If you have been awarded a postdoctoral position to be carried out at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias’ (IAC) headquarters in La Laguna, or at any of its two international observatories (Teide Observatory on Tenerife and Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma), this guide will help you with useful information before you travel.
1.- WHICH DOCUMENTATION SHOULD I PREPARE?
If being an EU citizen: you do not need a VISA to enter Spain but just a legar passport in force.
If belonging to a non-EU country: you will need to obtain an authorization to reside and work in Spain: R&D&I and residence permit for training. The IAC, as a host entity, must requests this research residence permit. Therefore, we need the selected person to send the following documents so our External Immigration Advisor, Dácilo Padilla, can start the process:
Passport of the applicant with all pages included (also blank pages) and valid for at least one year.
Original criminal record certificate(s) of the countries where the researcher has resided for more than six months in the previous 5 years issued by the national police authorities in your previous countries of residence. It must be authenticated with the Hague Apostille, and then translated into Spanish with a sworn translator. The Validity of the Criminal certificate from the date of issue is 3 months.
Original medical certificate issued by any chartered medical doctor stating that the applicant does not suffer from any disease that might have a severe impact on public health in accordance with the International Health Regulations (2005). This document must be printed on a doctor’s letterhead, authenticated with the Hague Apostille, and then translated into Spanish with a sworn translator and is only valid for 3 months from date of issuance.
Ph.D. degree certificate (legalized with the Hague Apostille and then translated into Spanish with anofficial translation)
Contract/Employment letter (issued by the IAC)
International marriage certificate authenticated/apostilled, if married.
Name and surnames of your father and your mother.
Valid Residence Permit Card, in case you live in an EU country.
These documents have to be sent by e-mail to jav [at] iac.es (secinv[at]iac[dot]es) following these instructions:
All documents together in one e-mail
Documents in pdf format
A separate pdf per document
Clearly legible and visible
Once the required documents are sent, Dácil Padilla, willl submit them to the UGE, and it will be resolved in 20-30 days. Once authorized, we will send you the Resolution of your Residence Permit so taht, along with the rest of the documentation, you can apply for the Visa at the Spanish Consulate closest to your residence.
Very Important:
The Residence Permit is requested by the IAC and not the individual concerned.
The researcher must apply for the Visa before travelling and after the permit is approved
Transport personal belongings
If you wish to send personal belongings to Tenerife, the steps to follow are: prepare a list of the contents of the crates, boxes etc. you are sending, assigning items an approximate value. Make sure that the company transporting your belongings informs you adequately about the conditions of shipment and what exactly is included in the price (normally they fail to inform customers about the additional charges incurred upon arrival at our port, during unloading and at the customs office). These costs depend on the value and the weight of the goods. The unloading and wharf occupation rates vary depending on the agent and on how long the merchandise remains undispatched (we cannot indicate in advance how much this will amount to). Furthermore, you have to add the transport costs from the wharf/airport to where the merchandise will be dispatched. These charges depend on the weight per volume and on distance (Km) for local transfer.
In the event of Pinging a car with you, you should present its original documents.
For any further detailed information you might need, please do not hesitate to contact our Export/Import Dpt. scasado [at] iac.es (compras at iac.es)
Flights to Tenerife
Tenerife has two airports, one in the north, Tenerife Norte (TFN), also known as Los Rodeos Airport, and the other in the south, Tenerife Sur (TFS), also known as Reina Sofia Airport. The airport code to search for connections to Tenerife at either airport is TCI. We recommend using the North Airport (TFN, Los Rodeos), as it is much closer to the IAC (~ 6 Km).
The Island have excellent air connections to continental Europe and the UK. There are scheduled flights between Tenerife and the major Spanish cities, as well as to a number of European destinations. There are charter flights to more than a hundred foreign destinations. The flying time from Madrid to Tenerife is approximately 2.5 hours. Flights to other western European capitals take between 3.5 and 4.5 hours.
Flight companies to travel to Teneriffe: IBERIA (http://www.iberia.com) and AIR EUROPE (http://www.aireuropa.com) but there also exist many other charter flight companies which offer very interesting cheap flights.
Online information about flights arriving at or departing from Madrid, Barcelona and TFS airports can be obtained at: http://www.aena.es
Tenerife North Airport (TFN)
Los Rodeos International Airport, Tenerife North, is located north of the Island, in the municipality of La Lagun,a and about 10 kilometers from the island capital, Santa Cruz. This airport is preferably intended for inter-island and national flights, although several international flights also operate.
Tenerife South Airport (TFS)
Tenerife Sur, Reina Sofía Airport, is located in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona, and approximately 63 kilometers from Santa Cruz de Tenerife. In this airport more than 150 airlines operate inter-island, national and international flights.
2.- ON TENERIFE
How do I reach the IAC headquarters?
Bus service
The public transport service in Tenerife is called TITSA and the company's buses are painted pistachio green (guaguas) http://www.titsa.com. The BonoVia is used for both, buses an tram and can be purchased if you wish to use any line on a daily/weekly basis, obtaining a considerable discount on the normal price. They can be obtained at any of the bus stations, interchangers, and kiosks.
If you arrive at the North airport you must take Line 102 that passes every 30 minutes to go to La Laguna (Interchange).
If you arrive at the South airport, there is a regular line (Line 111) every 30 minutes that goes to the Santa Cruz bus terminal (Exchanger). The stop is right in front of the national arrivals terminal area, near the taxi rank.
Tram service
Tranvia de Tenerife (http://www.tranviatenerife.com/) has two lines linking with and connecting the main places of interest within the metropolitan area on the island, between Santa Cruz and La Laguna.
Line 1: Runs between the main public offices, cultural and educational centres, hospitals and service and shopping zones of the two cities.
Line 2: which runs transverse to Line 1, connects the most densely populated areas of the two municipalities, La Cuesta, Taco and Tincer.
Ticket machines at all tram stops. The different types of ticket can be purchased at ticket machines located at all tram stops. Coins, banknotes and credit cards are accepted as methods of payment. The ticket machines are easy to use, with very intuitive menus and submenus.
Commercial Offices. You can also purchase the tickets and get information about the service from the two commercial offices located at the terminus of Line 1, at the Intercambiador stop in Santa Cruz, and the terminus at the Trinidad stop in La Laguna.
Other points of sale in the bus network. Tickets compatible with both modes of transport, tram and bus, can also be purchased in kiosks and retail establishments, as well as at bus interchanges.
Ten+ website. You can top up your contactless transport card on www.tenmas.es.
Taxis
If arriving at the South Airport and you need to take a taxi to the IAC (La Laguna) the cost is around 100 Euros (around 1 hour drive).
If arriving at the North Airport and you want to take a taxi to the IAC (15 min drive) the cost is about 15 Euros.
Car Rentals
If you wish to hire a car, at a very good rate, we recommend you to use the service of CICAR . You may find the CICAR desk at the airport hall. The rate is around 30 euros/day, or as low as 100 euros for a full week, full insurance included.
3.- AT THE IAC HEADQUARTERS
Security Guards
At the main door of the IAC you will find a Security Guard booth who is on duty 24 hours a day. After 21:00h researchers in the building will have to leave and can only do it through the main door of the building, except for those who have previously requested authorization to secinv [at] iac.es (secinv[at]iac[dot]es) to work outside the usual schedule time (after 21:00, weekends or festive days). The guards will be absent from the booth to make the round to the building between 21:30 and 22:00h.
Reception
The staff at the reception desk will receive you at the reception from 08:00 until 16:00, from Monday to Friday. They will attend your queries such as phone calls, courier, posting, etc.
Secretariat Research Division
Staff at the Secretariat, Judith de Araoz, will hand you everything you need upon arrival, such as the checking card, the key of your office, username of your computer account, detailed documentation, advisement in regard to the documentation you will need to apply for to live and work on Tenerife.
The Research Division Travel Service is responsible for the management of travel and accommodation arrangements to research personnel (Solicitud de Orden de Desplazamiento, SOD) and to scientific visitors (Bolsa de Viajes Visitante, BVV) coming to the IAC to collaborate with IAC researchers.
Cafeteria
The center has a cafeteria service, open from 07:45 to 16:30h.
Last update: Julio 2024 - Contact: secinv [at] iac.es (secinv[at]iac[dot]es)