Spain Digital Nomad Visa: the 2026 Guide

The visa, created by Spain's Startup Act under Ley 14/2013, is for non-EU/EEA nationals who work remotely using only computer and telecommunication means. You qualify as an employee of a company outside Spain, or as a freelancer whose clients are mainly outside Spain.

• A university, college, or business school degree, or at least 3 years of work experience in your current field.
• Your employer or main client relationship must be at least 3 months old, and the company must show at least 1 year of real activity.
• Freelancers may take Spanish clients, but that work must stay under 20% of total professional activity. Employees must work entirely for employers outside Spain.
• Social security coverage: a certificate of coverage from your home country if it has a bilateral agreement with Spain (the US and UK do), or registration as self-employed (autonomo) in Spain.
• A clean criminal record certificate, apostilled, plus private health insurance valid in Spain.

The threshold is pegged to Spain's minimum wage (SMI), which was raised 3.1% for 2026 to €1,221 per month in 14 payments (€17,094 per year), effective retroactively from January 1, 2026. The visa requires 200% of the SMI for a single applicant, plus supplements for family members:

You can prove funds through employment income (contract plus payslips), savings of at least the annual amount, or a combination. Authorities increasingly cross-check bank statements against the declared income, so the money trail needs to match what your contract says.

From inside Spain (UGE-CE): if you are already legally in Spain, including during a visa-free 90/180 stay, you can apply online to the UGE-CE for the residence permit directly. It is granted for 3 years, and the statutory resolution period is 20 working days from a complete application. This is the route most applicants prefer.

From a Spanish consulate abroad: the consular visa is issued for 1 year. Once in Spain you can apply to swap it for the 3-year residence permit (apply for the TIE within the window before your visa expires). Consular document requirements and processing times vary by mission, so read your consulate's checklist carefully.

Planning the in-Spain route? Your days before approval still count against the Schengen 90/180 limit, so track them with the Spain calculator while your application is pending.

Digital nomad visa holders who are employees can opt into the special expat regime (the Beckham law): a flat 24% on Spanish-source employment income up to €600,000 per year, for the arrival year plus five more, with foreign assets generally outside Spanish wealth tax. You must opt in within 6 months of registering with Spanish social security, and self-employed workers generally do not qualify.

Whether the regime actually saves you money depends on your income mix and home-country treaties. This is the one part of the process where paying a cross-border tax advisor almost always pays for itself.

The permit renews in 2-year blocks up to 5 years in total, provided you keep meeting the requirements and genuinely reside in Spain (expect to show roughly six months per year of presence). At the 5-year mark you can apply for long-term residence, and the years also count toward the residence period for Spanish citizenship.

Renewal scrutiny has tightened in 2026: authorities check social security registration and income continuity more carefully than in the visa's early years, so keep your paperwork current from day one.