Spain · Digital Nomad Residence Permit
Spain's digital nomad visa lets non-EU remote workers and freelancers live here for up to five years while working for companies abroad. There are two ways in, and choosing the wrong one costs you two years of residency.
Figures verified against Residency Spain Agency · Last checked 14 Mar 2026
60-second check
The UGE refuses more files for paperwork than for money. These five are the ones you cannot fix with a better cover letter — answer them honestly before you spend anything on apostilles.
One thing the checker cannot tell you. Every foreign document has to be apostilled and translated by a sworn translator registered in Spain. That is usually the longest part of the whole process, and it is worth starting before anything else.
Three ways in
The decision that matters
Spain lets you apply from your home consulate or from inside Spain. Most people default to the consulate because it sounds official. It is the weaker option: same requirements, a third of the residence.
Route 01 · From your consulate
1 year visa, then swap it for a permit in Spain
The only option if you cannot legally enter Spain first.
Route 02 · From inside Spain
3 years residence permit, renewable for 2 more
Enter legally as a tourist, then file with the UGE before day 90.
Application route
This is Route 02, the one that gets you three years. Start collecting documents three to four months before you plan to travel — the paperwork abroad takes far longer than the decision in Spain.
Criminal record certificate covering the last five years, your degree or proof of three years' experience, and the commercial registry extract for the company you work with. Each needs an apostille and a sworn translation into Spanish.
4–8 weeks, and it is the bottleneckContract or service agreements, three months of payslips or invoices, and bank certificates showing those exact amounts arriving in an account in your name.
Full cover from an insurer authorised in Spain, with no copayments, no excess and no waiting period. This is one of the three most common reasons a file is refused.
As a visa-free tourist if your nationality allows, or on any valid visa. The application must be filed while your stay is still legal — and well before day 90.
Tasa 790, código 038, then form MI-T and every document submitted together and signed digitally through the Ministry's electronic office. Partial submissions are where files stall.
20 working days to a decisionIf the UGE asks for something, the clock is short and unforgiving. Miss it and the file is archived, not refused — you start again.
Book a cita at the police station, give fingerprints, then collect the card. Register your address at the town hall and get your NIE if you do not already have one.
Card issued 30–45 days after the appointmentChecklist
Everything is filed digitally, in one submission. Foreign documents need an apostille and a sworn translation — no exceptions, and photocopies of translations are not accepted.
Straight from the source
These open the Spanish government's own pages. Read the official documentation before you start — this page summarises it, it does not replace it.
Money and deadlines
| Item | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Tasa 790, código 038 (UGE) | €73.26 | Before filing |
| NIE | €9.84 | If you do not already have one |
| Consular visa fee | ~€80 | Route 01 only, varies by consulate |
| Minimum income, main applicant | €2,849 / mo | Proven over the last three months |
| First family member | +€1,068 / mo | On top of the above |
| Each additional family member | +€356 / mo | On top of the above |
| Apostilles and sworn translations | Varies | Budget properly — it adds up fast |
Under Spain's special expat regime — the Beckham Law, Art. 93 LIRPF — qualifying holders pay a flat 24% on employment income up to €600,000 for six tax years, instead of progressive rates reaching 47%. Modelo 149 has to be filed within six months of registering with Spanish social security, and that deadline is final.
The regime is designed for employees. Self-employed applicants generally do not qualify and are taxed under normal IRPF rules. If you are freelance, do the maths before you assume 24% applies — and take advice from a Spanish tax practitioner, not from this page.
The three-year permit renews for two more, giving five continuous years of legal residence — the point at which long-term EU residence becomes available. Stay out of Spain more than six months in a calendar year and you put the permit itself at risk.
Citizens of Ibero-American countries, the Philippines and Equatorial Guinea can apply for Spanish nationality after two years of legal residence rather than ten.
Work with me
I live in Spain and have been through the paperwork on this side of it. Start with a review if you want certainty before spending anything, or go straight to the full application. If the UGE comes back with a requerimiento, answering it is part of the fee — not an extra. I am not a lawyer or a gestor; for legal and tax opinions I refer you to licensed practitioners.
€179 one-off, credited against a full application within 60 days
For people who want a straight answer before spending anything on apostilles.
€1450 one fixed fee, excluding VAT and government charges
Your file, prepared and filed end to end.
€500 per dependant, excluding VAT and government charges
Spouse, partner, child or dependent parent added to your application — not a separate case.
Government charges are separate and paid by you. €73.26 per applicant for the tasa, €9.84 for a NIE, plus apostilles, sworn translations and your insurance premium. Those go to the state and to third parties, not to me.
Questions
If you can legally enter Spain, file from here. Same requirements, but you get a three-year permit instead of a one-year visa, a legally binding 20-working-day decision, and approval by silence if they miss it. The consulate route only makes sense when entering Spain first is not possible.
Two to four months from a standing start. The decision itself is 20 working days; everything before it — apostilles, sworn translations, criminal record certificates from every country you have lived in — is what actually sets the pace. Start three to four months out.
Yes, up to 20% of your activity. Go over that and you are no longer an international teleworker in the eyes of the law, which puts both the permit and any Beckham treatment at risk. Employees have no such allowance — the employer must be entirely outside Spain.
Only if you qualify for the Beckham regime, which is built for employees. Self-employed applicants generally fall outside it and pay normal progressive rates. And the election has to be filed within six months of registering with social security — miss it and it is gone for good. Take proper Spanish tax advice before you plan around it.
In practice: health insurance with copayments, a missing or expired apostille, income evidence that does not match the bank statements, and a company that cannot show a year of trading. Almost none of it is about the applicant — it is about the file.
Yes. Three years plus a two-year renewal gives five continuous years, which is the threshold for long-term EU residence. Citizenship normally needs ten years, or two for nationals of Ibero-American countries, the Philippines and Equatorial Guinea.
Tell me your nationality, how you earn, and whether you can enter Spain legally right now. I'll tell you within two working days which route fits and what your file is missing.
Tell me your nationality, how you earn and whether you can enter Spain legally right now. If you used the checker above, your answers are attached automatically — you can see exactly what is being sent below.
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I reply within two working days. Your details are used to assess your application and nothing else — no list, no forwarding.
Sources
This page is general information, not legal, immigration or tax advice, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Government of Spain. The income threshold is tied to the minimum wage and changes every year; fees, forms and criteria change too. Always confirm the current position with the UGE or your consulate before you act. Package prices cover application preparation and administrative representation only; legal and tax opinions are referred to licensed practitioners.
