Spain's Digital Nomad Visa: Eligibility

Employment status:

To qualify, applicants must either be employed or self-employed.

Education and experience:

Candidates are required to have either a university degree in a field relevant to their employment from an accredited institution OR possess three years of professional experience in their current field of employment.

Legal requirements:

Applicants must have a clean criminal record for the past five years. However, convictions for actions not considered illegal in Spain are unlikely to negatively impact the application.

Criteria for employed applicants:

• Minimum three months of employment with the current employer.

• The employer must have been in existence for more than one year.

• Employer's consent for remote work from Spain is required.

• If the employer is based in a country without a valid Social Security agreement with Spain, the employer must be willing to register to pay Social Security in Spain. Alternatively, applicants may consider switching to a self-employed contract, with the employer becoming a client.

Note: Currently, only UK, Russia and some EU countries can issue certificates compatible with Spain’s Social Security requirements.

Criteria for self-employed applicants:

• Clients must be registered businesses rather than individuals.

• Clients must be based outside of Spain.

• Minimum three months of work with at least one client is required.

• Client organisations must have existed for more than one year.

• Client's consent for remote work from Spain is mandatory.

Note 1: Self-employed applicants with clients that do not meet the requirements may opt to establish or purchase a company, becoming contractors to this entity. However, it's crucial for applicants to adhere to tax and employment regulations in both Spain and the country where their company is registered. For instance, if the company is effectively being run from Spain, there is a potential risk of the Spanish tax authorities deeming it a permanent establishment, subjecting it to corporation tax. It's imperative to seek professional advice to ensure full compliance with all relevant regulations.

Note 2: Business owners who serve as directors of their own company are able to apply through the self-employed route if they own at least 25% of their company shares. These applicants would need to submit a letter committing to register as "autónomo" (self-employed) once their application is approved and they would be categorised as "autónomos societarios" (self-employed entrepreneurs with a company structure).

Family dependents:

Family members, including spouses, children under 18, or financially dependent relatives, can be included as dependents. Partners need to be married or in a formalised civil partnership.

Income requirements:

The main applicant must demonstrate a gross monthly income exceeding the minimum salary threshold:

• Annual gross salary of €31,752 for a single applicant (200% of the Spanish minimum salary).

• An additional €11,907 for the first dependent (75% of the Spanish minimum salary), totalling an annual gross salary of €43,659 for a main applicant with one dependent.

• An additional €3,969 for each additional dependent (25% of the Spanish minimum salary), amounting to an annual gross salary of €47,628 for a main applicant with two dependents.

In some cases, savings may be considered to cover income shortfalls, subject to a thorough review.

Complete our eligibility questionnaire  and you will receive the assessment outcome if your inbox.

Do you have any questions? Let us know in the comments!