Do you work remotely for a company or clients abroad and want to live in Spain? This guide helps you understand the requirements for Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa, the documents you need, and the available application routes.
In this guide, we explain who can apply, how much income you need to prove, what documents you should prepare, and how to obtain your residence authorization, whether you apply from Spain or from abroad.
The approach is practical: we distinguish between legal requirements, administrative criteria published by the UGE-CE, and practical experience observed by Nodisea in real cases.
What Is the Digital Nomad Visa in Spain?
The Digital Nomad Visa, legally referred to as the visa or residence authorization for international remote work, allows certain non-EU nationals to live in Spain while carrying out employment or professional activity remotely for companies located outside Spanish territory, using exclusively computer, telematic and telecommunication means.
This residence category was incorporated into Law 14/2013 by Law 28/2022.
Main advantages
- Legal residence in Spain while maintaining international professional activity.
- Residence authorization of up to three years when applying from Spain.
- Possibility to include certain family members, provided family links and financial means are proven.
- Renewal for two-year periods if the legal conditions continue to be met.
- Possible access to the special tax regime for inbound workers, commonly known as the Beckham Law, subject to its own tax requirements.
- Legal residence time may count towards long-term residence, provided continuity and stay requirements are met.
It is important to distinguish between the consular visa, with a maximum initial validity of one year, and the residence authorization processed from Spain before the UGE-CE, which may be granted for up to three years.
Who Can Apply?
This permit is mainly aimed at non-EU nationals who can carry out their activity remotely through computer or telematic means for companies located outside Spain.
Employees
This includes professionals hired by foreign companies who can continue working from Spain without changing employer. The company must expressly authorize remote work from Spain, and the applicable Social Security obligations must be complied with.
Freelancers and Independent Professionals
This includes consultants, developers, designers and other professionals who provide services to international clients through commercial relationships. In these cases, activity for Spanish companies may only be accepted within the legal limit of 20% of the total professional activity, and never as an employment relationship in Spain.
Applicants with Their Own Foreign Company
There may also be cases where applicants work through their own company incorporated outside Spain. These files must be prepared with particular care, because the UGE may request additional documentation to prove ownership or effective control of the company, the company’s real and continuous activity, tax filings, investments or productive means, and the genuine link between the applicant and the entity.
Spain Digital Nomad Visa Requirements in 2026
Minimum Income
The legal reference for the main applicant is 200% of the current Spanish Minimum Wage. In 2026, the SMI is set at €1,221 per month in 14 payments, equivalent to €17,094 per year. To express the requirement in comparable monthly amounts, the annual figure can be prorated over 12 months.
| Family unit | Indicative minimum monthly amount in 2026 |
|---|---|
| Main applicant | €2,849.00 gross per month |
| Main applicant + first family member | €3,917.38 gross per month |
| Each additional family member | +€356.13 gross per month |
The amounts should be understood as gross amounts before tax withholding. Financial sufficiency is normally proven through contracts, payslips or invoices from the previous three months, together with bank documentation consistent with that income.
If your employment or professional income does not reach the required minimum, the UGE allows the difference to be completed with savings or other liquid income. You must prove, through updated bank certificates in your name and signed or stamped by the bank, that those funds cover the difference for the entire validity period of the authorization.
Nodisea experience: a small and well-documented difference is usually more defensible; each case requires individual assessment and this does not guarantee approval.
Read our guide on income requirements and how to prove them.
Age and Real Activity of the Foreign Company
It must be proven that the foreign company or group of companies with which the worker has an employment or professional relationship has carried out real and continuous activity for at least one year. This requirement must be proven through official documents, such as a commercial registry certificate or equivalent registry document from the country of origin.
In addition to proving that the company was incorporated more than one year ago, it is advisable to provide recent official documentation confirming that it remains active. In practice, good standing certificates, certificates of existence, updated registry extracts or equivalent documents issued in recent months may help demonstrate that the entity not only exists formally, but is still operating.
Employment or Professional Relationship with the Foreign Company
The employment or professional relationship with the foreign company must have existed for at least the three months prior to the application. How this is proven depends on the type of relationship.
Read what the contract should include for the Digital Nomad Visa.
To avoid confusion, it is useful to separate the documents into four blocks:
- Contract: an employment contract for employees, or a commercial/freelance contract for independent contractors.
- Authorization letter: the foreign company must issue a letter authorizing remote work from Spain and describing the position, duties, remuneration and the possibility of carrying out the activity through telematic means. For company-owner applicants, remote authorization may be implicit, but the letter should still include the remaining relevant details.
- Proof of income: payslips from the previous three months for employees, or invoices from the previous three months for freelancers/contractors.
- Bank statements or bank certificates: bank documentation from the previous three months that allows the income corresponding to the payslips or invoices submitted to be identified.
According to the documentation published by the UGE, the bank certificate must be in the applicant’s name, stamped or signed by the bank, and the transactions proving payment of salaries or invoices must be expressly marked for identification.
In recent Nodisea cases, we have also observed requests for unedited bank statements, a simple Spanish translation when they are not in Spanish, and a working copy highlighting the relevant transactions.
Education or Professional Experience
The applicant must prove that they are a qualified professional. There are two main routes:
- Degree or qualification: providing a university degree, master’s degree, doctorate, vocational training qualification or equivalent training related to the position or duties to be carried out. If the qualification was issued abroad, it is advisable to check whether it must be apostilled or legalized and translated.
- Professional experience: proving at least three years of professional experience related to the position. This route requires verifiable documents, not only a CV.
To prove experience, it is usually advisable to provide official documents such as tax returns, records of employment, employment history reports or equivalent public certificates proving the period worked; certificates or documentation proving that the companies for which the applicant worked were active and registered; and recommendation letters or company certificates showing start and end dates, duties performed and the connection with the current position.
Criminal Records and Immigration Status
The applicant must meet the general requirements of Article 62 of Law 14/2013: they must not be irregularly in Spain, must be of legal age, must not be listed as inadmissible, and must not represent a threat to public order, public security, public health or national security.
Regarding criminal records, the applicant must provide a criminal record certificate from the country or countries where they have resided during the previous two years. In addition, they must submit a responsible declaration regarding the absence of criminal records in the countries where they have resided during the previous five years.
If a criminal record certificate is submitted from a country other than the applicant’s country of nationality or origin, effective residence in that country during the relevant period must be justified. Having a criminal record does not automatically prevent approval, but it must be reviewed individually.
Social Security and Healthcare Coverage
The way this requirement is proven depends on the type of relationship and whether an international Social Security coordination rule applies. The UGE essentially distinguishes between employment and self-employment.
In practice, it is useful to distinguish between three scenarios:
- Foreign company registered with Spanish Social Security: if the worker is an employee, the company may register as a foreign entity without a workplace in Spain and commit to registering the remote worker under the General Social Security Regime once the authorization is granted and before the activity in Spain begins.
- Foreign company with a certificate of coverage: where continued foreign Social Security coverage is permitted, the official certificate must expressly cover remote work from Spain. Healthcare must be documented separately: if the applicable international rules provide access to Spain’s public healthcare system, submit an entitlement certificate from the competent institution. Otherwise, provide qualifying public or private health insurance with coverage equivalent to Spain’s National Health System, without co-payments or waiting periods.
- Independent contractors or self-employed professionals: according to the UGE-CE FAQs, the ordinary route is to provide a commitment or responsible declaration to register under the Spanish self-employed regime (RETA) once the authorization is granted and before starting the activity in Spain. As a precaution, we do not recommend basing the file solely on a certificate of coverage from the country of origin without first analyzing the specific case.
Travel insurance, insurance based only on reimbursement of medical expenses, or policies with co-payments or waiting periods are not valid when private health insurance is required.
Proof of Status as an Independent Contractor or Self-Employed Professional
In independent contractor cases, Nodisea has observed that the UGE is requesting official public documents proving the applicant’s status as a self-employed professional, independent worker or contractor during the three months prior to the application.
When these are foreign public documents, they must be apostilled or legalized and, if not in Spanish, translated by a sworn translator recognized by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.
Where the country of origin does not have a specific register for self-employed professionals or independent contractors, it may be possible to prove this status through equivalent documents, such as tax registration certificates, registration under a self-employed tax regime or similar system, affiliation with a Social Security system for independent workers, a business license or municipal permit, chamber of commerce registration, annual tax returns showing independent activity, proof of tax payments, or registration in an economic activity census or sole-proprietor registry.
Required Documents
The final list of documents depends on each individual case. As a reference, for an initial application before the UGE-CE from Spain, documentation is usually prepared according to the requirement being proven:
| Requirement | Documents to provide |
|---|---|
| Identity and immigration status | Valid full passport, proof of entry or legal stay in Spain, and, where applicable, representation documents. |
| Application and fee | MI-T form duly completed and signed, proof of payment of fee 790 code 038 and payment receipt where not shown on the form itself. |
| Employment or professional relationship of at least 3 months | Employment or commercial/freelance contract; company letter authorizing remote work from Spain; payslips or invoices from the previous three months. |
| Sufficient income | Payslips or invoices, signed or stamped bank certificates/statements, identified transactions and, where applicable, savings or liquidity certificates to cover differences. |
| Real and active foreign company | Official commercial registry certificate or equivalent, proof of incorporation more than one year ago and recent official documentation proving activity or good standing. |
| Professional qualification | Qualification related to the position, CV and/or proof of at least three years of experience through official documents, company certificates and evidence of real activity of previous companies. |
| Social Security and healthcare coverage | Registration/commitment to register with Spanish Social Security, certificate of applicable legislation if relevant, commitment to register under RETA for contractors, and medical insurance where necessary. |
| Criminal records and admission requirements | Criminal record certificate from the countries of residence of the previous two years, responsible declaration covering the previous five years and other required general declarations. |
| Family documents, where applicable | Marriage, partnership, birth or dependency certificates, apostilled/legalized and translated where required. |
Foreign public documents may require apostille or legalization and sworn translation. If you work through your own company, additional corporate documentation may be required.
For a personalized review, consult Nodisea’s application support service. Check the formal requirements for sworn translations in Spain before submitting your documents.
How to Apply for the Digital Nomad Visa
Applying from Spain
Anyone who is legally in Spain may apply electronically before the UGE-CE for the residence authorization for international remote work. Its maximum initial duration may be up to three years.
The main steps are:
- Check the personal, professional, financial and Social Security requirements.
- Prepare and review the documents, apostilles, legalizations and translations.
- Complete the MI-T form and pay the applicable fee.
- Submit the application electronically before the UGE-CE.
- Respond to any requests for additional documentation, if issued.
- Receive the decision and apply for the TIE card where applicable.
Important disclaimer: when applying from Spain, legal entry or legal stay must be proven. If the applicant entered from outside the Schengen Area, entry is normally proven with the flight ticket or other means of transport used, without prejudice to the Administration requesting additional evidence.
If the applicant entered from another Schengen country, it may be necessary to provide travel tickets and a declaration of entry, which must be obtained within 72 hours after arrival in Spain. Once your residence authorization has been approved, read our guide on how to apply for your Spanish TIE card.
Applying from Abroad
It is also possible to apply for an international remote work visa before the competent Spanish consulate, with a maximum validity of one year. In this route, the specific requirements of each consulate should always be checked, as there may be practical differences in forms, document submission, appointments, fees, translations or additional documentation requested.
To continue residing in Spain afterwards, the corresponding residence authorization must be processed in accordance with the applicable legal rules and deadlines.
How Long Does Approval Take?
The general legal deadline for the UGE-CE to resolve residence authorization applications is 20 working days from electronic submission before the competent body. If no decision is issued within that period, Law 14/2013 provides for positive administrative silence, provided the legal conditions are met and without prejudice to possible suspensions due to requests for additional documentation or other procedural incidents.
In the consular route, visa applications must be resolved and notified within 10 working days, except in cases involving applicants subject to the consultation procedure under Article 22 of the Visa Code, in which case the general deadline under that Code applies.
The time required to obtain foreign documents, apostilles, legalizations and translations must be planned separately, because these periods are not part of the administrative decision deadline.
Application Fees and Costs
The cost depends on the number of applicants, the origin of the documents and the complexity of the file. Depending on the case, it may include fees, certificates, apostilles, legalizations, sworn translations and notarizations.
As of the date of this guide, the UGE-CE application fee is €73.26. Check the amount on the official platform before payment, as it may be updated.
If you hire professional assistance, review Nodisea’s fees and scope of service separately from government fees and document-related costs.
Can I Include My Family?
Yes. In permitted cases, spouses or partners, minor children, certain dependent adult children and dependent ascendants may apply for residence. Family links and sufficient financial resources for the entire family unit must be proven.
Family members authorized under the corresponding regime may be allowed to work in Spain, in accordance with the conditions of their authorization.
Taxes and Social Security
Obtaining the immigration permit does not automatically determine your tax residence or applicable tax regime. Your tax situation will depend on tax rules and individual circumstances, such as the time spent in Spain, the center of economic interests and the real structure of the activity.
Special Inbound Tax Regime or Beckham Law
Some international remote workers may consider applying for the special inbound tax regime, commonly known as the Beckham Law, if they meet its specific requirements. However, the residence authorization does not automatically grant this tax benefit.
Self-Employment Registration
Self-employed activity may involve registration obligations with the Spanish Tax Agency and the RETA self-employed Social Security regime. Employees follow different rules, especially when there is a certificate of coverage or registration by a foreign company registered in Spain. It is advisable to review taxation and Social Security before relocating.
Duration, Renewal and Permanent Residence
| Type | Maximum duration |
|---|---|
| Initial consular visa | 1 year |
| Initial residence authorization from Spain | 3 years |
| Residence authorization renewal | 2 years |
Renewal requires maintaining the conditions that led to the authorization being granted. Legal and continuous residence may allow an application for long-term residence, generally after five years, if all requirements are met. Spanish citizenship follows its own timelines and requirements.
Common Mistakes
Insufficient company documentation. A contract alone may not prove one year of real and continuous activity by the foreign company.
Poorly justified income. Contracts, payments and bank movements must be consistent and allow the source of income to be clearly identified.
Incorrect apostilles or translations. Foreign documents must comply with the formalities applicable according to the issuing country and type of document.
Unresolved Social Security position. It is essential to prove the applicable regime before filing or, where appropriate, to provide clear commitments to register after approval.
Insufficiently documented professional experience. Experience used as an alternative to a qualification must be verifiable through official documents and certificates consistent with the current duties.
Insufficient notarizations. We have received requests in which the UGE-CE asks that, in notarized documents, the notary expressly state that they have had access to the original documents or that these documents were presented to them. For this reason, it is advisable to carefully review the wording of any notarial certification before submitting the file.
Nodisea tip: a preventive review of the file helps detect problems before submission and may reduce the risk of requests for additional documentation or delays.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Apply from Spain as a Tourist?
Yes, if you are legally in Spain and meet all the requirements for the authorization. Legal entry or legal stay must be proven.
Can I Apply as a Freelancer?
Yes, if you prove genuine international professional activity, a commercial relationship of at least three months and the remaining required conditions.
Can I Work for Spanish Clients?
Freelancers may do so within the legal limit of 20% of their total professional activity. For employees, the employment activity must be carried out for companies located outside Spain.
Do I Need a University Degree?
Not necessarily. You may provide a qualification related to the position or, alternatively, at least three years of professional experience in similar duties.
Can My Partner Work in Spain?
Yes, when they obtain the corresponding family authorization under the applicable rules.
What Happens If My Application Is Refused?
The reasons for the decision and the available appeals must be reviewed. Depending on the circumstances, a new, better-documented application may also be considered.
Do I need empadronamiento for my DNV application?
Depending on the stage of the application and your place of residence, empadronamiento might be necessary. Read more about whether empadronamiento is required for the Digital Nomad Visa application.
Assistance Preparing and Filing Your Application
If you need help assessing your case and preparing the file, consult our Digital Nomad Visa application support service. There, you will find what the service includes, fees and payment options. You can also book a free 15-minute consultation from that page.
Legal review: Francisco Javier Theuer Carmona, immigration lawyer and member of the Granada Bar Association (ICAGR 7984).
Last reviewed: 13 October 2026
Legal and Administrative Sources Consulted
- Law 14/2013, of 27 September, on support for entrepreneurs and their internationalization: Articles 62, 74 bis, 74 ter, 74 quater, 74 quinquies, 75 and 76. https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2013-10074
- Law 28/2022, of 21 December, promoting the start-up ecosystem. https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2022-21739
- Royal Decree 126/2026, of 18 February, setting the Spanish Minimum Wage for 2026. https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2026-3815
- UGE-CE, International Remote Workers page. https://www.inclusion.gob.es/web/unidadgrandesempresas/teletrabajadores
- UGE-CE, document “Initial applications for authorization for international remote workers. Documentation to be provided by main applicants”. https://www.inclusion.gob.es/documents/d/unidadgrandesempresas/informacion-documentacion-titulares
- UGE-CE, Frequently Asked Questions on Digital Nomads. https://www.inclusion.gob.es/documents/d/unidadgrandesempresas/nomadas-digitales-faqs-espanol
- Ministry of Inclusion, management criteria. https://www.inclusion.gob.es/web/migraciones/criterios-de-gestion
- Ministry of Inclusion, instructions. https://www.inclusion.gob.es/web/migraciones/instrucciones
- Plataforma One – residence application for digital nomads and digital nomad visa application. https://one.gob.es/es/tramites/solicitud-de-residencia-para-nomadas-digitales
General information updated as of October 2026. This content does not replace personalized legal advice. Always verify fees, financial thresholds, administrative criteria and consular requirements before submitting an application.
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