Spanish Visas & Residence
There are several different visas you can apply for depending on your circumstances and how you plan to spend your time in Spain. Some, for example, allow you to work and some do not.
Below we outline the criteria for the long stay visas you may want to look at when deciding to buy a property in Spain.
Non-Lucrative Residence Visa
A Spanish non-lucrative visa permits you to live in Spain without working or engaging in professional activities. Non-lucrative visa holders are not permitted to work in any country and are required to prove they have stopped employment in their home country.
Dependent children of the applicant whom are 18 years of age and under are able to apply without the need to prove dependence or higher education.
To be granted a non-lucrative residence visa you must be able to prove you have the economic means to live in Spain for the year (*see below for details). You must also prove you have public or private health insurance taken out by an insurance company authorised to operate in Spain.
The application process for a non-lucrative residence visa is a simple one, but note the process must begin in your home country and not after entering Spain.
Once you are granted the non-lucrative visa and you use it to enter Spain you have one month to process the TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) at the Immigration Office or Police Station. This is a foreigner identity card.
Some people who may apply for a non-lucrative Spanish visa include:
- Those looking to retire in Spain
- Those who have the economic means to live in Spain without working
- Anyone else who wants to spend more than 90 in any 180 days in Spain without working
Digital Nomad Visa
The Spanish Digital Nomad Visa, officially known as the “Visado de Residencia para Trabajar a Distancia” or Remote Work Visa, is a relatively new and innovative immigration option introduced by the Spanish government. Launched in response to the changing landscape of work, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, this visa is designed to attract digital nomads, freelancers, remote workers, and entrepreneurs from around the world.
The Spanish Nomad Visa offers several benefits, making it an appealing option for those wanting to live and work in Spain. It allows individuals to reside and work in Spain for up to five years and it is easy to take your family with you. Applicants do not need to have a job offer from a Spanish employer, making it accessible to freelancers and self-employed individuals.
One of the biggest benefits of the Spanish digital nomad visa is the tax benefits. Under this visa, you will pay a flat rate of 24% tax on your income up to €600,000. Spaniards currently pay 30% tax on earnings over €20,200 and 45% on income over €60,000, so this is a very significant saving.
To qualify for the Digital Nomad Visa, applicants must:
- Be from outside the EEA (this includes Britons)
- Work remotely for non-Spanish companies, with less than 20% of income coming from Spanish firms
- Have been working for at least 3 months in their current role for a company that has been set up for at least a year
- Have a permanent Spanish address when they relocate
- Have a salary of at least 200% of the Spanish SMI (minimum wage) which in 2023 equates to €2,520 per month or €30,240 per year
Highly Qualified Professionals Visa
This visa provides a work permit and therefore allows you to live and to work in Spain providing you will be working in a qualified or managerial position.
It is recommended that to apply for this Spanish long stay visa you should have a masters degree or a PhD as well as the job offer itself. The company or institution you will be working for will also be taken into consideration, as will the job description and the salary on offer. For a managerial position you will be required to be earning a minimum salary of €54,142. This is lower for intellectual professionals, such as scientists, who must be earning a minimum salary of €40,077.
The professional person can be accompanied by their spouse and children who will be expected to complete individual applications.
*Proof of Economic Means
The required economic means for the non-lucrative and golden visas is calculated using the Spanish IPREM; a Spanish index which gives an income benchmark. The IPREM for 2024 was €600 per month. However please note that the Spanish IPREM typically increases annually.
You must be able to prove that you will have 400% of the IPREM in your bank account monthly plus an additional 100% for each additional family member.
In 2024 400% of this equated to a monthly income of at least €2,400 or a total of €28,800 annually. If there are two of you applying for the visa, then this increases to 500% which equates to €3,000 per month or €36,000 annually and so on.
If you have enough in your account to cover the year then there is no need to prove you have any kind of monthly income. You just need to demonstrate that you have, or will have, sufficient funds to cover the entire year.
Supporting documents when applying for your visa may include bank statements, pension documents, and so on.
At Movehappy we want your experience of buying property in Spain to be a happy and stress free one. We work with a team of experienced accountants and lawyers who will assist you at every stage of your buying journey. They will help with the Spanish long stay visa application process as well as any other applications and processes you may need to complete after arriving in Spain.
If you have any questions about Spanish long stay visas or anything else at all please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always here to help!
