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Residence permit
in Spain
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E.U. Citizens
Citizens
of the European Union can freely enter, leave, move around and
stay in Spain. That is, if you are a citizen of the E.U. you do
not need to apply at the Police for a temporary residence card.
However, for certain purposes (i.e., some legal or banking procedures)
you will be asked to obtain a temporary resident status. In that
case, please refer to:
Oficina
de extranjería (Foreign Citizens Office)
C/ Obispo Covarrubias, s/n (next to Avda. de Valencia)
Tel.: 976 980 020
Opening hours: 9-14 h., from Monday to Friday
You
will be required to hand over the following documents:
a)
Passport or identity card (ID Card): original + 1 photocopy.
b) 2 passport-size photographs.
c) Registration form from the Universidad de Zaragoza (the
document you receive once you have been registered at the Faculty
of Economics and Business) + 1 photocopy.
d) Health insurance certificate: European Health Insurance card
+ photocopy.
››More
information (Ministry of Interior, in Spanish)
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Non E.U. citizens
Please
refer to the Spanish Embassy or Consulate in your home country
for the necessary immigration details.
Spain,
together with the majority of Western and Central European Countries,
is a Member State of the Schengen Agreement which came
into effect on March 26, 1995.
All
foreigners who do not hold the nationality of a European Union
member state, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, and
who wish to remain in Spain more than 90 days out of every 6 months,
must in all cases apply for a long-term visa, which may be:
-
Resident visa: allows the holder to reside in Spain without
undertaking any type of work or professional activity.
-
Work and resident visa: allows the holder to undertake work
or professional activities, either for third parties or on his
or her own behalf.
- Student
visa: allows the holder to remain in Spain in order
to pursue courses, studies, research or training programmes.
Visas
may be requested and issued from the Spanish diplomatic missions
and consular offices.
Once
in Zaragoza, if your exchange period extends past the expiration
date of your Student visa, please refer to the Foreign Citizens
Office in c/ Obispo Covarrubias (see above) in order to justify
your stay in Spain.
You
will have to present the following documents:
a)
Your Visa.
b) Passport.
c) 2 passport-size photographs.
d) Registration form from the Universidad de Zaragoza (the
document you receive once you have been registered at the Faculty
of Economics and Business) + 1 photocopy.
e) Proof that you have sufficient financial resources to cover
your stay in Spain.
f) International medical insurance.
g) Certificate of attendance at the Universidad de Zaragoza
(to be requested at the International Relations Office of the
Faculty).
To
be able to hand over the document mentioned in point d), please
do not go to the police before you have registered at the Faculty.
››More
information (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation)
Health
and Insurances
It
is very important to have health insurance during your stay in
Spain, provided either by the Public Health Services (i.e. using
the European Health Insurance Card), or by means of a private
insurance.
››More
information about the European Health Insurance Card
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Public Health Services
Once
settled down in Zaragoza, you should report to the health centre
corresponding to the area where you live. To find your centre
please look it up ››here
or call any of the following numbers: 976 76 95 10 // 976 75 07
50.
Should you have any difficulties finding your health centre, please
ask for advice at the International Office of the Faculty.
At
the health centre, you will be assigned a doctor. Do not forget
to bring your European Health Insurance Card.
The European Health Insurance Card also covers the costs of any
emergency medical care at public hospitals. The main hospitals
in Zaragoza are:
- Hospital Miguel Servet, in Paseo Isabel la Católica.
- Hospital Clínico Universitario, in C/ San
Juan Bosco.
- Hospital Royo Villanova, in Avda. San Gregorio.
In
case of emergency you can also dial the emergency numbers 061,
or 112, or go directly to the nearest hospital where you will
receive adequate medical attention.
• Private Insurance
If
you have a private health insurance coverage in your country with
medical attention abroad, we recommend that you find out before
travelling how to use it in Spain. This also applies to all students
coming from non-EU member States.
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Pharmacies
Pharmacies
are easy to recognize thanks to their green cross logo.
Hours
of operation: 9:30-14 h. and 16-20:30 h., from Monday to Friday.
There are several pharmacies on duty open all night long, as well
as in the weekend and on bank holidays.
Money
The
currency in Spain is the Euro (€). One Euro has 100 Cents.
One
of the most important matters to consider when travelling abroad
is how to manage money matters. A useful option is to open an
account in any Spanish bank or savings bank (‘Caja’).
The following banking institutions are widely represented in the
city: Banco Santander, La
Caixa (these two also have branches abroad), Ibercaja,
CAI, BBVA. Spain has also the largest number
of branches per capita Europewide, and plenty of cash points where
you can use your Visa or Mastercard to withdraw cash 24 hours
a day.
Tip:
before opening a bank account in Zaragoza, ask at the branch office
for information about the cost of a wire transfer from your home
country to that account.
Hours
of operation for savings banks: 8:30 - 14:30, Monday – Friday
(in winter, also Thursday afternoons 17:30 - 19:30). Banks hold
the same operating hours, but instead of Thursday afternoons they
open on Saturday mornings some months in the year.
Most
banks and savings banks do not ask EU Nationals for the temporary
residence card when opening an account. Therefore, a valid passport
or a National Identity Card should be enough.
Non-EU
citizens will be required to produce a temporary residence card
if the wish to open a bank account. An alternative to this may
be to use Travelers Cheques which are easily exchanged
into Euros at most bank branches.
Telephone
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Fixed phone lines
At
present there are three different phone companies offering this
service: ››Telefónica,
››Tele2
and ››Ono.
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Cell phone
Although
you may have cell phone service with a company from your country,
it can be very useful to buy a Spanish mobile phone to make phone
calls at a lower price while in Spain. Alternatively, you may
wish to bring along an unlocked cell phone from home, and buy
here a prepaid SIM card of a Spanish company.
There
are currently four mobile phone companies: ››Movistar,
››Vodafone,
››Orange
and ››Yoigo.
While Movistar has the most subscribers, Yoigo is
at present the cheapest if making calls to other Yoigo
customers. There are plenty of stores selling phones from each
company. It is wise to compare the many different offers before
you make a purchase.
Another
possibility is to speak for free over the Internet by downloading
and using the programs ››Skype
or ››Voipbuster.
Cost
of living
Spain
has lost its reputation of being an inexpensive country to live
in. However, life in Zaragoza is still a little bit cheaper than
life in other big cities like Madrid or Barcelona. The cost of
living per month can vary from 500 to 800€, depending on
the accommodation option chosen.
››Information
about housing options
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