The Consulates: An unknown tool for the Spanish expatriate

The internationalization of companies creates a multidirectional and constant current of workers throughout the world. New global business dynamics and the companies’ willingness to engage in foreign trade, causes not only the arrival of foreign workers in Spain, but also the opportunity for Spanish companies to export their products, services, initiatives and workers abroad.  

However, this process entails a series of difficulties; the challenges and difficulties for the workers abroad and their corresponding companies are not only personal or managerial, but also legal and migratory in nature. There are a plethora of legal and personal obstacles derived from the need to comply with the country of destination’s requirements. The employee’s transfer abroad starts months before and ends months after the employee has settled in the country of destination. During that interval of time there can be processes that are unfinished.

Fortunately, there are resources within reach of the Spanish expatriate to ease the legally required processes in the country of destination abroad. It is under this context that one must introduce the Spanish Consulate as an entity. This institution can serve as a point of reference for the worker abroad to process and resolve the various migratory proceedings.

In a lot of instances the Consulate as an institution and the assistance that it provides is unknown by the Spanish expatriate that has move abroad. It is convenient, that as soon as the Spanish expatriate relocates to a foreign country, he/she enrolls in the Consulate’s Enrollment Registration List that corresponds to the territory in which the workers has his/her domicile. This enrollment offers a series of advantages, like the renewal of documents, the ability to prove that one is resident in the foreign country and gives the worker the ability to participate in the electoral processes that are taking place in Spain during the duration of their stay abroad. It also enables the worker to receive consular assistance if needed.

To carry out the enrollment and consequently be able to enjoy the numerous advantages that the Spanish Consulate can offer, the worker must be present at the Consulate that corresponds to his domicile with documents that prove his current residence and demonstrate his Spanish residence.

The reality is that the Consulate can not only provide the newly arrived worker orientation, but also offers a bridge between the Spanish culture/society, Spanish administration and the foreign country, which can ease the worker’s transition and move not only in terms of the migratory proceedings and local registrations but also can alleviate their relocation at a personal level.