Thanks to its vibrant towns, warm weather, and excellent quality of life, Spain is not only a popular destination for tourists, but also one of the top countries for remote workers and expats to move to.
There are several visa options to choose from when moving to Spain, whether it’s a temporary situation or you’re interested in permanent residency. However, most have limitations, as non-lucrative visas don’t allow you to work while staying in the country, and working in Spain on a student visa also has restrictions.
If you want to move to Spain in 2024 to work remotely, then you’ll need a permit that allows you to legally work during your stay – which is why the Spanish digital nomad visa is the best option for remote workers, freelancers, and entrepreneurs.
Introduced in 2023, the first year of the visa’s launch saw some setbacks, as the Spanish government was slow in specifying the new regulations, leaving foreigners and solicitors alike stuck in legal limbo.
Despite the initial hiccups in getting to grips with the application process, the sought-after digital nomad visa in Spain remains a big draw for international remote workers – but applying can still be tricky without professional help.
So, if you’re researching the visado de teletrabajador de carácter internacional to see if it’s the right Spanish work visa for you, this guide explains everything you should know about the digital nomad visa to help you relocate to Spain.
What are the Spanish digital nomad visa eligibility criteria in 2024?
The Spanish digital nomad visa is specifically designed for foreign residents who want to move to Spain while working entirely remotely for employers or clients outside of Spain.
To qualify for this visa, you must meet all of the following eligibility requirements:
- Be a non-EU or non-EEA citizen (not from the European Union/European Economic Area)
- Work for one or more companies located outside of Spanish territory
- If self-employed, earn at least 80% of your income from clients outside of Spain
- Perform your job 100% remotely using the internet and telecommunications systems
- Have been active in your line of remote work for at least 1 year
- Have been working in your current role for at least 3 months
- Possess a relevant university degree OR have 3 years of relevant work experience
- Earn at least 200% of the national minimum wage in Spain
- Have comprehensive private health insurance
- Provide evidence of a clear criminal record
- Have not lived in Spain within the previous 5 years
There are two types of visa with different application routes – one being valid for 1 year and the other for 3 years before renewal is required. Both visa types can be renewed every 2 years to maintain validity up to a total of 5 years.
After this point, if the holder of the remote work visa has maintained their status by meeting the requirements and staying in the country for a minimum of 183 days a year, then they should be eligible to apply for permanent residency in Spain.
How much do you need to earn for a digital nomad visa?
To be eligible for the Spanish digital nomad visa, you must be able to prove that you earn at least double the salario minimo interprofesional (SMI) – the minimum interprofessional salary or national minimum wage in Spain.
While this is currently 1,134€ a month or 15,876€ a year, many Spanish companies pay their employees 14 times a year instead of 12 times, with a bonus payment in summer and winter.
This often causes confusion, because outside of Spain, most people are paid monthly 12 times a year – so this would result in average earnings of 1,323€ a month instead.
As the minimum income requirement is 200% of the minimum salary in Spain, this means you must earn at least 2,646€ a month or 31,752€ a year to qualify for the visa.
If you’re a remote-working employee, you should be able to prove your salary by supplying a copy of your contract with your application. If you’re self-employed, you’ll need to provide copies of contracts, invoices, bank statements, and tax returns to calculate an average monthly amount, which must be at least twice the SMI.
In 2024, these figures increased by 5% from the previous year, meaning they might increase again in 2025.
Can you bring your family to Spain on a digital nomad visa?
Yes, you can bring dependent family members to Spain with you on the same visa. This includes your spouse or unmarried partner and children who rely on you for financial security.
You may even be able to bring elderly relatives with you, such as your parents, if you can prove that they are also financially dependent on you and are part of the family unit.
In all such cases, you’ll need to provide proof of the relationship, such as marriage certificates and birth certificates. The minimum income requirement will also increase with each additional family member.
When adding your spouse or long-term partner to your application, you must prove that you earn an extra 75% of the SMI. This is another 992.25€ per month, bringing the total to 3,641€ per month for both of you as a couple.
You cannot combine your income together to meet the minimum requirement – you must earn this amount yourself as the main applicant and primary visa holder (if approved).
For every additional family member after this, you must demonstrably earn an extra 25% of the SMI. This would equate to another 335€ per month per child.
How to apply for a Spanish digital nomad visa in 2024
To apply for a digital nomad visa in Spain, you must fill out the application form, submit it along with your documentation proving that you meet the eligibility criteria, and pay the administration fee for processing your application.
If you’re applying with your family, each member of your family must fill out their own form and provide additional documents proving their relationship to you as the main applicant – usually marriage and birth certificates.
Every applicant must complete and sign the form and attach the following documents to support their application:
- Valid passport – with at least 12 months remaining before expiry and 2 blank pages.
- Passport photos – 2x recent passport size photographs.
- Proof of remote work – either an employment contract starting at least 3 months prior with a company incorporated for at least 1 year, or proof of freelance agreements with at least 3 previous months of income.
- Proof of qualifications – either a university degree or certification from a reputable higher education institution, or evidence of at least 3 years working in relevant industry roles.
- Proof of financial means – bank statements showing you earn the minimum required for an individual (200% of the SMI) or additional family members (75% for the first person, then 25%).
- Clean criminal record – a certificate from the police in your home country (dated within the last 6 months) proving you have no criminal record or convictions in the past 5 years.
- Medical insurance – a doctor’s certificate indicating you pose no risk to public health, and proof of private health insurance to the level of the Spanish public health system.
It’s important to note that all documents must be professionally translated into Spanish and apostilled to certify that they are official documents, otherwise they will not meet the application requirements.
Submitting your Spanish remote work visa application
Once you’ve gathered your documents, had them translated and apostilled, and completed your application form in Spanish, you must also fill out a separate form to pay the fee for your visa application, which is around 80€.
You can then submit your application and wait for the Spanish authorities to process it, which usually takes 20-45 days.
However, there are two different ways to submit a Spanish digital nomad visa application, depending on where you are at the time – whether you’re outside of Spain or you’ve already arrived in the country on a short-stay visa.
Applying from your home country
It’s often easier to gather official documents when you’re still living in your home country. Once you have them prepared, you can schedule an appointment at the nearest Spanish embassy or consulate in your country.
You typically must pay the fee at the time of booking the appointment, then hand over all your forms and documents when you attend. This includes your passport, which they will return to you after processing your application.
Processing can take up to 45 days, but if you’ve been approved, the embassy will contact you and provide a Spanish remote worker visa that’s valid for 1 year. If you would like to stay in Spain for longer, you can apply for a renewal before it expires.
Applying while staying in Spain
The alternate route is to come to Spain on a standard tourist visa and apply for the digital nomad visa once you’re in the country – leaving enough time for processing before the 90-day tourist visa expires, of course.
In this scenario, you must make an appointment at the nearest immigration office in Spain and submit your documents there. If approved, you will receive a renewable remote work visa that’s valid for 3 years.
In both cases, you’ll also need to apply for an NIE number to become a Spanish resident, which costs about 20€. Navigating all of these forms and communicating in Spanish can be made easier with the help of English-speaking lawyers.
Permanent residency for digital nomads
Wondering whether you can stay in Spain indefinitely on a remote worker visa? As long as you continue to meet the minimum requirements for the duration of your stay and renew your visa before it expires each time, then you can live in Spain for up to 5 years on a digital nomad visa.
The validity periods and renewal dates will depend on the application route. If you applied for a 1-year visa, you must renew it before the 12 months are up to stay in Spain for another 2 years, after which you can renew one more time for a total of 5 years. If you applied for a 3-year visa, you will only be able to renew this once to stay in the country for another 2 years.
Once you have lived in Spain for 5 years, you may be eligible to apply for permanent residency and get your TIE card.
However, while the digital nomad visa only requires you to spend half of each year in Spain to maintain its validity, if you want to become a permanent resident, you must not leave Spain for more than 10 months total in those 5 years.
Being a permanent resident means you can live and work in Spain full-time and access public healthcare and education. You must renew your permanent residency every 5 years if you want to continue to live in Spain.
After 10 years of living in Spain, 5 of which would be as a temporary resident on a digital nomad visa, you may be eligible to apply for Spanish citizenship. This is a lengthy and complicated process, but it would allow you to get a Spanish passport and vote in elections in Spain, and award you the full rights of a Spanish national and EU citizen.
Taxes in Spain for digital nomads
Taxation is a big concern for remote workers moving to Spain on digital nomad visas – because even as temporary residents, remote workers will owe tax on their earnings in Spain.
To maintain this visa, you must remain in the country for at least 183 days a year, which is also the threshold for becoming a tax resident in Spain. This means that the way taxes are applied to your income and the tax deductions available are different compared to the system for non-tax residents.
Non-tax residents are only taxed in Spain on income earned within Spain, at a fixed rate of 19% or 24%. Meanwhile, tax residents are taxed on global income at a progressive rate, ranging from 19% to 47%. However, Spain has double taxation agreements with most countries, so you shouldn’t need to pay tax on the same income in multiple countries.
If you’re a contracted employee working remotely for an international company, then you may be able to apply for the Special Regime for Displaced Workers. Known as Beckham’s Law, this is a discounted tax scheme that allows eligible foreign workers in Spain to pay non-tax resident rates on income below 600,000€.
Self-employed workers and freelancers may not be eligible for this, and will be responsible for filing their own quarterly tax returns and paying their own social security fees in Spain.
As the taxes you’ll pay in Spain depend on your unique circumstances, it’s a good idea to consult Spanish tax advisers (like us) to evaluate your tax position and potential reductions.
To learn more about this, you can read our blog discussing tax for remote workers in Spain.
Need help applying for a Spanish digital nomad visa?
Remote work is here to stay, and Spain continues to welcome digital nomads who improve the Spanish economy, even if they aren’t allowed to work for businesses within Spain.
Despite the strict regulations for the application process, remote workers come from diverse situations around the world, so if you would like to improve your chances of approval, it’s important to prepare well and seek specialist guidance.
Having legal professionals like Manzanares Abogados on your side can make all the difference between a smooth application and a stressful experience. When you come to us for advice, we can inform you of the best visa option for your circumstances and guide you through every step of the process.
So, if you need help applying for a digital nomad visa in Spain from English-speaking lawyers, you’ve found the right team.
To discuss your Spanish visa needs and discover what we can do for you, contact us today!
