The visa · Spain
Spain
Spain offers a dedicated residence route for remote workers under its Startups Law, alongside the non-lucrative visa for people living on savings and a self-employment visa for those building a local business. The digital-nomad route suits employees or contractors of foreign companies earning at least twice the Spanish minimum wage. The one thing to know before applying is that the immigration authority has become far stricter in 2026 and now expects holders to actually register with Spanish social security.
- Nomad visa · September 2026YesRoutes4Bases6
Remote jobs open to Spain
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The routes
Researched 6 September 2026 · rules as of September 2026 · as published, not legal advice
Nomad visa
Digital Nomad Visa
Visado / autorización de residencia para teletrabajo de carácter internacional (International Telework visa / residence authorisation), Ley 28/2022 amending Ley 14/2013
Non-EU employees or self-employed contractors who work remotely for companies established outside Spain and want to live in Spain for one to five years.
- Income floor
- 200% of the monthly Spanish minimum wage (SMI). The Washington consulate states SMI 2026 at €1,221 a month, so €2,442 a month for the applicant, plus 75% of SMI (€916) for the first dependant and 25% (€306) for each further dependant. The figure is disputed: several practitioner sites compute €2,849 a month (€34,188 a year) by using 14 SMI payments; the consular page uses 12.
- Duration
- Consular visa: up to 1 year. In-country authorisation through the UGE-CE: 3 years. Renewals of 2 years under Real Decreto 1155/2024, to a maximum of 5 years.
- Cost
- Washington consulate 2026 visa fees: US$190 for US citizens, US$963 for UK citizens, US$1,566 for Canadian citizens, US$106 for other nationalities (reciprocity rates). In-country UGE authorisation fee not verified.
- Processing
- Consulate: statutory 10 days from the day the consular section forwards the file; practitioners report 4 to 8 weeks in New York and 4 to 6 weeks in London plus appointment waits. UGE in-country: statutory 20 working days with positive administrative silence; 16 to 18 working days reported in February 2026. End to end, practitioners report 2.5 to 4 months including apostilles and TIE fingerprint appointments.
- Eligibility
- Not open to EU citizens. University degree from a recognised institution or at least 3 years' professional experience. Employer or clients must be companies outside Spain (not individuals, NGOs, governments or non-profits). Employees need at least 3 months' seniority; the self-employed need at least 3 years' professional experience and a client relationship of at least 3 months. Spanish-sourced work capped at 20% of activity. Clean criminal record; private health insurance covering all risks of the public system.
- Work rights
- Remote work for companies outside Spain. Work for a company located in Spain is permitted only if it does not exceed 20% of activity. Local employment is not the purpose of this permit.
- Dependants
- Spouse or unmarried partner, dependent children and dependent ascendants can be included; extra income of 75% of SMI for the first and 25% for each further dependant.
- Leads to
- Time counts toward long-term residence after 5 years of continuous legal residence. Citizenship by residence normally requires 10 years (reduced periods apply to some nationalities under the Civil Code).
- Apply
- Spanish consulate in the country of residence (visa, 1 year) via BLS or the consular office, or in Spain while legally present through the Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE-CE) on the Mercurio platform (3 years).
Documents Employer letter or contract authorising remote work from Spain, or client contracts for the self-employed · Proof of income at 200% of SMI (payslips, contracts, bank statements) · University degree or evidence of 3+ years' professional experience · Criminal record certificate from countries of residence in the last five years, issued within 6 months, apostilled and translated · Health insurance from an authorised insurer covering all public-system risks for the full authorisation · Proof of social security coverage (certificate of coverage or Spanish registration) · Passport valid at least 1 year with two blank pages · National visa application form and fee payment
Long stay
Non-Lucrative Visa
Visado de residencia temporal no lucrativa (non-working residence visa), Real Decreto 1155/2024 arts. 60-63
People with passive income or savings who will not work at all while in Spain, such as retirees or those on a sabbatical.
- Income floor
- 400% of the IPREM index a year for the applicant plus 100% of IPREM for each family member. With IPREM 2026 at €600 a month that is €28,800 a year plus €7,200 per dependant; the Houston consulate quotes approximately US$33,400 plus US$8,330.
- Duration
- Visa valid 365 days. First renewal 2 years and second renewal 2 years under Real Decreto 1155/2024, reaching 5 years.
- Cost
- Houston consulate 2026: US$140 visa plus US$13 residence-permit fee for US passports (US$153 total); US$106 plus US$13 for other nationalities; reciprocity rates for Australia, Canada, the UK and Ethiopia.
- Processing
- Statutory 3 months from the day after submission, extendable if an interview or further documents are requested.
- Eligibility
- Applicant must commit not to do any gainful work, on-site or remotely, while residing in Spain. Sufficient guaranteed means, clean criminal record, medical certificate, Spanish-authorised health insurance without co-payments or limits.
- Work rights
- No work of any kind. The consulate wording expressly excludes remote or online work.
- Dependants
- Spouse or registered partner, dependent children and dependent ascendants forming the family unit; each adds 100% of IPREM.
- Leads to
- Counts toward long-term residence after 5 years; citizenship by residence normally after 10 years.
- Apply
- Only at the Spanish consulate for the applicant's district of residence, in person via BLS where used. The foreigner identity card must be requested within one month of entering Spain.
Documents National visa application form and forms EX-01 and 790 code 052 · Passport valid at least 1 year with two blank pages · Bank statements for the last 12 months or pension documentation · Health insurance from a Spanish-authorised insurer with no deductibles or co-payments · Criminal record certificate issued within 6 months, apostilled and translated · Medical certificate not older than 3 months · Notarised affidavit on professional background, Spanish address and no-work commitment
Freelance / self-employed
Self-Employed Work Visa
Visado de residencia y trabajo por cuenta propia (self-employed work visa)
Freelancers or founders who want to run a business or professional activity in Spain with Spanish clients, rather than only serve foreign companies.
- Income floor
- No fixed figure published; applicants must show sufficient financial means to carry out the planned investment, or a commitment from a financial institution to support it.
- Duration
- Visa valid 1 year. Renewal periods are governed by Real Decreto 1155/2024; the consular page does not state them and secondary sources disagree, so they are not confirmed here.
- Cost
- Washington consulate from 1 January 2026: US$13 initial temporary residence permit plus US$240 self-employed work permit. Nationals of Ibero-American countries, the Philippines, Andorra, Equatorial Guinea and some Spanish descendants are exempt from the work-permit fee.
- Processing
- Statutory 3 months from the day after submission.
- Eligibility
- Over 18. A business plan showing planned investment, expected return and jobs created. Professional qualifications legally required for the activity. Evidence of applications for the licences the activity needs. Clean criminal record and medical certificate.
- Work rights
- Self-employment in Spain, including Spanish clients. The consular page does not address remote work for foreign clients.
- Dependants
- Family reunification is available once the holder is resident; not covered on the consular page.
- Leads to
- Counts toward long-term residence after 5 years; citizenship by residence normally after 10 years.
- Apply
- Spanish consulate for the district of residence; the Washington consulate requires documents by email to book an in-person appointment.
Documents Two signed EX-07 application forms · Business or activity plan with investment, expected return and jobs · Evidence of financial means or institutional financing commitment · Professional qualifications, apostilled and translated · List of required licences and proof of applications · Criminal record certificate issued within 6 months, apostilled and translated · Medical certificate issued within 3 months · Passport valid at least 1 year with two blank pages
Working holiday
Youth Mobility / Working Holiday Visa
Visado de movilidad de jóvenes (Youth Mobility visa) under bilateral agreements, including Spain-Canada and Spain-Australia
Young Canadians (18 to 35) and Australians (18 to 30) who want a year in Spain with the right to work casually or in placements.
- Income floor
- Canada: CAD 2,637 for the first three months (2025 figure) or a return ticket, waived with a qualifying job offer. Australia: a minimum of AUD 915 a month.
- Duration
- Each stay up to 1 year; Canadians may participate twice under different categories with at least three months between stays.
- Cost
- Toronto consulate: CAD 145.50. Sydney fee not published on the page opened.
- Processing
- Toronto consulate states 4 to 8 weeks from the day after submission.
- Eligibility
- Nationality of a partner country. Canada: 18 to 35, five categories including working holiday, young professionals and internships. Australia: 18 to 30, at least 2 years of tertiary study and functional Spanish.
- Work rights
- Employment, internships, casual work and volunteering permitted within the category; remote work for a foreign employer is not addressed.
- Dependants
- Not included; the scheme is individual.
- Leads to
- Not designed as a path to settlement; the consular pages do not state whether time counts toward long-term residence.
- Apply
- Spanish consulate in the home country (Toronto, Montreal, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and others).
Documents National visa application form and passport · Proof of funds or return ticket · Employment, internship or study evidence for the chosen category · Health insurance for the stay · Criminal record certificate where required by the consulate
Without a visa, by passport
The stay you get on arrival, and whether working remotely on it is tolerated
- EU / EEA / SwitzerlandFree movement; register for a residence certificate after 3 monthsRemote work is lawful; the digital-nomad route is closed to EU citizens because they do not need it.
- United Kingdom90 days in any 180 across Schengen, no visaGrey. Short stays are published for tourism, business and study; Spain treats remote work as work on its non-lucrative visa wording, and no consulate publishes a remote-work allowance for visitors.
- United States90 days in any 180, no visaGrey, as above; the US embassy in Madrid notes EES now records entries and exits electronically.
- Canada90 days in any 180, no visaGrey, as above.
- Australia90 days in any 180, no visaGrey, as above.
- Brazil90 days in any 180, no visaGrey, as above.
- Japan90 days in any 180, no visaGrey, as above.
- IndiaSchengen visa required (Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806)A short-stay visa is issued for tourism or business; remote work is not a published purpose.
- South AfricaSchengen visa requiredAs for India.
- TurkeySchengen visa requiredAs for India.
Tax
When the country starts counting you as its taxpayer
- Residency trigger
- Tax residence for a calendar year arises from more than 183 days in Spain during that year, with sporadic absences counted unless residence in another country is proven, or from having the main centre or base of economic activities or interests in Spain. A person is presumed resident, unless proven otherwise, when the non-separated spouse and minor children habitually live in Spain. Immigration offices also apply a 183-day presence rule to residence permits under article 64 of Real Decreto 1155/2024.
- Special regime
- The special regime for workers displaced to Spanish territory (article 93 of the Personal Income Tax law, known as the Beckham law) is open since 1 January 2023 to remote workers holding the international telework authorisation. It applies for the year of arrival plus the five following years, provided the person was not tax resident in Spain in the previous five years. Practitioners report 24% on employment income up to €600,000 and 47% above, with the election filed on Modelo 149 within six months of registering with social security and annual returns on Modelo 151.
- Social security
- The telework authorisation requires proof of social security coverage. Employees of a foreign company either keep home coverage under a bilateral agreement with a certificate of coverage, or the employer registers in Spain; self-employed holders register in the Spanish self-employed scheme. Practitioner reporting in 2026 says the UGE has tightened checks because approved applicants had not registered.
- Treaties
- Spain has an extensive network of double-taxation treaties. For a resident remote employee or contractor, treaty tie-breaker rules and foreign tax credits determine where employment income is taxed; the practical effect depends on the treaty with the home country and is not published in a single official summary.
Practicalities
- Foreigner identity card (TIE)
- Holders of national visas must apply for the card within one month of entering Spain; practitioners report fingerprint appointment shortages and 4 to 8 weeks for the card to arrive.
- Health insurance
- Consulates require a policy from a Spanish-authorised insurer covering all public-system risks with no deductibles, co-payments or coverage limits; travel insurance and insurance cards are rejected.
- Tax number
- The NIE issued with the residence permit serves as the tax identification number; the Beckham election is filed on Modelo 149 and annual returns on Modelo 151.
- Border records
- The EU Entry/Exit System has recorded entries and exits of non-EU visitors since 12 October 2025, with full operation from 10 April 2026; the 90-in-180 count is now automated.
- ETIAS
- Not yet in force; reporting in July 2026 said the 2026 launch target had been dropped and no new date set.
- Overstay penalties
- Overstaying is a serious infraction under article 53.1.a of Organic Law 4/2000, with fines of €501 to €10,000 and possible expulsion with an entry ban of up to five years.
- Fee reciprocity
- Consular visa fees vary sharply by nationality; UK and Canadian citizens pay several times the base fee for the digital-nomad visa.
Spain: a real remote-work permit, a strict tax clock and no more golden visa
Where remote workers base themselves
Spain's remote-work authorisation has become the default route for non-EU nomads since the Startups Law created it in December 2022. Applicants who are already in Spain on a visa-free stay can file directly with the UGE-CE and receive three years, which is why most practitioners steer clients to the in-country route rather than the one-year consular visa.
Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Málaga remain the cities practitioners name most, and the Andalusian coast has grown a service industry around the permit. Housing pressure in those cities is the political backdrop to the April 2025 abolition of the property golden visa.
What applicants report about the process
The UGE was meeting its 20-working-day statutory deadline in February 2026, at 16 to 18 working days, with slower runs in July and August and again in November and December. Positive administrative silence applies if the 20 working days pass without a decision.
Practitioner reporting through the first half of 2026 describes a reorganised, more senior UGE team enforcing the rules far more strictly after cases of fake employment contracts and approved holders who never registered with social security. Rejections now arrive without a prior request for documents, so weak income evidence, employer letters without explicit remote-work authorisation, missing apostilles and inadequate insurance are refused outright.
Consulate timings differ widely: roughly 4 to 8 weeks in New York, 4 to 6 in London and about three months in Manila, plus appointment waits. After approval, fingerprint appointments for the identity card are the main bottleneck, pushing end-to-end timelines to 2.5 to 4 months in Spain and longer from abroad.
Money and tax
The income floor is 200% of the minimum wage, and the minimum wage rose to €1,221 a month in February 2026. Consulates publish €2,442 a month for a single applicant while many advisers quote €2,849 because they annualise 14 payments; applicants should expect the higher figure to be safe.
Spending more than 183 days in a calendar year makes a person tax resident, and the immigration rules now apply the same presence test to permits. The impatriate regime, open to telework-permit holders since 2023, offers a flat rate on employment income for six tax years but must be elected within six months of social security registration.
What is changing
Real Decreto 1155/2024, in force since May 2025, shortened renewals to two years for both the nomad and non-lucrative permits and codified the 183-day presence rule. The investor visa closed on 3 April 2025 under Organic Law 1/2025.
At the border, the Entry/Exit System has counted visa-free days electronically since October 2025 and fully since April 2026, ending informal overstays. ETIAS, the pre-travel authorisation, has slipped again with no 2026 date.
Researched from exteriores.gob.es · exteriores.gob.es · exteriores.gob.es · exteriores.gob.es · exteriores.gob.es · exteriores.gob.es · sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es · sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es · lamoncloa.gob.es · es.usembassy.gov · the authority