India-Spain find ways to legalise ex-pats facing tech probs

India and Spain have come out with a mechanism to deal with "technical and documentation" problems being faced by expatriates, a move which will benefit nearly 5000 Indians seeking to regularise their status in that country.

India and Spain have come out with a mechanism to deal with "technical and documentation" problems being faced by expatriates, a move which will benefit nearly 5000 Indians seeking to regularise their status in that country.

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"The government has been engaged for several months in trying to find a solution to a problem faced by some of our nationals in Spain who wish to regularise their status but have been unable to do so on account of legal and technical issues about the jurisdiction and competence of authorities," an External Affairs Ministry statement said in New Delhi.

The problem started when nearly 5000 Indians, including professionals, seeking extension to stay in Spain were asked by the Spanish authorities to get their Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) from their respective states, a process which besides being cumbersome was also very time-consuming.

Under the new mechanism, the expatriates now need to submit their papers to Indian consulates. The documents will be attested by the consulates which can be submitted to the Spanish authorities.