Spain digital nomad visa
Spain's international telework visa is for people working remotely for employers or clients outside Spain. You need at least EUR 2,442 a month, and you can apply at a consulate or, if you're already in Spain legally, online from inside the country.
At a glance
- The visa
- International telework visa
- What you need
- About $2,740 to $3,200 a month (EUR 2,442 a month, sources differ); in pounds, about £2,060 to £2,400 a month
- What counts as proof
- Gross. Each consulate sets its own evidence period, and some ask for six months.
- Who can apply
- Employees of a company abroad: yes. Freelancers: yes (spanish clients can be no more than 20 per cent of your work). Owners of a company abroad: unclear (consulates do not say whether owning the company abroad counts).
- How long
- Up to a year from a consulate, or three years if you apply inside Spain
- Without a visa
- British and American visitors: 90 days in any 180 across Schengen
- EU, EEA and Swiss citizens
- Need no visa: they can live and work there anyway.
The catch. You also need a degree or three years of experience, and at least three months with your employer or clients.
See where you stand against Spain and every other country. Check your income
How to apply
- From abroad, apply to the Spanish consulate for where you live. In the UK, applications go through BLS International. The Houston consulate takes them by post, and asks you to get your NIE, Spain's foreigner number, before you apply.
- From inside Spain, if you're there legally (as a visitor, for example), apply online to the UGE, Spain's unit for strategic groups, with a digital certificate or through a representative. You can stay while it's decided.
- If you're approved inside Spain, apply in person for your TIE residence card at the foreigners' office or a police station in your province. With a consulate visa, the visa itself covers your first year and the TIE is optional.
- Your employer must register you with Spanish social security, or, if you're self-employed, you register yourself.
Fees and timing
- Consulate visa (Houston)
- US$190 for Americans, US$106 for most other nationalities. BLS in the UK adds a £14.85 service fee.
- Applying inside Spain
- EUR 89.96, or EUR 95.27 to renew.
- How long it takes
- Consulates have 10 days to decide, longer if they ask for an interview or more papers. Inside Spain, the UGE says its fastest decisions take 20 working days.
The documents
The main items. Your consulate's own checklist is the one that counts, so check it before you start.
- Visa form with photo
- Passport valid at least a year, issued in the last ten years
- A letter from your company: at least three months with them, permission to work from Spain, and your pay
- The company's registration, showing at least a year of activity, apostilled and translated into Spanish
- Proof of Spanish social security registration, or the signed commitment to register
- A degree, or proof of three years' experience
- Criminal record certificates for the last five years (the UGE asks for two, plus a sworn statement), apostilled, with a sworn Spanish translation. Houston wants an FBI check with a federal apostille
- Health insurance
Health insurance
Required, and strict: a policy from an insurer authorised in Spain, covering everything the public system covers, with no excess, co-payments, limits or waiting periods. Travel insurance isn't accepted.
Nomad policies differ on cover limits, excess and whether they're accepted for a visa. Compare nomad health insurance
Family, renewing and tax
- Family
- A partner, children and dependent parents can come. You need 75% of the minimum wage more for the first person (EUR 916 a month) and 25% (EUR 305) for each one after. Family members may work in Spain.
- Renewing
- Renew online with the UGE; Mazars says renewals are for two years. Permanent residence after five years, citizenship after ten.
- What it leads to
- Permanent residence after five years, citizenship after ten
- Tax
- More than 183 days in a calendar year. Employees can opt into a flat 24 per cent rate
Worth knowing
- February 2026: the minimum wage was set at EUR 1,221, putting the bar at EUR 2,442 a month.