LEGALTICA GUIDE

Spain’s digital nomad visa: requirements and how to apply

Spain’s digital nomad visa (officially “international teleworking”) lets non-EU nationals live in Spain while working remotely for companies based outside Spain. In 2026 you need work income of at least €2,442 a month as consulates calculate it (200% of the minimum wage), a working relationship of at least three months with a company that has been active for a year, and a degree or three years’ experience; you can apply at a consulate or, if you are already in Spain legally, online from Spain with a 20-day decision deadline.

The rest of Legaltica is in Spanish.

Legaltica editorial team Reviewed 24 October 2026 · 10 min read

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6 OFFICIAL SOURCES

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Which route fits you

01 You are employed by a company outside Spain and can do your job entirely online the digital nomad visa fits, but you may only work for that foreign employer.

02 You are a freelancer with clients outside Spain it fits, and up to 20% of your total professional activity can be for Spanish clients.

03 You will work for a Spanish employer this is the wrong permit, you need a work permit or the highly qualified professional permit.

04 You will not work at all and live on savings or a pension use the non-lucrative visa instead.

05 You are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen you need no visa and can work in Spain freely.

The requirements

Nationality of a country outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, being 18 or over and not being in Spain irregularly.
A working relationship with the foreign company for at least the last three months before you apply, through an employment contract or a freelance (commercial) contract.
A company or group that has been genuinely and continuously active for at least one year.
Work that can be done entirely remotely with computers and telecoms. Employees need a document from the employer authorising them to work remotely from Spain; freelancers need the terms and conditions of the remote work.
Qualifications: a degree or postgraduate qualification from a recognised university, vocational school or business school, or at least three years of professional experience.
No criminal record in Spain or in the countries where you lived in the last two years (with certificates), plus a sworn statement covering the last five years.
Health insurance: Spanish public cover (through social security registration) or an equivalent private policy with an insurer authorised in Spain. Travel insurance, reimbursement-only policies and plans with waiting periods or co-payments are not accepted.
Enough income from your work for you and any family members (see below), and the fee paid.

HOW WE MADE THIS GUIDE

Written from 6 official sources, linked at the end.

Rules, amounts and deadlines checked on 24 October 2026.

KEY FIGURES

Main applicant€2,442

First family member€915.75

Each additional family member€305.25

Couple€3,357.75

Couple with one child€3,663

Immigration lawyers in Spain who speak English

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How much you need to earn in 2026

The threshold is a percentage of Spain’s minimum wage (salario mínimo interprofesional, SMI), which in 2026 is €1,221 a month paid in 14 instalments, €17,094 a year. The income must come from your work, not from savings.

Consulates apply the percentages to the monthly figure of €1,221. Some offices, and the UGE-CE when it reviews a file, may look at the annual figure spread over 12 months, which would mean about €2,849 a month for the main applicant. Check which figure your consulate applies before you put your file together, and if you are close to the line, show more.

€2,442 Main applicanta month (200% of the SMI).

€915.75 First family membera month more (75% of the SMI).

€305.25 Each additional family membera month more (25% of the SMI).

€3,357.75 Couplea month in total.

€3,663 Couple with one childa month in total.

Worked example: a software developer employed by a US company for €4,000 gross a month, moving with a spouse and one child, needs €3,663 a month. The payslips, the employment contract and the bank statements must all show the same figure: a mismatch between them is one of the most common reasons files are queried.

Documents checklist

Passport valid for the whole stay, with a copy of every page.
Employment or freelance contracts showing at least three months of relationship, and for employees the employer’s letter authorising remote work from Spain.
Proof that the company has been active for at least one year: certificate of incorporation, tax filings or similar.
Proof of income: recent payslips or invoices and bank statements.
Degree certificate, or proof of at least three years of professional experience.
Criminal record certificates for the countries where you lived in the last two years and a sworn statement covering five years.
Health insurance certificate, or the certificate of social security cover (in Spain, or from your home country under a social security agreement).
For family members: marriage or partnership certificate and birth certificates.
Foreign public documents apostilled or legalised and translated into Spanish by a sworn translator where needed.

How to apply and how long each step takes

From outside Spain: apply for the visa at the Spanish consulate that covers the place where you live. The law gives the consulate 10 working days to decide, although appointments can take longer. The visa is valid for up to one year and lets you live and work remotely in Spain.
With the visa: in the 60 days before it expires, apply online from Spain for the residence permit, which lasts up to three years.
From inside Spain: if you are in Spain legally, for example as a visa-free visitor, you can apply directly online for the residence permit with the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE-CE). Filing extends your legal stay while the application is decided.
The UGE-CE must decide within 20 days of the electronic application. If it has not replied in that time, the permit is treated as granted (positive silence).
Once granted, apply in person for your foreigner identity card (TIE) at the police within one month; the first card costs €16.08.
Renew in the 60 days before expiry for two more years each time, as long as you still meet the requirements; you can also file in the 90 days after expiry, with a possible fine.

The UGE-CE fee for an initial application is €73.26 per person, paid online before filing; consulates charge their own visa fees in local currency. Applying from Spain is usually faster and gives you a three-year permit straight away, but you must apply well before your 90 days as a visitor run out.

Social security and tax

Because you work from Spain, you must be covered by Spanish social security. Employees are registered by their employer, which has to register in Spain as a non-resident company; the only alternative is keeping your home-country cover when Spain has a social security agreement with that country and your home authority certifies it. Freelancers must register as self-employed (autónomo). The UGE-CE warns that failing to do so can lead to the permit, and your family’s permits, being cancelled.

Living in Spain for more than 183 days a year generally makes you a Spanish tax resident. Remote workers with this permit can opt into the special regime for people moving to Spain (often called the “Beckham law”) if they have not been Spanish tax residents in the previous five years: income from work up to €600,000 is taxed at a flat 24% for the year of arrival and the next five. You must opt in within six months of registering with social security, so decide early. Our free calculator (in Spanish) compares it with ordinary income tax.

Bringing your family

Your spouse or partner, your children under 18 (or older children who depend on you financially and have not formed their own family) and dependent parents can apply with you or join you later. Each needs their own application, fee and insurance, and you must show the extra income for each one. Family members with this permit can work in Spain without restrictions, as employees or self-employed.

Common reasons for refusal

The employer’s letter does not say clearly that you may work remotely from Spain.
Less than three months with the company when you apply, or a company with under a year of real activity.
Income proof that does not match: payslips or invoices that do not line up with the bank statements, or income that is partly from savings.
Health insurance with co-payments or a waiting period, or a travel policy.
A job that, in the UGE-CE’s view, needs a physical presence abroad (on-site sales, supervising staff in person).
Planning to work for a Spanish employer, or freelancing for Spanish clients above 20% of your activity.

If you are refused: what you can do

A refusal by the UGE-CE can be challenged with an administrative appeal (recurso de alzada) within one month of notification, and then before the courts. A visa refusal by a consulate can be challenged with a request for reconsideration within one month or before the courts within two months. In many cases it is quicker to fix the weak point (the employer’s letter, the income evidence, the insurance) and apply again, but read the reasons carefully first: the same weakness will be checked again.

When it is worth talking to a lawyer

Many people apply on their own. A lawyer is worth it in the cases below, where the file is less straightforward or a deadline is running. The firms listed say they speak English.

Your employer has never had staff abroad and does not know how to register with Spanish social security: without that, the permit can be cancelled.

You are a freelancer with clients in several countries, or some Spanish clients: the 20% limit and the income evidence must be clear.

Your income is close to the threshold, or comes partly from your own company.

You are already in Spain on another permit (student, non-lucrative) and want to switch: time spent working without authorisation can count against you.

You want to bring family, including dependent parents.

You have been refused: the one-month appeal deadline runs from notification.

You want to decide on the Beckham regime: the six-month deadline to opt in cannot be reopened.

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