Obtaining a Digital Nomad residence permit for a lawyer

Aleksandr reached out to us to explore a Digital Nomad residence permit in Spain.

Although Aleksandr is a lawyer in his country, his profession is regulated in Spain, which imposed certain restrictions. To work legally in Spain, he would have to go through a diploma homologation procedure, which takes at least a year. Additionally, there is only a 10-day window for responding to additional document requests when applying for residence permits, which would mean automatic rejection.

We found a legal way to overcome this restriction and get residence permit approval without delays.

1. Document Preparation

Regulated professions require qualification verification through diploma homologation. This is a lengthy process that is incompatible with quick processing of a Digital Nomad residence permit.

What we did to overcome the restriction:

• Documented proof that the applicant would not practice law in Spain, emphasizing in the employment contract that he provides legal services to the bar association, but his work is administrative and representative in nature

The rest of the document package was standard:

1. Social Security Certificate from the Russian Federation
2. Extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities
3. Criminal record certificate from Russia
4. Private insurance

2. Document Submission and Approval

Submission date: August 16, 2023

Approval without additional requests: September 12, 2023

Digital Nomad residence permit approval document

3. Family Reunification After One Year

After a year, in May 2024, Aleksandr decided to relocate his family to Spain. It’s important to note that family members can join at any time while the main applicant’s residence permit is valid.

What we did for the family application:

1. Verified that the applicant had no tax debts in Spain
2. Had sworn translations made of the criminal record certificate, marriage certificate, and child’s birth certificate

Documents from the Russian Civil Registry do not require apostille for submission in Spain. We additionally included pay slips and bank statements to prove that the applicant still receives salary from his employer.

4. Residence Permit Approval for Family Members

Submission date: May 2024

Approval for spouse and child: June 10, 2024

Now Aleksandr and his family live together in Spain!

Thanks to a competent approach, the applicant was able to obtain a residence permit without the need for diploma homologation and with minimal processing times. If you think your profession makes it impossible to relocate to Spain — better write to us, we’ll find a solution for you.