The Spain digital nomad visa allows remote workers from outside the EU to live in Spain while continuing to work for companies and clients based elsewhere, with no requirement to attend an office. This page explains how the route works, who qualifies and what it costs.
Allowed
None
4 to 12 weeks
See the current official fee schedule
This route lets remote employees and freelancers live in the destination country and carry on working for clients abroad, with no obligation to attend an office
Portugal’s digital nomad visa opens the country to remote work and has drawn steady interest from freelancers and independent professionals
1Check your eligibility and choose the right route
2Confirm the rules that apply and open your file
3Prepare and translate documents, then book the consular appointment
4Visa decision, arrival and registration in Spain
You can lodge an appeal within one month of the decision. The period starts the day after the notification reaches you.
Yes. No more than 20% of your total income may come from clients or employers inside Spain. The rest has to come from outside the country.
Applying from your country of residence gives a one-year visa. Applying from inside Spain gives a residence permit valid for three years.
Freelancers have more control over how they work and how they are taxed, which can make the file easier to assemble. Employees instead have to obtain written confirmation from their employer.
Have your chances for the Spain digital nomad visa checked now, at no cost. Our team measures your income, your contracts and your professional profile against the current Spanish criteria and tells you plainly where you stand. A proper review before you apply is what keeps a refusal, and the cost of starting again, off the table.
If you want to live in Spain and keep working remotely at the same time, this guide sets out how the Spain digital nomad visa works in practice.
The visa lets remote workers live in Spain and carry on with their jobs without being tied to an office. It has become one of the most used routes for freelancers and for anyone looking at remote work in Spain.
Below you will find the requirements for the Spain nomad visa, the documents, the fees and living costs, and how renewal works, so you can judge the move on facts rather than impressions.
If you want to live in Europe while working remotely, the Spain digital nomad visa is one of the clearest options available. It was introduced in 2023 under Spain’s Startups Law and quickly became one of the better known remote work permits in Europe.
There are two ways in:
After five years of legal residence in Spain you can apply for long-term residence, which carries broader rights.
Renewal assumes you actually live in Spain: long absences, generally more than six months in a year, put the permit at risk. Spending more than 183 days a year in the country also makes you a Spanish tax resident, with local tax obligations attached.
At first glance the digital nomad visa and Spain’s self-employment (autonomo) visa look interchangeable. They are not, and the differences matter:
| Feature | Spain digital nomad visa | Spain self-employment visa |
| Purpose | Remote work from Spain for clients abroad | Independent work and running a business inside Spain |
| Source of income | Mainly outside Spain | Mainly inside Spain |
| Documents | Proof of remote work, contracts and income | Business plan, business registration, social security |
| Limits on activity | No more than 20% of income from Spanish clients | Free to trade inside Spain |
| Residence | Renewable, with a path to long-term residence | Long-term residence possible, through a heavier process |
| Tax | Simpler, with the special inbound regime available | Full income tax and social security from the start |
If you plan to live in Spain as a remote employee or a freelancer, three residence routes come up most often:
Introduced in 2023, this visa is for people who work remotely or freelance for companies outside Spain, or who run an international online business. Applying from abroad gives an initial one-year visa. Applying from inside Spain during a legal short stay gives a residence permit of up to three years.
It can be renewed up to five years, family members can join, and holders may qualify for the special tax regime for new arrivals. It suits freelancers, designers, developers and salaried remote employees.
The non-lucrative visa, sometimes called the retirement visa, is for people who will not work in Spain and can live on passive income or savings. It is issued for one year and renewable up to five, after which long-term residence becomes available.
Applicants have to show enough money to cover a year of living costs and hold full private health cover. It is a low-risk option for anyone who wants to live in Spain without taking up work there.
Spain’s golden visa granted residence to people investing at least EUR 500,000 in Spanish property. Following housing market reforms, the programme was abolished and stopped accepting new applications in April 2025. Holders did not have to live in Spain full time; one visit a year was enough. With that route closed, people looking at Spain now compare the digital nomad visa and the entrepreneur visa instead.
If you are unsure which Spanish route fits your situation, talk to the Aval Visa team. We assess your profile against each option, tell you which one your case actually supports, and prepare the file if you decide to go ahead.
If you intend to live in Spain while working remotely, this route offers a few things the alternatives do not:
In short, the visa pairs life in Europe with the income you already earn elsewhere.
If you want to live in Spain as a remote worker or freelancer, these are the conditions to meet:
There are two ways to apply: at the Spanish consulate responsible for where you live, or from inside Spain during a legal stay, before the 90 days run out.
The consulate asks for a defined set of documents, from the main applicant and from every family member joining the application.
A second set of documents depends on how you work. It usually includes:
Assembling the full set before booking an appointment is the single thing that most reduces delay.
The application runs through six stages:
Step 1: gather the documents
Start with the official Spanish checklist. Some documents have to carry an international apostille.
The core set is the application form, a valid passport, a biometric photograph, employment and income documents, an employment reference, health insurance, a police certificate and family documents. Each consulate publishes its own list, so confirm the current version when you book.
Step 2: book the consular appointment
Applications are lodged in person at the Spanish embassy or consulate that covers your place of residence. You register your details at the booking stage and pay the consular visa fee, which is set by the Spanish authorities and changes; check the current schedule before you budget.
Step 3: attend the appointment
Bring the complete file at the appointed time, answer any questions and hand over your passport for processing. Take original documents with you; the consulate keeps copies.
Step 4: the decision
Processing usually runs 15 to 45 working days. Once approved, you have one month to collect the visa. You can then arrange accommodation, and once in Spain open a bank account and complete the remaining residence steps.
Step 5: get a foreigner identity number (NIE)
After arrival you need an NIE, the foreigner identity and tax number. You can request it at the consulate before you travel or at an immigration office in Spain. You need your passport, the completed form, a photograph, proof of address and the fee.
Step 6: get a tax number (NIF)
For tax and banking matters you can obtain a NIF from the Spanish tax agency. No appointment is needed and there is no charge, but you must bring the form, your passport and proof of address. In most cases foreign nationals use the NIE as their tax number.
The slow part is usually the paperwork rather than the decision. Collecting documents and arranging apostilles and sworn translations can take weeks. Once the file is ready, timing is fairly predictable. Expect 4 to 12 weeks end to end: roughly 2 to 4 weeks to secure an appointment and 2 to 6 weeks for the decision. Planning around those windows avoids booking flights or leases too early.
Renewal follows a set pattern. The first visa is issued for one year. After arriving in Spain you apply for the residence card (TIE), which is issued for three years and can then be renewed for a further two.
To renew the residence card:
If a spouse or children are with you:
Kept to that schedule, renewal is routine and the five-year clock toward long-term residence keeps running. For official, current guidance on living in Spain, see the Spanish migration portal.
The table below sets out the main costs of applying and of living in Spain:
| Item | Notes | Approximate amount |
| Housing | No minimum sum or set requirement | Varies by city and neighbourhood |
| Consular fee (visa fee) | Charged on the initial application | Per the current official schedule |
| NIE number | Foreigner identity and tax number in Spain | EUR 9.84 |
| Health insurance (one year) | Single applicant and family | From EUR 50 per month for one person, around EUR 2,500 per year for a family of four |
| Residence card (TIE) | The physical residence card | EUR 79.26 |
| Notary fees and document translation | Apostille and sworn translation | Over EUR 1,000 |
| Monthly living costs | Rent, food, utilities and transport | Large cities: EUR 1,500–2,500; smaller cities: EUR 1,000–1,800 |
| Tax | Under the special inbound regime | Flat 24% on employment income up to EUR 600,000; 47% above that. Standard rates run 19–47% |
If you are undecided about where to base yourself, comparing Spain with Portugal and Greece is a useful starting point.
| Country | Minimum monthly income | Initial permit | Tax treatment |
| Spain | About EUR 2,600–2,800 (200% of the minimum wage, reset each year) | 1 to 3 years, renewable up to 5 years | Flat 24% under the special inbound regime |
| Portugal | About EUR 3,300–3,500 (four times the minimum wage) | Up to 1 year as a temporary stay, or a renewable residence permit | The NHR regime is closed to new applicants; a narrower successor regime applies |
| Greece | About EUR 3,500 | 1 year, renewable | Income tax relief of up to 50% |
These figures are indicative. They move with the law, with exchange rates and with where in Spain you live. Confirm the current numbers against official Spanish sources, or ask the Aval Visa team to check them against your own case before you commit.
Tax status drives a lot of what happens later, including renewals. The points that matter most:
Late filing or incomplete income reporting can lead to penalties and complicate a renewal.
A few checks before you start will save time later:
The route looks complicated on paper, but most of the difficulty is administrative rather than legal. Decisions rest with the Spanish authorities.
The choice comes down to where your clients are. If you work only for clients outside Spain and want the lighter process, the digital nomad visa fits. If you want Spanish clients and full freedom to trade locally, the self-employment visa is the right instrument, at the cost of more administration and higher ongoing contributions.
If you meet the requirements and can evidence the income, the rest is process. Aval Visa confirms your eligibility, builds the document set, arranges translations and apostilles, completes the forms, books the consular appointment and prepares your file for submission. Book a consultation and we will tell you where you stand before you spend anything on the application. The decision itself rests with the Spanish authorities.
