Tenerife forum

[Tenerife Seagull]

My wife and I have been living in Puerto de la Cruz for a month. We have managed to obtain our NIE numbers and a Empadronamiento(?) form from the Town Hall. Our next step is to go to Santa Cruz to apply for Residencia.

I understand that we need a letter from our bank to substantiate our income as we are retired. We have a letter from our UK bank to advise of our pensions regularly paid in to our account for over three years and our Tenerife bank will copy a translation for us. They will also provide a letter stating our additional funds in Tenerife.

We are taking three passport size photos each, our passports, birth certificates, marriage certificate and our rental agreement (for one year).

My wife's command of Spanish is very limited and mine is non-exsistent. Any useful comments from other peoples' experiences will be helpful.
_________________
Don't follow the 'MySpaceTenerife' link under my avatar because you will learn nothing about me.


You will never grow old with Rock n' Roll.

[Loaded]

Tips on getting a residencia:


Take any documentation you have (your mothers unkle's sisters birth certificate for example)

Take 3 copies of everything

Have the patience of a saint

[Tenerife Seagull]

. . . . . . so stabbing the clerk with a ballpoint pen and claiming to be African is not a good move?
_________________
Don't follow the 'MySpaceTenerife' link under my avatar because you will learn nothing about me.


You will never grow old with Rock n' Roll.

[Loaded]

that depends, if you want a reidencia, its a bad move - if you want to extract revenge on them for being such ignorant bastards then its a good move.

[sara]

....hey!! why the need for the bad language all of the time??? much as I am frequently amused by your posts loaded, can you please curb your language? no, i'm not a killjoy, i just think that bad language isn't what this site needs. ok, rant over.

[Tenerife Seagull]

I have to say Loaded that my earlier tongue in cheek remark was influenced by a really startling account that I had read in a paper. An African lady stabbed a clerk in the eye with a ballpoint pen at the Officina de Extranjeros, Santa Cruz. However frustrating the situation is that you find yourself in violence is not the answer.

We arrived at the mentioned building at half past eight this morning. There were already between fifty to sixty people in a haphazard queue and we tagged on to them at the back. After almost half an hour I remarked to my wife that there seemed to be two queues. She left me and walked towards the entrance to find out what the situation was.

A couple of minutes later she reappeared from within the building and gesticulated for me to move forward to join her. She guided me in to the offices where a guy was waiting for us. (I did ask my wife after what she had said to the guy who manned the desk just inside the entrance. In Spanish she had asked where she went to apply for Residencia and he told her to follow him. Hence she quickly came out for me.) He led us past a gathering of benches that were full of seated people and took us to a table where a female clerk joined us. After checking the various documents that we had been advised to take with us she produced a form for us to complete and told us in perfect English what was required from us. She told us to complete the forms, cross the road and obtain photocopies and to return to her at the same desk. Having done as we were told she then produced some other papers with copies and gave us directions to the nearest bank so that we could pay the fees. Again we were advised to return immediately after to the same desk. On our return clutching the bank receipts she met us at the entrance and took us back to the desk. She completed the papers, gave us the necessary documents we needed to take to the police to finalise the application and engaged in some chitchat about England.

The whole conversation during the procedures was in perfect English and although the clerk appeared officious at the start she proved to be very warm and helpful. Her final advice was to tell us that if we encountered any problems to ask for her by name. We were finished and out of the building by five to ten. Is this a record?
_________________
Don't follow the 'MySpaceTenerife' link under my avatar because you will learn nothing about me.


You will never grow old with Rock n' Roll.

[Loaded]

[rob]

You bet it is. So What's her name then?

[sara]

... it's ok loaded......you can play out tonight, but only if you behave!!

[Tenerife Seagull]