Interview: Approved Self-Employed British Applicant

Kim, thank you very much for agreeing to answer some questions for us. Let's start with the basics.

Where are you from?
I’m from the UK.

What is your job?  
I’m a Virtual Assistant – I do a variety of jobs like bookkeeping, marketing, administration.

Did you apply as an employee or as a self-employed applicant?  
I applied as a self-employed applicant.

How long did it take to get approved? 
I applied on the 19th of May. I was asked for further evidence on the 15th of June (Day 19).  Submitted this on the 23rd of June (Day 25) and received approval on the 28th of June (Day 30).

Did you apply alone or include dependents?
I applied alone.

Staying in Spain whilst waiting for approval

What did you have to translate? 

Sworn translations for:

• ACRO
• Certificate of Incorporations/ICO Registration form (evidence that my clients have been in business for over a year – I used ICO Registration form as one client is self employed).
• Client Contracts – I shortened these to their basic form to reduce the cost involved.

I used DeepL to translate:

• Invoices
• Client letters
• Bank statements
• CV
• Degree

[Note: please check with your advisor/lawyer about which translations are needed for what documents as the requirements regarding SWORN translations have changed since Kim submitted her application.]

Did you stay in Spain after making the application? 
No, I've been travelling to and from Spain, which was necessary due to previously arranged commitments.

If so, did you have enough Schengen days or did you technically overstay? 
I ensured I had enough of my 90 days (but having to keep calculating and adhering to this was a headache). Find out if you are allowed to leave Spain or not after your submission in our latest blog, click here to read it.

Did you get asked for any extra documents by the UGE? 
Yes, I was asked for:

• My degree
• SWORN translations of my contracts
• SWORN translations of the Certificates of Incorporations/ICO Registration Forms

Did you submit contracts with all of your clients? 
Yes, I have 3 clients.

Did you only submit work income or did you also include savings or other kinds of income? 
I didn’t quite meet the income threshold so I included my savings.

How long did you get the visa for? 
3 years.

How easy or difficult was the whole process? 
I’m pretty organised so at first I thought I could do this by myself.  However I soon found the process overwhelming so I engaged Louise Carr to help me and she was an absolute star.  She was very responsive and extremely helpful.  She seriously reduced my stress levels! Fantastic service and value for money.

Visa approved, you're a successful applicant: now what?

What stage are you at now with the padron/TIE etc.? 
It was difficult to get appointments, and travelling back and forth from the UK didn’t help, so I engaged someone else to help and now have both appointments set up for the start of August.

Where have you chosen to live in Spain and why? 
30 minutes south of Alicante airport.  A small village 6 miles from the coast and within a 20 minutes drive you can be at the mountains, nature reserves and much more.  There’s enough going on in the village but if you want more it’s all within easy reach.  It’s a typical Spanish village but with plenty of expats.  I find it has a good balance and a great community.

Any advice for future applicants?
Get Louise to help you from the start.  Her help is worth every euro! And I’d probably suggest you stay in Spain once you apply, if you can.

If you hope to be the next successful applicant for the Digital Nomad Visa or have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in contact using the form below.