Submissions were pretty painless, I had an appointment to submit my papers and the consulate office in New York wasn’t completely full - it took about 45 minutes including re-filling out two forms that I’d filled incorrectly between arriving and heading out.
One point that I hadn’t considered when I applied was: The later the start-date of your Visa, the more time you’ll have to get your NIE (the year-long Visa is actually only valid for 90 days, more on this later). I didn’t realize any of these timing issues and it created some urgency in Madrid because I had to leave for a wedding in LA almost exactly 90 days after arriving in Spain.
For more on my journey to legal residency:
- Choose a visa to pursue
- Gather documents and sign-up for stuff
- Show I’m not a criminal
- Submit everything to the consulate, wait, and get my visa
- Move to Spain
- Get my proof of residence
- Get your NIE in theory…
- Paying for my NIE
- Getting my NIE
- Picking up my NIE (done for the year)