from Spain; therefore, they take an unspecified period of time to be processed.
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Anyone have $100,000 I could borrow and deposit in a Spanish bank for some period of time??? Didn't think so.

By the way, the above Spanish Consulate (in Chicago) link also provides information about other visas including the following:

* Tourist and Transit Visas (for a stay of up to 90 days )
* Business Visas (business, conferences or related trips)
* Business Visas (for a stay of up to 90 days in a period of a year)
* Student Visas (only for full time students, not allowed to work).
* Residence visa to work in Spain as an employee
* Residence visa to reunite a family
* Residence visa to retire in Spain
* Residence visas for investors or self-employment
* Residence visa for non-lucrative purposes
* Residence visa exempt from the obligation of requesting work permit (e.g. missionary, internship, au-pair, professor, etc)

The Chicago website covers MY region of the USA. For other regions and locations/websites of other USA-based Spanish consulates visit http://www.spainemb.org/ingles/consulate/consulates.htm

MadridMan

Haven't you thought about the fact that:
1. The people of Madrid accept Yankis as tourists but dont actually like them.
2. After seeing USA take over half the globe and leave it with Gangsta Rap, maybe there is a feeling that its not worth accepting the dollars?
Different strokes etc.

I think that people who meet Americans often end up with a different impression to that which Steven refers to. As a Brit myself I can understand why people from other countries view us (the Brits) as sometimes arrogant and liable to form cliques. A common complaint is that a Spaniard can go into a bar populated by British ex-pats and feel excluded/in a foreign country. Americans (if we are talking stereotypes) are viewed as being very friendly but somewhat naive.
As for the visa rules - these apply to non-EU residents I assume. If the rules are hard for an American trying to move to Spain that's tough. Unless I had highly desirable work skills I would not be allowed to live/work in the States. Spend my vacation money on the other hand and I'm very welcome. This is the case in most parts of the world. I don't think it is unique to either Spain or the States...

Hi!
I just read these posts and I'd like to say that getting a job in Madrid also depends on the necessity of professionals in certain areas.

I know that there was a serious shortage of EFL teachers in the 80s and it seemed to recover during the 90s; but there's now a new trend which is trying to establish bilingualism in both public and private schools, etc.

In the case of IT professionals, it depends on what you're looking for:

There is a list of professional exceptions where no visa is needed:

http://www.mir.es/sites/mir/extranje/regimen_general/trabajo/circunstancias.html

You may go to the Spanish Embassy in your country and try to get a workin permit:

http://dgei.mir.es/

Or to any other EU State embassy and get it there and then come to Spain; for instance, as somebody's already mentioned, the UK, Ireland, etc.

There is a great demand for IT specialists in Spain. I'll post an example of today's job vacancies:

http://www.infojobs.net/busqueda_ofertas_lista_home.cfm?RequestTimeOut=500

You may laso try to look for a job in an American institution (School, University, Company or even the Government, such as the US Embassy - www.embusa.es - or the Nasa, Department of Defense, etc).

Try also American Languages Schools:

Wall Street Institue
Berlitz

There's a wide range of possibilities and if you fix your goals it is not that difficult. You have to take into account that the higher the education (M.A, PhD, etc) the better.

Serious companies and big firms have their own human resources department to which you can send your resume too. I know of a great deal of places with a multinational envirnoment here in Madrid.

Good luck