Translated material
How to move to Spain or Portugal and not be refused when applying for a residence permit - “Layout” instructions
Spain has already overtaken Germany in terms of residence permits issued to Russians, and the number of relocants to Portugal is growing from year to year.
The war and mobilization led to the departure of about 650 thousand people from Russia, mostly young and qualified specialists. This is the largest outflow of population in 20 years - but emigration has not stopped, and the potential for new waves remains high.
According to Eurostat, the number of EU residence permits issued to Russian citizens in 2024 generally returned to the pre-war level, and in some countries exceeded it.
Together with the relocation service to Europe totamtotut “Vorstka” is looking into how to go to the Iberian Peninsula and how convenient it is for emigration.
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In recent years, significant changes have occurred in the geography of European countries that willingly accept Russians. Thus, from 2022 to 2024, Spain issued a total of more than 50 thousand residence permits to citizens of the Russian Federation. Moreover, in terms of the number of residence permits issued, Spain overtook Germany for the first time last year and became the absolute leader - that is, it is easiest for Russians to move there in 2025. And Hungary, Portugal and Greece even increased the number of residence permits issued compared to 2023. At the same time, Portugal has become the absolute leader in the growth rate of the number of residence permits for citizens of the Russian Federation - compared to 2021, this figure has increased more than eight times. In total, from 2022 to 2024, Portugal issued 11.2 thousand residence permits to Russians.
Are you planning to move to Spain or Portugal? Entrust it to the specialists of the totamtotut service
totamtotut is a healthy person relocation service with which more than 1,000 clients have successfully moved. They will help you choose the basis for moving, obtain a residence permit and find an apartment for rent. totamtotut specialists will draw up a plan for your move, take on maximum bureaucratic work and communication with the migration service. They will go with you all the way to the approval of a residence permit - and open a new chapter of your life in Europe.
The totamtotut team offers:
— plan and timeline of the move;
— filling out forms and declarations, checks, translations and submission of documents;
— constant support of a personal manager;
— assistance in finding an apartment for long-term rental;
— and an expert recommendation on where to celebrate receiving a residence permit.
Sign up for a free consultation for a step-by-step plan for obtaining a residence permit .
And with the promo code VERSTKA you get a 100 euro discount on the service!
Can only the rich and IT people move to Spain?
Not at all. Although it seems that EU migration programs are designed either for very wealthy people or for IT specialists, in reality this is not the case. The main criterion for successful relocation is the presence of a stable income or savings.
For example, as co-founder of totamtotut Daniil Eskin says, under the Cuenta Propia program for entrepreneurs, you can submit a package of documents for a residence permit in a traditional non-digital business - for example, in the case of a pottery workshop.
A digital nomad visa (Digital Nomad), and subsequently a residence permit, can be obtained by anyone who works remotely - for example, marketers, designers or accountants. What is important is the possibility of remote work, not its scope.
If we talk about obtaining a residence permit for holders of passive income, then not only rentiers, but also investors or those who receive payments for copyright and intellectual rights can apply for this residence permit in Spain.
How to assess the chances of moving to Spain so as not to receive a refusal that will “ruin” your visa history?
“With our help, clients receive approval for a Digital Nomad residence permit in 2–6 months. And since April 2025, our team has not received a single request to supplement the packages of documents for this program. Although in practice this happens often,” says Daniil Eskin.
The main thing is to decide in advance on the main steps to obtain a residence permit. That is, choose a suitable program, carefully prepare a package of documents and deal with bureaucratic procedures. Or delegate this to a relocation service.
Eskin explains that he and his partner began to understand the topic of migration “for themselves,” since they could not find appropriate services to accompany relocation to Europe. Now the accumulated experience allows them to work with complex cases. For example, when client documents are issued in different countries that do not coincide with the country of citizenship. Or when independent attempts or cooperation with “helpers” ended in failure.
Totamtotut considers each case individually and is ready to provide the first recommendations immediately following the results of a free consultation. If after this the client decides to continue cooperation, totamtotut offers both support in preparing documents independently and full support. Its price is from 1,500 euros for the main applicant, plus additional payments for each family member.
To move to Spain or Portugal, totamtotut suggests applying for programs such as a residence permit for a “digital nomad,” a residence permit for entrepreneurs, or a residence permit for a passive income holder.
On average, the process from the beginning of collecting documents to approval of a residence permit takes from three months to one and a half years. Although, in the case of Spain, the processing time for documents can take up to four weeks: there are programs for obtaining a residence permit that you can apply for directly in the country, and in this case, documents are processed quickly.
The service also helps with extending a residence permit or modifying it to another type: for example, a wave of transitions from Digital Nomad and Startup residence permits to Cuenta Propia (“self-employment”) has now begun.
How to decide on a comfortable place for relocation?
About 28% of Russian relocators are planning a further move from Georgia, Serbia and the CIS countries, often due to integration difficulties, legal restrictions or changes in personal circumstances,says the OutRush study. The totamtotut experience confirms this. Many of their clients move to Spain and Portugal from third countries, including other European countries, says co-founder of the service Daniil Shaulov.
In addition to such an obvious advantage as the climate, Shaulov explains the interest of Russians in the Iberian Peninsula with a positive attitude towards migrants. Moreover, they understand the peculiarities of Russian realities that force people to leave the country. Both Spain and Portugal at one time experienced a long period of dictatorship i .
Eskin believes that it is precisely because of this that no one has any questions about why emigrants from Russia left the country. In addition, in Spain and Portugal there is already a large Russian-speaking community ready to help new relocants.
The main thing is to decide which country and region is best suited for a comfortable life. The co-founders of totamtotut note that the geography of popular cities among their clients is expanding. If in Spain they used to travel more to the tourist regions in the south of the country, now many are considering the north - not overloaded with tourists and with a mild oceanic climate.
However, wherever you are, it is important to integrate into the local community: start a hobby so that you have something to communicate with the locals about, and learn the language. You will definitely need it in a few years - when you receive a Spanish or Portuguese passport.
Photo: Plaza de España in Seville
Infographic: El
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