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Digital Nomad Faces Months-Long Wait for Spanish Residency Card

His prolonged delay highlights Spain’s reliance on paper-based procedures in its immigration system

Overview

  • Mark Danby, a UK IT professional and YouTuber known as ‘Tapas Guy’, moved to Manilva under Spain’s digital nomad visa six months ago.
  • He requires a TIE card to formalize his long-term residency but has yet to receive it after multiple in-person appointments.
  • Spain’s immigration authorities mandate physical document submissions and fingerprinting at designated police stations.
  • Danby criticizes the process as slow and heavily paper-dependent, comparing it to systems two decades behind the UK.
  • The delay underscores persistent hurdles in Spain’s digital nomad visa process.