How we defeated 2 additional requests

Andrey reached out to us to get his Digital Nomad residence permit approved in Spain.

Our work began on December 4, 2024.

1. Document Collection

At the very first stage, we encountered an unexpected problem — local officials rejected Andrey’s request for apostille of his employment record extract. Although such apostille is not included in the official list of required documents, practice has shown that Spanish inspectors often request it. After several unsuccessful attempts, Andrey managed to obtain the apostille. The rest of the package was standard; we filled out the forms, Andrey only signed the documents and paid the state fee.

2. Submission

Date: February 14, 2025

3. First Additional Request

Date: March 11, 2025

Almost a month later, on March 11, we received the first additional request: the inspector missed the attached documents and asked to resend the Serbian business certificate, work experience confirmation, and explanation for the bank statement. We quickly prepared a cover letter and explanations — no action was required from Andrey. We sent the response and started waiting again.

Response date to additional request: March 17, 2025

4. Second Additional Request

Date: March 22, 2025

On March 22, the second additional request arrived: now they required reference letters from two companies where Andrey had worked. Despite the fact that positions and work periods were already reflected in the work record book, and the Labor Code of the Russian Federation directly states that it is the main document, we didn’t argue. We understood that the inspector might perceive argumentation as a challenge, which would risk a prolonged appeal of up to 4 months.

Although the client wasn’t thrilled, the decision to provide the letters was made. Time was tight: Company B’s HR department went on vacation, and Company A promised to prepare the letter within a week. Additionally, a sworn translation with electronic signature was required. Despite all difficulties, the letters were received within a few days, and a day later we sent the translated set. Having received the necessary documents, we responded to the additional request.

Response date to additional request: April 2, 2025

5. Receiving Approval

Approval date: April 3, 2025

The very next day — April 3 — the approval arrived. This was one of those cases where emotions really take over.

Digital Nomad Residence Permit Approval

6. Receiving Resident Card

We immediately scheduled Andrey for fingerprinting, and on April 15, he successfully completed the procedure. On May 6, 2025, Andrey received his residence permit card.