Technical article

The Visa Clock: How Long Each Step Takes, According to Official Pages

So three months in law may not be three months in practice.

By Neil Solomon · 5 min read

Picture a couple named Ruth and Paul. Both are 66. They want to sell a house, move in spring, and be legal on day one. So they ask a plain question. How long from the day we apply to the day we hold a card?

I read the official pages for seven countries. Spain answers most of it. Others answer part. For Germany the pages show no retiree route at all.

The clocks, country by country

Spain, in more detail

The Spanish embassy page in Washington is the most complete I found. It gives the decision period, then adds that checks with other authorities "can take up to 3 months" from the date the consulate forwards the file, and that this "cannot be expedited". So three months in law may not be three months in practice. My arithmetic: if the two periods run one after the other, the wait could reach six months. The page does not say they do, so I am not claiming it.

The visa is valid for 1 year. The first residence card is valid for one year and can be renewed. The page shows no date, but it uses 2026 figures.

Italy, in more detail

The Italian embassy page says the process "can take up to 90 days" and that no rush service exists. After arrival, the clock is short: 8 working days to apply at the Questura. The page has no income figure. The Italian consulates in Boston, Los Angeles and Miami give one: more than EUR 31,000 a year for each applicant (read 11 October 2026).

The others, in short

• Portugal. The visa site's deadlines page says the deadline for deciding on a residence visa application is 60 days, "except in circumstances stipulated by law" (read 11 October 2026). It asks that applications be filed in advance. The immigration agency's own pages give no decision time for the permit after arrival in the sources.
• Greece. The Attica regional office page (dated November 2023, rechecked 11 October 2026) gives the income, a 2-year permit, and fees of EUR 1,000 (electronic) plus EUR 16 for the card. It states no deadline and no processing time.
• Croatia. The foreign ministry pages give no decision time. The interior ministry page on the amount of means says the rule is in a government decree (Official Gazette 14/21 and 3/26). For a temporary stay for purposes other than work the amount is at least 60% of the average monthly net wage of the previous year. The page gives the 2025 average as EUR 1,449.00, published on 4 March 2026, so my arithmetic is about EUR 869 a month (read 11 October 2026). The ministry page also says a foreigner must report residence to the police "within three days".
• Germany. The interior ministry page says stays over three months follow national law, for set purposes such as joining a spouse, study or work. It does not describe a route for retirees or timing for a first application.
• Netherlands. The immigration service's decision periods page (last update 1 October 2026) says a legal decision period of 90 days applies to the most common regular temporary permits, and that the service can extend it "to a maximum of 6 months". The page does not show whether the permit for economically inactive long-term EU residents is on the 90-day list, and the page for that permit gives no income figure.

What is left open

• Greece: no deadline or processing time is stated on the page. Ask the regional office or a lawyer in Greece.
• Germany: no retiree route is described. Ask the German mission before planning on one.
• How much room an office has in a decision. No official page explains it, so I leave it out.