ask1509:
To God be the glory, I arrived in Madrid on Thursday, April 19. Before I get busy with work, let me keep my promise of updating the thread about the process I went through in getting my work permit.

Background: I had a bachelor's degree in statistics at a Nigerian university (second class upper) after which I got a scholarship from African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) for a master's degree in mathematical sciences at one of their centres, located in Cameroon. After that I started seeking a PhD position and I came across a research institute in Madrid who employs PhD students (as research assistants) and pays them while they register and do their PhD in a partner university close by. One of the profs (who is now my supervisor) posted an opening which I found on one of the scholarship websites while hunting for scholarships. Long story short, I applied, was interviewed 2 times and was given the position in July last year.

Process: Since the position is an employment, I needed a work/residence visa for research. First thing I had to do was legalise my bachelor's degree certificate and my master's degree certificate. Since my master's degree certificate was issued by a Cameroonian institution, I had to do the legalisation of my master's degree in Cameroon by first taking it to Cameroonian ministry of higher education for authentication, then Cameroonian ministry of foreign affairs, translate documents to Spanish and then legalise at the Spanish consulate in Yaounde. I had to tell someone to help with all of this process in Cameroon as I could not travel to Cameroon myself (this legalisation process in Cameroon cost me a lot of money transferred through Western Union, documents sent and received via DHL uncountable time etc. at a point, I became a regular customer at the DHL office in my neighborhood). While all that was going on, I faced the legalisation process of my bachelor's degree in Nigeria.

First I was told at the Spanish consulate that I must do investigation which I refused. Fortunately, I met a guy the first time I visited the consulate and he gave an inside info of what I should have done to avoid investigation. I should have gone to my university and requested that my official transcripts, signed copy of my certificate, and a letter of attestation stating that I am a graduate of the university be sent directly to the consulate from my university's registrar or any other office of appropriate jurisdiction. So I refused the investigation the first day, went back to my university and asked that all the stated documents be sent to the consulate. I waited like 2 weeks after which I sent the consulate an email asking if they've received them. I received a confirmation the next day that they've been received. I booked another appointment again and found my way to the consulate in Lagos. This time, my certificate and transcript were accepted for legalisation without investigation.

After legalising my certificates, I sent them (the legalised originals) to my research institute which they used in applying for a work permit for me. The work permit essentially consist of my labour contract with the institute and a document called favorable resolution. The favorable resolution states the number of years of the work permit and is also the proof that the Government of Madrid have approved your work permit. It took a bit more than 2 months from the time I sent my legalised certificates (to my institute) till the time the work permit application was successful. I was then sent the favorable resolution and labor contract which I used in applying for the visa at the Spanish consulate in Lagos.

The tricky part however, is that the favorable resolution expires in exactly 30 days and must be used within this period to apply for the visa. Sending the favourable resolution and labour contract from Madrid to me by courier took away approximately 6-7 days which left me about 23 days to use it. Within this 23 day period, I had to get the following documents to apply for the visa (in addition to the favorable resolution and the labour contract sent to me).

1. a police report in Nigeria, authenticated at foreign affairs in Abuja and legalised at the consulate.

2. A medical certificate/report stating that I am free from diseases according to 200....something health regulations. (This document does not need to be legalised). Thanks to obamd for helping out with this. I appreciate.

3. since I stayed like 11 months in Cameroon during my master's study, I also needed a police report from Cameroon. Thankfully, I knew of this earlier and it was part of the documents that was legalised for me Cameroon while I was legalising my Nigerian certificates here. My school in Cameroon helped me get a police report, I went to my local DHL office to go bring it from Cameroon for me so I can put my fingerprint on it, I sent it back through DHL so that it can be authenticated at the foreign affairs after which it was translated to Spanish and submitted at the consulate in Yaounde on my behalf. After it was legalised, the consulate did not release the legalised police report to my contact in Yaounde who submitted it for me. They asked him to go bring a power of attorney from me, and the power of attorney must be authenticated by the police in Nigeria. I had to do a power of attorney here with a notary public, I then wrote a letter to the commissioner of police in my state to authenticate it for me. I submitted both at the commissioner's office myself and was told to come back for it few days later. I went back after some few days, the commissioner had minuted on it and referred it to the police legal department where they put a stamp on it. So I sent the power of attorney to my contact in Cameroon which he used in collecting the legalised police report for me. I then requested my local DHL office to go bring it for me. Thankfully, I did all this process while I was legalising my Cameroonian certificates and it went on till during the time my institute was processing the work permit. So the legalised police report together with its translations were ready by the time the favourable resolution arrived as I couldn't have achieved all these within the 23 days window.

4. translation of my Nigerian police report and medical certificate. My institute handled this for me and sent them to me via UPS within the 23 days period. I scanned it to them and they sent me via email the translations after which they sent the original translations by courier. Since the original translations didn't arrive on time, I printed in colour the translations sent to me via email and used it for the visa app. Surprisingly, they were not rejected.

In summary, I applied for the visa exactly 1 day before the favourable resolution expired and I was called to come pick it up exactly 2 weeks after. I got my offer letter early July (first or send of July) and I got the visa March ending making the process almost 9 months worth of rigorous "paper work".

Phewwww that is the long process I had to pass through. Anyways, I hope someone will find this helpful.

Thanks again for the contributions on this thread, the process would have been much harder. Regards.

Congratulation. May God bless our hustling. Amen

sethmelia002:


Yes I Have , my legalized documents will be collected on the 28th of September. Please anyhelp with translators ..Do the older translators such as Rodrigo and Vivian still exist?. Please anyone in the house going to the University of Jaen hola! Need help with accomodation as the school does not provide such.

Hi, I am Rodrigo, one of the translators mentioned in this thread. Yes, I am still alive and kicking. By reading the thread, I realise about certain things that you should take into account when requesting Sworn translations:

1) A Sworn Translation is a certified translation in Spain, but only Sworn Translators can issue it. Any company or person can certify a translation, for instance, by adding their stamp to it. However, that is not legal in Spain unless such translations are stamped by a SPANISH sworn translator. Thus, be very WARY of companies trying to offer you a "certified" translation in Spain or other people from other countries different than Spain offering you sworn translations, as Spain's policy is to ONLY accept sworn translations from Spanish sworn translators duly appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2) NIPOST is unsafe. I had a bad experience with a client who wanted to have a cheaper delivery to Nigeria from Spain and it ended up badly. Since then, I only send my translations through DHL and they arrive within 48 hours since picked up. Currently I am also issuing my sworn translations with the digital signature of the Official National Mint & Stamp Factory of Spain. If the Consulate accepts them, that could speed things up and avoid the DHL fees.

3) I read a comment about someone complaining that someone (not me) was offering a low rate for his/her translations but was "money hungry" because he/she was charging a lot for the DHL delivery. This is not true (at least in my case) and, if you hire me, I can send you the DHL invoice so that you can see that I have exactly spent what I told you. In fact, after reading these comments about another translator, I will do this by default to avoid problems. I have more than 15 years of experience and have been working with Nigeria for a long time, so I think it is better to put all the cards on the table to prove honesty and good intentions, even if it is not explicitly required. It is also possible for you to arrange your own courier at your expense from Nigeria. If you or the company you work for has agreement with DHL or Fedex or other ones, you can instruct them to pick it up at my office and take the translation to you.

4) I receive documents from clients which have NOT been stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria and then by the Spanish Consulate in Nigeria (in that order). It is VERY important that you ask the Spanish Consulate if your documents need to be legalised/apostilled. If so, that is how you have to do it and I need to receive the final documents, not the ones without those important stamps, as otherwise you will lose time and money.

5) It is extremely important that you verify your original documents before sending them to me. If your name is wrong, or any other particular is wrong, I CANNOT correct it, even if you provide me with your ID or affidavits. I can only translate what's on the original and I cannot add, modify or delete information. This also applies when scanning big documents. Check if you are cutting them with the scanner. If they don't fit, you can go to a photocopies place and ask for a reduction of the page into A4 format or you can scan it at home in two parts (first the upper part, then the lower part).

6) Normally, Spain requires that all official papers have been issued within the last 3 months. For instance, if you file your papers today but your Criminal Records Certificate was issued 6 months ago, you will need to request a new one. Save time and money by considering this before you send me your papers to translate, as I always try to help my clients but sometimes I cannot realise if a document will be valid or not (depends on when you are going to file the application, if you are here in Spain or still in Nigeria, etc.).

7) If you get your application rejected for any legal reason, I know 2 amazing lawyers that could sort most problems for you. They are not cheap but they solve your problem and charge you if they solve it. I know there are other lawyers that are cheap and that say a lot of things, but I've met many clients who were crying because they had been ripped off so much money for nothing by careless lawyers. If you wouldn't trust your teeth to a bad or extremely cheap dentist, don't trust your future to a bad lawyer (or your papers to a bad translator :p ). Always look for guarantees.

(from hereon I reply to questions posted below, updating my reply)
8 ) You DO NOT need to send the originals and I suggest that whoever you work with, even if you can, you NEVER leave your originals with them. The Spanish legislation requires that we attach "duly stamped and dated photocopy" (I also sign it), but we can never touch an original. Suppose you give me your original university degree and I stamp it... It would be ruined. NEVER hand your originals to anyone except at the Consulate or Ministry, as they are going to give them back to you and they are official authorities.

9) If you have stamps on the reverse side of the documents, you MUST ALSO SCAN IT. Even if it is a small signature or a small addendum. Always scan the full document as we, sworn translators, need to include everything.

10) Payment can be made through wire transfer (bank transfer or Paypal). If you know someone living in Spain, you could also instruct this person to make the payment for you and then you give the money to them (as sometimes clients don't have or don't want to use Paypal). If you use Paypal, I would be very very very grateful if you could use the option "send money to friends", as with the option "Pay for services/products" I end up paying Paypal around 3,5% of the total amount. The quality and guarantee of my services are guaranteed through my quote and, in case of any problem, I will always be there through Whatsapp, email or phone.

11) Always make sure you're dealing with the authorised Sworn Translator himself/herself. If it is a third party named X and you receive a stamp from Z, BEWARE, as there are some scams in which a person makes a copy of our official stamp and starts issuing fake translations. In the end this is found out by the police (they ask us if we have signed the translations from time to time) and the status of all the people affected by this is immediately reverted to ILLEGAL until they provide the legal versions of their translations. This happened in the past with Pakistan and these people are already being chased by Interpol, apart from having been assaulted by angry clients who destroyed their offices for getting them in trouble with their papers. If in doubt, contact the Spanish Ministry of Affairs and find out the official particulars of the translator you deal with. Make sure you always write to such email address or make phone calls to such phone number. In Spain there are agencies which subhire sworn translators, yes, and that is not illegal. But it's up to the client to make sure who they are dealing with.

12) Last but not least, thank you so much for your recommendations and kind words.

If you have any doubt or comment, you can send me WhatsApp messages, call me through Skype or WhatsApp or send me an email. I will gladly try to solve your doubts.

Kind regards.

Rodrigo
Sworn Translator

rodrigomencia:


Hi, I am Rodrigo, one of the translators mentioned in this thread. Yes, I am still alive and kicking. By reading the thread, I realise about certain things that you should take into account when requesting Sworn translations:

1) A Sworn Translation is a certified translation in Spain, but only Sworn Translators can issue it. Any company or person can certify a translation, for instance, by adding their stamp to it. However, that is not legal in Spain unless such translations are stamped by a SPANISH sworn translator. Thus, be very WARY of companies trying to offer you a "certified" translation in Spain or other people from other countries different than Spain offering you sworn translations, as Spain's policy is to ONLY accept sworn translations from Spanish sworn translators duly appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2) NIPOST is unsafe. I had a bad experience with a client who wanted to have a cheaper delivery to Nigeria from Spain and it ended up badly. Since then, I only send my translations through DHL and they arrive within 48 hours since picked up. Currently I am also issuing my sworn translations with the digital signature of the Official National Mint & Stamp Factory of Spain. If the Consulate accepts them, that could speed things up and avoid the DHL fees.

3) I read a comment about someone complaining that someone (not me) was offering a low rate for his/her translations but was "money hungry" because he/she was charging a lot for the DHL delivery. This is not true (at least in my case) and, if you hire me, I can send you the DHL invoice so that you can see that I have exactly spent what I told you. In fact, after reading these comments about another translator, I will do this by default to avoid problems. I have more than 15 years of experience and have been working with Nigeria for a long time, so I think it is better to put all the cards on the table to prove honesty and good intentions, even if it is not explicitly required. It is also possible for you to arrange your own courier at your expense from Nigeria. If you or the company you work for has agreement with DHL or Fedex or other ones, you can instruct them to pick it up at my office and take the translation to you.

4) I receive documents from clients which have NOT been stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria and then by the Spanish Consulate in Nigeria (in that order). It is VERY important that you ask the Spanish Consulate if your documents need to be legalised/apostilled. If so, that is how you have to do it and I need to receive the final documents, not the ones without those important stamps, as otherwise you will lose time and money.

5) It is extremely important that you verify your original documents before sending them to me. If your name is wrong, or any other particular is wrong, I CANNOT correct it, even if you provide me with your ID or affidavits. I can only translate what's on the original and I cannot add, modify or delete information. This also applies when scanning big documents. Check if you are cutting them with the scanner. If they don't fit, you can go to a photocopies place and ask for a reduction of the page into A4 format or you can scan it at home in two parts (first the upper part, then the lower part).

6) Normally, Spain requires that all official papers have been issued within the last 3 months. For instance, if you file your papers today but your Criminal Records Certificate was issued 6 months ago, you will need to request a new one. Save time and money by considering this before you send me your papers to translate, as I always try to help my clients but sometimes I cannot realise if a document will be valid or not (depends on when you are going to file the application, if you are here in Spain or still in Nigeria, etc.).

7) If you get your application rejected for any legal reason, I know 2 amazing lawyers that could sort most problems for you. They are not cheap but they solve your problem and charge you if they solve it. I know there are other lawyers that are cheap and that say a lot of things, but I've met many clients who were crying because they had been ripped off so much money for nothing by careless lawyers. If you wouldn't trust your teeth to a bad or extremely cheap dentist, don't trust your future to a bad lawyer (or your papers to a bad translator :p ). Always look for guarantees.

8 ) Last but not least, thank you so much for your recommendations and kind words.

Kind regards.

Rodrigo
Sworn Translator

Thank you so much for your clearity. I have the following questions to ask :
1. Are we to send the originals of our documents to you via post or email?
2. If a document is stamp/legalised on the reverse side, are we to scan both side and send?
3. Apart from PayPal, which other Way can you be paid?
4. Drop ur email /postal address here.


Thanks and God bless you.

efeturi3:
Thank you so much for your clearity. I have the following questions to ask :
1. Are we to send the originals of our documents to you via post or email?
2. If a document is stamp/legalised on the reverse side, are we to scan both side and send?
3. Apart from PayPal, which other Way can you be paid?
4. Drop ur email /postal address here.


Thanks and God bless you.

Thanks for your questions, Efeturi. I have replied on my main post above, points 8 to 10. As follows a quote of my reply:

8 ) You DO NOT need to send the originals and I suggest that whoever you work with, even if you can, you NEVER leave your originals with them. The Spanish legislation requires that we attach "duly stamped and dated photocopy" (I also sign it), but we can never touch an original. Suppose you give me your original university degree and I stamp it... It would be ruined. NEVER hand your originals to anyone except at the Consulate or Ministry, as they are going to give them back to you and they are official authorities.

9) If you have stamps on the reverse side of the documents, you MUST ALSO SCAN IT. Even if it is a small signature or a small addendum. Always scan the full document as we, sworn translators, need to include everything.

10) Payment can be made through wire transfer (bank transfer or Paypal). If you know someone living in Spain, you could also instruct this person to make the payment for you and then you give the money to them (as sometimes clients don't have or don't want to use Paypal). If you use Paypal, I would be very very very grateful if you could use the option "send money to friends", as with the option "Pay for services/products" I end up paying Paypal around 3,5% of the total amount. The quality and guarantee of my services are guaranteed through my quote and, in case of any problem, I will always be there through Whatsapp, email or phone.

Lastly, regarding my information, I read before that a person was saying it was not possible to write emails or particulars here. Is it allowed? Any admin that can tell me if it is or not? In any case, I will gladly reply to private messages here if I get them.

Kind regards.

Rodrigo

please whats the total cost of a Masters degree in Spain and is their any opportunity for someone that graduated with 2 2 for scholarship I will kindly wait for your response thanks a bunch

[quote author=rodrigomencia post=67820152]

Hi, I am Rodrigo, one of the translators mentioned in this thread. Yes, I am still alive and kicking. By reading the thread, I realise about certain things that you should take into account when requesting Sworn translations:

1) A Sworn Translation is a certified translation in Spain, but only Sworn Translators can issue it. Any company or person can certify a translation, for instance, by adding their stamp to it. However, that is not legal in Spain unless such translations are stamped by a SPANISH sworn translator. Thus, be very WARY of companies trying to offer you a "certified" translation in Spain or other people from other countries different than Spain offering you sworn translations, as Spain's policy is to ONLY accept sworn translations from Spanish sworn translators duly appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2) NIPOST is unsafe. I had a bad experience with a client who wanted to have a cheaper delivery to Nigeria from Spain and it ended up badly. Since then, I only send my translations through DHL and they arrive within 48 hours since picked up. Currently I am also issuing my sworn translations with the digital signature of the Official National Mint & Stamp Factory of Spain. If the Consulate accepts them, that could speed things up and avoid the DHL fees.

3) I read a comment about someone complaining that someone (not me) was offering a low rate for his/her translations but was "money hungry" because he/she was charging a lot for the DHL delivery. This is not true (at least in my case) and, if you hire me, I can send you the DHL invoice so that you can see that I have exactly spent what I told you. In fact, after reading these comments about another translator, I will do this by default to avoid problems. I have more than 15 years of experience and have been working with Nigeria for a long time, so I think it is better to put all the cards on the table to prove honesty and good intentions, even if it is not explicitly required. It is also possible for you to arrange your own courier at your expense from Nigeria. If you or the company you work for has agreement with DHL or Fedex or other ones, you can instruct them to pick it up at my office and take the translation to you.

4) I receive documents from clients which have NOT been stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria and then by the Spanish Consulate in Nigeria (in that order). It is VERY important that you ask the Spanish Consulate if your documents need to be legalised/apostilled. If so, that is how you have to do it and I need to receive the final documents, not the ones without those important stamps, as otherwise you will lose time and money.

5) It is extremely important that you verify your original documents before sending them to me. If your name is wrong, or any other particular is wrong, I CANNOT correct it, even if you provide me with your ID or affidavits. I can only translate what's on the original and I cannot add, modify or delete information. This also applies when scanning big documents. Check if you are cutting them with the scanner. If they don't fit, you can go to a photocopies place and ask for a reduction of the page into A4 format or you can scan it at home in two parts (first the upper part, then the lower part).

6) Normally, Spain requires that all official papers have been issued within the last 3 months. For instance, if you file your papers today but your Criminal Records Certificate was issued 6 months ago, you will need to request a new one. Save time and money by considering this before you send me your papers to translate, as I always try to help my clients but sometimes I cannot realise if a document will be valid or not (depends on when you are going to file the application, if you are here in Spain or still in Nigeria, etc.).

7) If you get your application rejected for any legal reason, I know 2 amazing lawyers that could sort most problems for you. They are not cheap but they solve your problem and charge you if they solve it. I know there are other lawyers that are cheap and that say a lot of things, but I've met many clients who were crying because they had been ripped off so much money for nothing by careless lawyers. If you wouldn't trust your teeth to a bad or extremely cheap dentist, don't trust your future to a bad lawyer (or your papers to a bad translator :p ). Always look for guarantees.

(from hereon I reply to questions posted below, updating my reply)
8 ) You DO NOT need to send the originals and I suggest that whoever you work with, even if you can, you NEVER leave your originals with them. The Spanish legislation requires that we attach "duly stamped and dated photocopy" (I also sign it), but we can never touch an original. Suppose you give me your original university degree and I stamp it... It would be ruined. NEVER hand your originals to anyone except at the Consulate or Ministry, as they are going to give them back to you and they are official authorities.

9) If you have stamps on the reverse side of the documents, you MUST ALSO SCAN IT. Even if it is a small signature or a small addendum. Always scan the full document as we, sworn translators, need to include everything.

10) Payment can be made through wire transfer (bank transfer or Paypal). If you know someone living in Spain, you could also instruct this person to make the payment for you and then you give the money to them (as sometimes clients don't have or don't want to use Paypal). If you use Paypal, I would be very very very grateful if you could use the option "send money to friends", as with the option "Pay for services/products" I end up paying Paypal around 3,5% of the total amount. The quality and guarantee of my services are guaranteed through my quote and, in case of any problem, I will always be there through Whatsapp, email or phone.

11) Always make sure you're dealing with the authorised Sworn Translator himself/herself. If it is a third party named X and you receive a stamp from Z, BEWARE, as there are some scams in which a person makes a copy of our official stamp and starts issuing fake translations. In the end this is found out by the police (they ask us if we have signed the translations from time to time) and the status of all the people affected by this is immediately reverted to ILLEGAL until they provide the legal versions of their translations. This happened in the past with Pakistan and these people are already being chased by Interpol, apart from having been assaulted by angry clients who destroyed their offices for getting them in trouble with their papers. If in doubt, contact the Spanish Ministry of Affairs and find out the official particulars of the translator you deal with. Make sure you always write to such email address or make phone calls to such phone number. In Spain there are agencies which subhire sworn translators, yes, and that is not illegal. But it's up to the client to make sure who they are dealing with.

12) Last but not least, thank you so much for your recommendations and kind words.

If you have any doubt or comment, you can send me WhatsApp messages, call me through Skype or WhatsApp or send me an email. I will gladly try to solve your doubts.

Kind regards.

Rodrigo
Sworn Translator]

H

Hi, I am Rodrigo, one of the translators mentioned in this thread. Yes, I am still alive and kicking. By reading the thread, I realise about certain things that you should take into account when requesting Sworn translations:

1) A Sworn Translation is a certified translation in Spain, but only Sworn Translators can issue it. Any company or person can certify a translation, for instance, by adding their stamp to it. However, that is not legal in Spain unless such translations are stamped by a SPANISH sworn translator. Thus, be very WARY of companies trying to offer you a "certified" translation in Spain or other people from other countries different than Spain offering you sworn translations, as Spain's policy is to ONLY accept sworn translations from Spanish sworn translators duly appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2) NIPOST is unsafe. I had a bad experience with a client who wanted to have a cheaper delivery to Nigeria from Spain and it ended up badly. Since then, I only send my translations through DHL and they arrive within 48 hours since picked up. Currently I am also issuing my sworn translations with the digital signature of the Official National Mint & Stamp Factory of Spain. If the Consulate accepts them, that could speed things up and avoid the DHL fees.

3) I read a comment about someone complaining that someone (not me) was offering a low rate for his/her translations but was "money hungry" because he/she was charging a lot for the DHL delivery. This is not true (at least in my case) and, if you hire me, I can send you the DHL invoice so that you can see that I have exactly spent what I told you. In fact, after reading these comments about another translator, I will do this by default to avoid problems. I have more than 15 years of experience and have been working with Nigeria for a long time, so I think it is better to put all the cards on the table to prove honesty and good intentions, even if it is not explicitly required. It is also possible for you to arrange your own courier at your expense from Nigeria. If you or the company you work for has agreement with DHL or Fedex or other ones, you can instruct them to pick it up at my office and take the translation to you.

4) I receive documents from clients which have NOT been stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria and then by the Spanish Consulate in Nigeria (in that order). It is VERY important that you ask the Spanish Consulate if your documents need to be legalised/apostilled. If so, that is how you have to do it and I need to receive the final documents, not the ones without those important stamps, as otherwise you will lose time and money.

5) It is extremely important that you verify your original documents before sending them to me. If your name is wrong, or any other particular is wrong, I CANNOT correct it, even if you provide me with your ID or affidavits. I can only translate what's on the original and I cannot add, modify or delete information. This also applies when scanning big documents. Check if you are cutting them with the scanner. If they don't fit, you can go to a photocopies place and ask for a reduction of the page into A4 format or you can scan it at home in two parts (first the upper part, then the lower part).

6) Normally, Spain requires that all official papers have been issued within the last 3 months. For instance, if you file your papers today but your Criminal Records Certificate was issued 6 months ago, you will need to request a new one. Save time and money by considering this before you send me your papers to translate, as I always try to help my clients but sometimes I cannot realise if a document will be valid or not (depends on when you are going to file the application, if you are here in Spain or still in Nigeria, etc.).

7) If you get your application rejected for any legal reason, I know 2 amazing lawyers that could sort most problems for you. They are not cheap but they solve your problem and charge you if they solve it. I know there are other lawyers that are cheap and that say a lot of things, but I've met many clients who were crying because they had been ripped off so much money for nothing by careless lawyers. If you wouldn't trust your teeth to a bad or extremely cheap dentist, don't trust your future to a bad lawyer (or your papers to a bad translator :p ). Always look for guarantees.

(from hereon I reply to questions posted below, updating my reply)
8 ) You DO NOT need to send the originals and I suggest that whoever you work with, even if you can, you NEVER leave your originals with them. The Spanish legislation requires that we attach "duly stamped and dated photocopy" (I also sign it), but we can never touch an original. Suppose you give me your original university degree and I stamp it... It would be ruined. NEVER hand your originals to anyone except at the Consulate or Ministry, as they are going to give them back to you and they are official authorities.

9) If you have stamps on the reverse side of the documents, you MUST ALSO SCAN IT. Even if it is a small signature or a small addendum. Always scan the full document as we, sworn translators, need to include everything.

10) Payment can be made through wire transfer (bank transfer or Paypal). If you know someone living in Spain, you could also instruct this person to make the payment for you and then you give the money to them (as sometimes clients don't have or don't want to use Paypal). If you use Paypal, I would be very very very grateful if you could use the option "send money to friends", as with the option "Pay for services/products" I end up paying Paypal around 3,5% of the total amount. The quality and guarantee of my services are guaranteed through my quote and, in case of any problem, I will always be there through Whatsapp, email or phone.

11) Always make sure you're dealing with the authorised Sworn Translator himself/herself. If it is a third party named X and you receive a stamp from Z, BEWARE, as there are some scams in which a person makes a copy of our official stamp and starts issuing fake translations. In the end this is found out by the police (they ask us if we have signed the translations from time to time) and the status of all the people affected by this is immediately reverted to ILLEGAL until they provide the legal versions of their translations. This happened in the past with Pakistan and these people are already being chased by Interpol, apart from having been assaulted by angry clients who destroyed their offices for getting them in trouble with their papers. If in doubt, contact the Spanish Ministry of Affairs and find out the official particulars of the translator you deal with. Make sure you always write to such email address or make phone calls to such phone number. In Spain there are agencies which subhire sworn translators, yes, and that is not illegal. But it's up to the client to make sure who they are dealing with.

12) Last but not least, thank you so much for your recommendations and kind words.

If you have any doubt or comment, you can send me WhatsApp messages, call me through Skype or WhatsApp or send me an email. I will gladly try to solve your doubts.

Kind regards.

Rodrigo
Sworn Translator[/quote]

Hi All what happens when you arrive in Spain and want to extend your visa because apparently the student permit is only valid for a year. How do I go about the renewal process to cover up the duration of my course.

sethmelia002:
Hi All what happens when you arrive in Spain and want to extend your visa because apparently the student permit is only valid for a year. How do I go about the renewal process to cover up the duration of my course.

Sethmelia002 of NDDC, you are welcome to this Spain thread. I think your question should be directed at those who are already in Spain.

Do anyone in this house applied to UPC for a master program? If yes, have you gotten your official admission letter? Ur response please

The permit is a NIE which is used to legalize your stay in the country and it's OK that is required. You will need to renew it annually. The visa is to get into the country.... The NIE is the document required as a legal resident. It's like an ID card. You need more details... Let me know

efeturi3:
Do anyone in this house applied to UPC for a master program? If yes, have you gotten your official admission letter? Ur response please

I applied for Phd

No response since May

Hello Guys, Please i have a question, i have read through thr thread but yet to get a direct answer to the simple question bugging me, im jsut starting my documentation process ,i want to certify my documents at ministry of foreign affairs Abuja...and i will like to know IF IT'S MY ORIGINAL BSc DEGREE CERTIFICATE THAT WILL BE STAMPED with the ministry's seal OR it's a photocopy i will send and be stamped because i read through the thread and i saw " all documents for legalization at the Spanish consular in Lagos must bear the ministry of foreign affairs seal"....pls does this apply to the ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE my university issued to me when i graduated Thanks alot. I will also appreciate if all the docs i will require for Legalization ALONE are highlighted. THANKS once more!

Oma1358:
Good day and a happy new year to you all.
I just joined nairaland today.
About to start processing my visa. Everything here makes it scary lol. The process seems too rigorous and unnecessarily stressful. Please wish me luck.

Please anyone that is already in Spain can also assist me. Ill be coming to Barcelona when I get my visa cuz that's where I got an admission.
Thanks in anticipation.
Warm regards!

paulodangelo:
The permit is a NIE which is used to legalize your stay in the country and it's OK that is required. You will need to renew it annually. The visa is to get into the country.... The NIE is the document required as a legal resident. It's like an ID card. You need more details... Let me know

Please how do you go about renewal of the document when you have stayed up to a year in Spain. I just want to plan ahead so I am not caught unawares

Hello Fellow Nairalanders,

I'm Timothy. First of all, I'd like to appreciate the initiator of this thread and everyone who has contributed positively over the years. I recently stumbled on this thread and read through all 20 pages. Clearly, this thread is still relevant 3 years down the line and considering the insufficient information available online with regards to the Spanish student visa, this thread is probably the best source of information for this topic. I went through the rigorous application process in Nigeria last year (gosh, i dont even want to think about it again), and by September 2017 I eventually arrived Barcelona for my masters degree program. Wish I knew about this nairaland thread much earlier, I would have avoided some errors I made last year during my study visa application process.

When i arrived Barcelona last year, I went through the process of getting my TIE (the student resident card...for simplicity sake, NIE & TIE are often used interchangeably). Surprisingly, when i got my TIE card,
the expiry date was less than 1 year (that is another long story for another day)... Anyway, i had to go through the process of renewing my student TIE when it expired and I successfully concluded the process here in Barcelona only just last week. Based on my experience, i have to say that the TIE renewal process isn't any easier than what I experienced at the embassy in Lagos... especially with the language barrier (my Spanish still sucks). However, it is not all bad news. With the right guidance and support network (like nairaland), it can be less overwhelming.

I clearly understand how lonely the process can be without any support or accurate information. Having successfully gone through the most of the processes (the application for study visa at Spanish embassy in Lagos, the application for the TIE upon arrival in Barcelona, and the renewal process for expired TIE in Barcelona), I will be happy to join the more experienced gurus of this forum to offer guidance based on my experience. I am still relatively new in Spain (only just 10 months in Barcelona), so i am not yet an expert. But i have a more recent perspective and i'm willing to share lessons from my experience, if needed. I am usually not on nairaland (i actually just created an account today), but i think i will get email notification if anyone sends me a message here. Will try to respond as best and as fast as I can.

Special thanks to Rodrigo (the translator) for his detailed explanation on this thread. Someone recommended him to me last year while i was still in Lagos and i am glad i used his service back then. Based on my experience, he is very professional, responds timely, and delivers quality work...highly recommended by me!

On a final note, please do not be discouraged at the study visa process in Lagos. Trust me, when you arrive in Spain, it will be worth all the trouble. I can speak for Barcelona, because that is where I live, and so far, i have found Barcelona to be an amazing city (if you know, you know).

Cheers and Goodluck

Tim.

ask1509:
To God be the glory, I arrived in Madrid on Thursday, April 19. Before I get busy with work, let me keep my promise of updating the thread about the process I went through in getting my work permit.

Background: I had a bachelor's degree in statistics at a Nigerian university (second class upper) after which I got a scholarship from African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) for a master's degree in mathematical sciences at one of their centres, located in Cameroon. After that I started seeking a PhD position and I came across a research institute in Madrid who employs PhD students (as research assistants) and pays them while they register and do their PhD in a partner university close by. One of the profs (who is now my supervisor) posted an opening which I found on one of the scholarship websites while hunting for scholarships. Long story short, I applied, was interviewed 2 times and was given the position in July last year.

Process: Since the position is an employment, I needed a work/residence visa for research. First thing I had to do was legalise my bachelor's degree certificate and my master's degree certificate. Since my master's degree certificate was issued by a Cameroonian institution, I had to do the legalisation of my master's degree in Cameroon by first taking it to Cameroonian ministry of higher education for authentication, then Cameroonian ministry of foreign affairs, translate documents to Spanish and then legalise at the Spanish consulate in Yaounde. I had to tell someone to help with all of this process in Cameroon as I could not travel to Cameroon myself (this legalisation process in Cameroon cost me a lot of money transferred through Western Union, documents sent and received via DHL uncountable time etc. at a point, I became a regular customer at the DHL office in my neighborhood). While all that was going on, I faced the legalisation process of my bachelor's degree in Nigeria.

First I was told at the Spanish consulate that I must do investigation which I refused. Fortunately, I met a guy the first time I visited the consulate and he gave an inside info of what I should have done to avoid investigation. I should have gone to my university and requested that my official transcripts, signed copy of my certificate, and a letter of attestation stating that I am a graduate of the university be sent directly to the consulate from my university's registrar or any other office of appropriate jurisdiction. So I refused the investigation the first day, went back to my university and asked that all the stated documents be sent to the consulate. I waited like 2 weeks after which I sent the consulate an email asking if they've received them. I received a confirmation the next day that they've been received. I booked another appointment again and found my way to the consulate in Lagos. This time, my certificate and transcript were accepted for legalisation without investigation.

After legalising my certificates, I sent them (the legalised originals) to my research institute which they used in applying for a work permit for me. The work permit essentially consist of my labour contract with the institute and a document called favorable resolution. The favorable resolution states the number of years of the work permit and is also the proof that the Government of Madrid have approved your work permit. It took a bit more than 2 months from the time I sent my legalised certificates (to my institute) till the time the work permit application was successful. I was then sent the favorable resolution and labor contract which I used in applying for the visa at the Spanish consulate in Lagos.

The tricky part however, is that the favorable resolution expires in exactly 30 days and must be used within this period to apply for the visa. Sending the favourable resolution and labour contract from Madrid to me by courier took away approximately 6-7 days which left me about 23 days to use it. Within this 23 day period, I had to get the following documents to apply for the visa (in addition to the favorable resolution and the labour contract sent to me).

1. a police report in Nigeria, authenticated at foreign affairs in Abuja and legalised at the consulate.

2. A medical certificate/report stating that I am free from diseases according to 200....something health regulations. (This document does not need to be legalised). Thanks to obamd for helping out with this. I appreciate.

3. since I stayed like 11 months in Cameroon during my master's study, I also needed a police report from Cameroon. Thankfully, I knew of this earlier and it was part of the documents that was legalised for me Cameroon while I was legalising my Nigerian certificates here. My school in Cameroon helped me get a police report, I went to my local DHL office to go bring it from Cameroon for me so I can put my fingerprint on it, I sent it back through DHL so that it can be authenticated at the foreign affairs after which it was translated to Spanish and submitted at the consulate in Yaounde on my behalf. After it was legalised, the consulate did not release the legalised police report to my contact in Yaounde who submitted it for me. They asked him to go bring a power of attorney from me, and the power of attorney must be authenticated by the police in Nigeria. I had to do a power of attorney here with a notary public, I then wrote a letter to the commissioner of police in my state to authenticate it for me. I submitted both at the commissioner's office myself and was told to come back for it few days later. I went back after some few days, the commissioner had minuted on it and referred it to the police legal department where they put a stamp on it. So I sent the power of attorney to my contact in Cameroon which he used in collecting the legalised police report for me. I then requested my local DHL office to go bring it for me. Thankfully, I did all this process while I was legalising my Cameroonian certificates and it went on till during the time my institute was processing the work permit. So the legalised police report together with its translations were ready by the time the favourable resolution arrived as I couldn't have achieved all these within the 23 days window.

4. translation of my Nigerian police report and medical certificate. My institute handled this for me and sent them to me via UPS within the 23 days period. I scanned it to them and they sent me via email the translations after which they sent the original translations by courier. Since the original translations didn't arrive on time, I printed in colour the translations sent to me via email and used it for the visa app. Surprisingly, they were not rejected.

In summary, I applied for the visa exactly 1 day before the favourable resolution expired and I was called to come pick it up exactly 2 weeks after. I got my offer letter early July (first or send of July) and I got the visa March ending making the process almost 9 months worth of rigorous "paper work".

Phewwww that is the long process I had to pass through. Anyways, I hope someone will find this helpful.

Thanks again for the contributions on this thread, the process would have been much harder. Regards.

Thanks for this. I can't believe that I will be back to this thread we birthed 3 years ago. I have completed my Erasmus Masters in Forensic science with mobilities in Spain, Portugal, and the UK. Now heading to Barcelona for la Caixa INPhINIT PhD fellowship at Irsi caixa Badalona. Still waiting for my Work permit before I could initiate the Visa application.

I don't really know the full requirements for the Work visa as no guideline/requirement was made on the Spanish Consulate's website. I will appreciate any assistance with the document checklist for Work visa applications. I am still in doubt if I will have to present my academic documents since I won't be applying for a student visa. If I were to provide such, then am screwed with regards to the legalization hassles of my MSc certificate which was issued by a UK university - Any ideas guys?

Thanks guys for keeping this thread alive and providing valuable information for other applicants.
Cheers
Ifeanyi

Thanks to Ask1509 for this valuable Information:

CHECKLIST FOR SPANISH WORK/RESIDENCE VISA
What to Submit

ORIGINAL and One PHOTOCOPY of each of the following items must be presented:

1. National visa application form: The application forms must be signed and filled out in print.
2. Original Passport: Valid passport for a minimum of 1 year, with at least one blank page to affix the visa.
3. Two Passport sized photos: (White background, 2x2in) One per application form
4. Notification of work and residence permit approval: (COMMUNICACION DE CONCESION DE AUTORIZACION DE TRABAJO Y RESIDENCIA) stamped by the mInistry of Labor (Ministerio de Trabajo e Inmigracion) in Spain and OFICINA DE EXTRANJERIA. This document cannot be older than 30 days.
5. Application of residence and work permit (Solicitud de permiso de residencia y permiso de trabajo y residencia) Stamped by the Ministry of Labor (Ministerio de Trabajo e Inmigracion) in Spain.
6. Police Character Certificate (with fingerprints) issued and legalised by all the countries where the applicant has been living for the last 5 years. It must be translated into Spanish and legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja and, subsequently, by the Consulate General of Spain in Lagos.
7. Medical Certificate with a certified translation in Spanish, which should be a doctor’s recent statement (not older than 3 monthsin doctor’s or medical center’s letterhead) indicating that ‘the patient has been examined and found free of any contagious diseases according to the International Health Regulation 2005’. Must be signed by a M.D.

dexxy213:
Hello Guys, Please i have a question, i have read through thr thread but yet to get a direct answer to the simple question bugging me, im jsut starting my documentation process ,i want to certify my documents at ministry of foreign affairs Abuja...and i will like to know IF IT'S MY ORIGINAL BSc DEGREE CERTIFICATE THAT WILL BE STAMPED with the ministry's seal OR it's a photocopy i will send and be stamped because i read through the thread and i saw " all documents for legalization at the Spanish consular in Lagos must bear the ministry of foreign affairs seal"....pls does this apply to the ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE my university issued to me when i graduated Thanks alot. I will also appreciate if all the docs i will require for Legalization ALONE are highlighted. THANKS once more!

Simple answer to your question:

If you want to legalise your original BSC certificate, the original will be stamped. If it is the photocopy, the photocopy will be stamped. Bear in mind however that if you want to legalise a copy of your certificate, you must first take the copy to your university for a certified true copy (CTC) stamp. When you get to the consulate and they see that you want to legalise the photocopy of your certificate, the following stamps must be present (or else it will be rejected): CTC from your university, Ministry of Education, Foreign Affairs.

This tread has been quiet for some time. Are students not going Spain again? Drop ur experience here. Well I was at the consulate office last week. The man and the lady seens to have changed. They were very friendly for the first time. I even gist with the lady!

Hello Guys,

For your translation into Spanish (she does French translations as well), please I highly recommend Vivian. She has an excellent sense of humor and very understanding, like very very!
She's Nigerian who leaves abroad which explains why she's understanding and also affordable.

You don't need PayPal or bank draft or anything of such as she uses a local account where you can transfer into without worries.

For translation, just snap the documents (all the pages you choose to translate), make sure it's super clear and clean and you're good to go.

Djdimeji:
Hello Guys,

For your translation into Spanish (she does French translations as well), please I highly recommend Vivian. She has an excellent sense of humor and very understanding, like very very!
She's Nigerian who leaves abroad which explains why she's understanding and also affordable.

You don't need PayPal or bank draft or anything of such as she uses a local account where you can transfer into without worries.

For translation, just snap the documents (all the pages you choose to translate), make sure it's super clear and clean and you're good to go.

How much per page for this Vivian
And drop her email address too.
Thanks

Djdimeji:
Hello Guys,

For your translation into Spanish (she does French translations as well), please I highly recommend Vivian. She has an excellent sense of humor and very understanding, like very very!
She's Nigerian who leaves abroad which explains why she's understanding and also affordable.

You don't need PayPal or bank draft or anything of such as she uses a local account where you can transfer into without worries.

For translation, just snap the documents (all the pages you choose to translate), make sure it's super clear and clean and you're good to go.

Djdimeji:
Hello Guys,

For your translation into Spanish (she does French translations as well), please I highly recommend Vivian. She has an excellent sense of humor and very understanding, like very very!
She's Nigerian who leaves abroad which explains why she's understanding and also affordable.

You don't need PayPal or bank draft or anything of such as she uses a local account where you can transfer into without worries.

For translation, just snap the documents (all the pages you choose to translate), make sure it's super clear and clean and you're good to go.

Vivian is very nice and highly efficient. She did my translations 3 years ago and yet again this year. Djdimeji failed to mention that the cost could be reduced if she were to translate for more people at the same time, you get to share the postage fees as this is what makes these translations kinda expensive. I highly recommend her.

efeturi3:
How much per page for this Vivian
And drop her email address too.
Thanks

a

Her contact details are in the images I shared.

Email: vivianokenwa@yahoo.co.uk

Accommodation in Barcelona is given me issues. Kindly assist with a cheap student accommodation in Barcelona. UPC on my mind.

efeturi3:
Accommodation in Barcelona is given me issues. Kindly assist with a cheap student accommodation in Barcelona. UPC on my mind.

Try uniplaces.com or idealista.com. Uniplaces has always worked for me.

kindly help with available cheap schools in spain and does not require TOEFL or IELTS for masters programme. thanks

Hello,

I thank you all for the contributions so far.

Please, after the legalisation of documents by the Spanish consulate, would applicant submit all documents to embassy (including international passport) on same day? Is this the final stage of application?

I have been able to string the steps together but the stage I'm at now is the legalisation of documents at the Spanish consulate.

What next?

Thank you.

Yes. It is the final step

Pls, when will spain schools start application for 2019 admission?

......As the norm here which is helping each other, would also like to add my vote of thanks to this honorable platform. Everyone here is simply amazing, cant possibly thank you guys enough.

In essence, landed safely here in Spain.........