From applying for Spanish visas to managing taxes in Spain, we offer a wide range of services to non-Spanish-speaking clients at Manzanares Lawyers – so if you need legal help in English, you can come to our multilingual law firm in Spain.
We’re always up to date with the latest regulations and tailor our services to your individual circumstances, so whether you’re hoping to secure a Spanish digital nomad visa or you need assistance with income tax or property tax, we can help.
Along with improvements to Spain immigration laws in 2025, there are several other upcoming changes that could affect your plans if you intend to move to Spain or invest in Spanish property.
Here’s what you should know about the major changes that will affect certain visa applications and property transactions in 2025, and how the experienced team at Manzanares Abogados can help you to navigate them in a language you understand.
Spain ending the Spanish Golden Visa
Back in April 2024, the Spanish government announced their intentions to scrap the Golden Visa due to concerns about the housing market in Spain. Despite property experts questioning the alleged negative impact of the visa on local residents, the Spanish Congress approved the law in November 2024.
The Senate then vetoed this law and passed it back to the lower house, delaying the cancellation of the Spanish Golden Visa once again. However, after receiving a majority vote in December 2024, it is confirmed that the visa will now be abolished.
Anyone who wishes to apply for a Spanish Golden Visa under the current rules now has until 3rd April 2025 to submit their application. As the law change is not retroactive, those who obtain Golden Visas in Spain before the scheme closes will be able to keep them for as long as they maintain the requirements.
If you want to enjoy the benefits of Spanish residency through investment before the opportunity is taken away, you’ll need help from an English-speaking lawyer in Spain to submit a successful application in time.
Property taxes in Spain for foreign buyers
On top of scrapping the Spanish Golden Visa scheme, the Spanish government announced on 13th January that it intends to help ease the country’s housing crisis by limiting property purchases in Spain for non-EU foreigners.
This idea has already been suggested in the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, where foreigners own a high proportion of the limited property stock. To dissuade foreigners from buying second homes in Spain, the Prime Minister suggested he will implement a new tax of up to 100% of the property value.
This could be done through increasing VAT, property transfer tax, or capital gains tax, or introducing a new specialist tax like the wealth tax, which would only apply to non-residents from third countries.
EU legislation makes it difficult to ban property purchases by non-EU nationals because this would be discrimination, so it’s unclear yet how the government plans to enforce such limitations on foreign buyers.
In any case, as we’ve seen with the abolition of the Golden Visa, it can take several months for anything to be confirmed and even longer for new laws to come into force, so if you intend to buy property in Spain as a foreigner, you still have time.
To get things moving as quickly as possible, though, you’ll need a Spanish lawyer who speaks English on your side.
Contact English-speaking lawyers in Spain
Navigating Spanish laws is difficult when you don’t speak or read the language, especially with new regulations on the horizon. If you’re hoping to apply for a visa or purchase a property before the current conditions change, you can’t leave anything to chance or wait until the last minute.
That’s why you should call Manzanares Abogados to benefit from our in-depth knowledge of Spanish law and transparent communication in English – we can help you navigate visa applications, real estate transactions, tax returns, and more.
At our international law firm in Spain, we not only have Spanish and English speakers on our team, but our multilingual lawyers can also help clients who speak French, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Portuguese, or Chinese!
Whatever you need our help with, you can contact Manzanares Lawyers at any of our office locations by phone or email to book an appointment. We will gladly assist you in person or via video call – whichever is most convenient for you.
