Writer, administration, citizenship and integration
Degree in Law, Universitat de Barcelona; Master's in Migration Studies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona
Patricia Cunes writes the guides on Spanish paperwork and the long road to settling for good: appointments with the administration, files that stall, residence renewals, the language and civic exams, and Spanish nationality. Her work follows the steps in the order they have to happen, because in Spain the order often decides whether a file moves.
She studied Law at the Universitat de Barcelona and Migration Studies at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, with a focus on residence and nationality procedures. She lives in Barcelona, where she has dealt with the appointment system, residence renewals and document legalisation firsthand, and she reads the offices' own instructions rather than summaries of them.
Her method is the site's: the competent authority's page is the source, the link is in the text, the date is on the page. For Catalonia and the other regions she notes where procedures or exam dates differ from the national rule.
Her work is practical information, not legal advice. When a file needs an immigration lawyer or a gestor, she says so and helps you get to the appointment prepared.
Writes on: Spanish administration, Residence renewals, Spanish nationality, Document legalisation
How the Article 18.4 TIE works for Britons who moved to Spain before 2021: who is covered, green certificate versus TIE, proof of residence, validity, renewal, family members and absences.
The 10 years Britons need, the one-year cases, the DELE A2 and CCSE exams, the online file, the one-year silence rule, the 180 days for the oath and what the oath says about British nationality.
Registering a U.S.-born child at a Spanish consulate, the declaration due by 21, the option for children of Spain-born parents, pending Democratic Memory files and the 1-year residence route.
The 1-year and 2-year routes of Spain's Civil Code: why a U.S. marriage must be registered in Spain first, which exams still apply, the Puerto Rico question and the renunciation Americans declare.
The 183-day and economic-interest tests, the Agencia Tributaria certificate and its Basque and Navarra equivalents, Form 6166, and why a Spanish certificate never ends U.S. tax for a citizen.
Why Cl@ve waits for your TIE, how to register without the video route, how to get the free FNMT certificate in Spain or at a U.S. consulate, and which procedures take which ID.
Who apostilles a U.S. birth certificate, FBI check or diploma and what it costs, which translators each consulate and Spanish office accepts, and how to apostille Spanish documents for U.S. use.
The renunciation declared at the Spanish oath, why U.S. law presumes you keep your citizenship, the passport rule that meets Spain's three-year clause, and formal renunciation.
The two Instituto Cervantes tests behind Spanish nationality: 2026 fees and dates, pass marks, U.S. exam centers, who is exempt, and why the CCSE can expire before you file.
The residence that counts, the nationwide U.S. criminal record, the DELE A2 and CCSE, filing online or on paper, the one-year decision clock and the 180 days to swear the oath.
The card that proves your legal status in Spain follows your authorization. Fees, the EX-17 form, renewals, the changes you must report within a month, and lost cards.
The NIE is a number, not a residence permit. When the police assign it through your residence file, when you must apply, and how the consulate and Spanish offices handle it.
Your town hall registration feeds the rest of your paperwork. What Madrid and Alicante ask for, the lease problem, volante versus certificado, and the 2-year renewal.
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