Spouse working remotely on family card, the legal answer
valencia extranjeria is notorious for being difficult but the ley de startups is what governs the nomad visa. that law is much more flexible than the old family regrouping stuff. my partner started working as a freelancer two months after we arrived and we didn't have to file any extra immigration paperwork. we just did the tax registration called alta de autonomo.
the 3 week delay is real. i think people confuse what's written in the law with what the actual functionaries in valencia expect to see. if you're the spouse of a dnv holder, you have the right to work, but the social security office here is notoriously picky about how you register. were you trying to go the autonomo route or just work through an employer back home?
exactly. the law says one thing but the clerk behind the desk in patraix tells you another. it's a mess.
i'm in a similar boat in valencia. my wife is looking at remote jobs and we've heard both versions of this story. some people say the card is enough and others say you need a new application. it's exhausting trying to be legal here. did your lawyer give you any specific names of the extra permits she would have needed. i want to look those up before we commit to a job offer.
the 300 euros for that advice seems like a total waste because it sounds wrong for the digital nomad residency. we just got our approval in valencia last month. my wife's residency card specifically says it allows her to work. i'd check your actual tie card and see what it says on the back. if it says autoriza a trabajar then you're fine and don't need a sponsorship.
valencia is getting stricter by the month it feels like. the problem is the dnv is still so new that half the lawyers here are guessing and looking at telegram groups just like we are. glad you finally got the fix. was this through the big agency everyone uses or did you go solo?
i think you might be mixing up different types of family cards. for the digital nomad visa specifically, the law actually states that family members get the same rights as the main applicant. my lawyer in valencia said my husband can work either as an employee or freelancer without a separate permit. the general family regrouping rules are different from the ones for nomads. it's really confusing because the police at the tie desks dont always know the law.
you're right. the law for the dnv explicitly says family members get access to the labor market. it sounds like the original poster's lawyer might have given them advice for a non lucrative visa instead of the nomad one. big difference there.
this is exactly why i'm nervous about moving next year. even when people pay for lawyers they get conflicting info. did your lawyer mention the social security part. even if she has the right to work on that card, she still needs to figure out the tax side if she's working for a company back home. that's where things usually get messy with the digital nomad setup.
the tax part is definitely the real headache. people focus so much on the visa and then realize they owe 30 percent in social security and income tax the minute they start working. skip the immigration lawyer and talk to a gestor instead for that part.
thank you for this. i'm moving to valencia in october and my wife is planning to keep her us client. the "sub default advice" usually says she can just start working once she has her tie card in hand, but i've heard that can trigger issues with tax residence if not filed right from day one.
be careful with that. if she stays on a us contract, she might need to look into the social security agreement between the countries. it's not a simple plug and play situation.
well this just ruined my morning. we were planning to move to valencia in september and we were counting on my husband's remote income. if he has to go through a whole sponsorship process we might as well just stay where we are. has anyone actually been rejected for working on a spouse card recently. it feels like everybody is just guessing at this point.
i went through this in may. the legal answer is often at odds with the local administrative practice in valencia. i had a lawyer tell me my husband didn't need any special filing and then we got stuck for a month without being able to get him on the local health system because of it. it's a headache.
the health system link is the part no one talks about. no ss number means no sip card, and that means paying out of pocket for everything.
the term family regrouping is part of the problem here. if you came on the digital nomad visa, your family is on a family member of a nomad permit, which is different from the traditional regrouping used by non eu residents. the traditional one has a waiting period before they can work. the nomad version is supposed to allow working from day one. it sounds like your lawyer gave you outdated info based on the old system.
exactly. reagrupacion familiar is the old term. the nomad visa falls under the international mobility section and it's way more liberal. many lawyers in valencia are still stuck in the old ways of doing things. i wouldn't take that 300 euro advice as gospel.
valencia clerks are very specific about the 'derecho a trabajar' note. if it's not explicitly confirmed in the digital file, they won't even talk to you. the sub advice is often for madrid or barcelona where they seem a bit more relaxed about the cross-check. valencia does it by the book.
valencia 2024 is a totally different beast than 2023. the backlog at the oficina de extranjeria is insane right now. three weeks lost is painful but honestly better than some stories i've heard of people waiting six months for a resolution. i'd love to know what the specific paper was that they rejected.
good to see someone calling out the generic advice. everyone says spouse gets full work rights, which is true on paper, but getting the actual social security number (nie is easy, ss is hard) is where the wheels fall off. did you end up needing a gestor to push it through?
this post came at the perfect time. we just got the approval for my dnv and my wife is about to start her application as a dependent. what was the specific legal point that tripped you up? was it the dual social security coverage or something else?
three weeks isn't even that bad for valencia standards. but i get the frustration. it feels like you're playing a game where they change the rules while you're standing in line. i really wish there was a centralized guide for the med region because it's so different from the north.
the biggest lie told here is that a family member can work for any company globally without changing their status. valencia wants you to be registered as an autonomo the second you start invoicing if you're remote. they don't like the "i'm still an employee abroad" gray area for dependents.