Immigration lawyers in Spain
Self-Employed Visa Spain
Start your own business or practice in Spain. No employer, no job offer — your project is what gets approved. We handle the whole application — from the business plan to your TIE card in your hand.

Which route is yours?
Which route is yours?
Three permits let you work for yourself in Spain, and they are judged on completely different things. Picking the right one is most of the work.
| Route | For whom | What is assessed | Filed at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-EmployedGeneral regime · autónomo | Any business or professional practice of your own in Spain | That the project is viable and that you can run it | Spanish consulate |
| EntrepreneurStartup · Ley 14/2013 | Innovative, scalable projects of economic interest for Spain | Innovation and scalability, through a favourable ENISA report | UGE — online |
| Digital NomadFreelance route | Freelancers whose clients are outside Spain | Your existing clients, income and professional record | UGE or consulate |
The short version
If your clients are already outside Spain, the Digital Nomad route is usually faster and easier than building a business plan from scratch. If your customers will be in Spain, it is the self-employed permit. The entrepreneur route is only for genuinely innovative projects — ENISA rejects ordinary businesses, however profitable.
Key advantages
Key advantages
You are the project
No employer, no job offer, no need for a sponsoring company.
Family included
Spouse, children and dependent parents can join you.
Now compatible with a job
The 2024 reform allows self-employment together with part-time employment.
Schengen mobility
Free movement across the Schengen area.
Counts for citizenship
The time of residence adds up.
Renewable
The authorisation can be renewed while your project keeps going.
One thing about this permit that catches people out
The permit is tied to where and to what. The initial authorisation is limited to one autonomous community and to the business sector you applied for. Moving your business to another region, or changing what it does, is not automatic.
Requirements
Requirements
| Criminal record | Clean record in every country of residence over the last 5 years |
| Legal status | No irregular stay in Spain, and no entry ban in Spain or in the Schengen area |
| Qualifications | The training, experience or professional registration your activity requires in Spain |
| Licences | Any licence or permit the activity needs — applied for, at least, before you file |
| Means to live on | Required on the Digital Nomad and Entrepreneur routes. The self-employed permit does not ask for separate living costs — what it assesses is the capital to launch the project. |
| Fee | Administrative fee paid before filing |
What changes by route
| Route | Specific requirement | Duration | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-Employed | A business plan showing the project is economically viable, and evidence that your planned investment is enough to launch it. There is no fixed minimum investment — it has to be sufficient for your particular project. | 1 year · One region, one sector | 3 months · negative administrative silence |
| Entrepreneur | A project that is genuinely innovative and of economic interest for Spain, supported by a favourable ENISA report, plus the funding to launch it. | 3 years, renewable | 20 working days* · positive administrative silence |
| Digital Nomad | Clients based outside Spain, a professional relationship of at least 3 months, a degree or 3 years of experience, and income at or above the legal threshold. | Up to 3 years | 20 working days* · positive administrative silence |
The business plan
The business plan
On the self-employed route this is the document the whole application turns on. It is judged as evidence that the project is viable and that you are the person who can run it.
What it should show
- The activity, and where and how you will carry it out
- Your training and experience in that sector
- The investment needed and where the money comes from
- Realistic projected income and costs
- Licences, premises and permits the activity requires
- Jobs you expect to create, if any
What tends to sink it
- Projections with no basis in the sector’s real figures
- Investment that does not match what the activity actually needs
- No evidence that you can carry out the activity yourself
- Licences left until after the permit is granted
- A generic plan that could describe any business
Nodisea tip
A viability report from a recognised self-employed workers’ association carries real weight with the authorities. It is one of the few things that can turn a borderline file into an approval, and it is worth arranging before you file, not after a refusal.
Required documents
Required documents
Core file — every applicant
- Application form, completed and signed
- Passport, full copy of all pages
- Criminal record certificate from every country of residence in the last 5 years — apostilled and sworn-translated
- Proof of qualifications, training or professional experience — apostilled and sworn-translated
- Professional registration or licences the activity requires, or proof they have been applied for
- Business plan and evidence of the investment
- Proof of funds to support yourself while the business starts up
- Proof of fee payment
Per family member
- Passport
- Marriage certificate, birth certificate or proof of dependency — apostilled and sworn-translated
- Criminal record certificate (from age 18)
- Health insurance, if not covered by Spanish Social Security
- Proof that your means cover the household
Add to the core file, by route
- Self-Employed: bank certificates or funding evidence for the investment, quotes or contracts for premises and equipment, and — where you can get one — a viability report from a self-employed workers’ association
- Entrepreneur: the ENISA questionnaire and favourable report, evidence of funding, and any traction the project already has
- Digital Nomad: client agreements dated 3+ months back, invoices and bank statements, and proof the clients have been trading for over a year
The documents listed here are indicative. Every case has to be assessed individually: depending on your circumstances, your nationality and the office handling the file, the authority may ask for more. Tell us your situation and we will send you the list that actually applies to you.
The application process
The application process
| Self-employed — consulate | Entrepreneur & Digital Nomad — UGE | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is filed | At the Spanish consulate of your place of residence | Online, to the UGE |
| Who files | You, in person | We file on your behalf |
| Resolution | Up to 3 months | 20 working days* |
| If they do not answer | Negative administrative silence | Positive administrative silence |
| Scope | Limited to one autonomous community and one sector | Valid across Spain |
| Family | Applied for with you | Filed together with you |
Step by step
From the first call to your TIE card
1
Assessment
Free 15-min call. We confirm which route fits your project.
Day 0
2
Business plan
We build the plan and the investment evidence with you.
3–6 weeks
3
Documents
Shared Drive folder. We review every document before filing.
2–4 weeks
4
Filing
At the consulate, or online to the UGE depending on your route.
5
Resolution
We follow up and answer any request for further documents.
Up to 3 months*
6
TIE card
Padrón, Social Security registration, fingerprints and your residence card.
30–40 days after
*Timeframes are indicative and depend on the authority handling the file. The business plan is usually the longest step, and the one worth starting first.
Our service
What we do for you
Included
- Eligibility assessment and choice of route
- Review of your business plan against what the authority actually looks for
- Personalised document checklist
- Shared Drive folder and full document review
- Drafting and filing of the application
- Communication with the authorities
- Requests for further documents (requerimientos)
- Consular appointment booking and briefing
- Padrón registration support, fingerprint appointment and TIE application
- Family members’ applications prepared together
- Direct contact with your case manager throughout
Not included
- Administrative fees (tasas) and consular visa fees
- Apostilles and sworn translations
- Writing the business plan from scratch
- The viability report from a self-employed workers’ association
- Health insurance policy
- Social Security registration as autónomo, and accounting
- Company incorporation, if your project needs a company
Fees
Fees and payment options
Up-front Payment
€850 + VAT
Main applicant
- When you payAt the start of the assignment
- Each dependant€350 + VAT
- Formalised withUpon payment
- Best ifYou want the lower fee
Pay For Success
€1,275 + VAT
Main applicant
- When you payOnly after the visa approval
- Each dependant€525 + VAT
- Formalised withSigned Service Sheet
- Best ifYou want to transfer the risk
In one line: we start working without payment; you only pay if the permit is granted, and the fee reflects the risk we take on.
Administrative fees (tasas), consular visa fees, apostilles and sworn translations are not included.
Get the full document checklist
The complete list of documents for you and your family, and what your business plan needs to cover. Tell us your project and we will send you the version that applies to you.
Let our clients do the talking
What do our clients say?
Consultations
Still have questions?
Our immigration specialists in Spain are happy to answer them.
15 min
Quick eligibility check — free
45 min
Case review
60 min
Full strategy session
Consultation fees are deducted from our fees if you go ahead.
Other permits
Looking for a different permit?
Contact us
Request your document checklist
Tell us about your case and we will get back to you within 24 hours with the next steps and the documents that apply to you.