Spanish Digital Nomad Visa
As part of Law 28/2022, the Spanish government introduced a new type of visa to attract digital entrepreneurs and remote workers. The long-awaited Spanish remote work visa is now available for international workers who want to move to Spain while working remotely for a non-Spanish employer, or as a self-employed freelancer.
Commonly known by various names, such as the digital nomad visa (visados nómadas digitales) or international telework visa (visa para teletrabajo de carácter internacional), this brand new permit will allow non-EU citizens to legally live in Spain while carrying out professional activities for companies outside the country – exclusively through telecommunication, computer systems, and digital means.
Spanish digital nomad visas appeal to people who want to travel, but who wouldn’t be able to work in Spain or stay in the country past 90 days on a standard tourist visa. This specialist visa makes living and working in Spain easier for such international travellers who fund their lifestyle with remote work, being valid for a minimum of 1 year and extendable for up to 5 years, while also allowing free travel through the Schengen area.
If you are a remote worker who would like to move to Spain and maintain your work-from-anywhere job, whether temporarily or for a few years or more, the digital nomad visa could be the perfect solution. Find out more about the requirements and application process below, or contact us to speak with our Spanish visa lawyers today.
How to apply for a Spanish Digital Nomad Visa
There are two options when it comes to applying for your digital nomad visa. You can either apply for a 1-year digital nomad visa from your home country before travelling to Spain, OR you can travel to Spain first on a Schengen visa then apply for a 3-year digital nomad visa through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when you’re in the country.
Those who apply from abroad may be able to upgrade to the 3-year visa once they are in Spain. The digital nomad visa will then be renewable for a period of 2 years, and will no longer be renewable after 5 years – at which point, the holder can apply for permanent residency if they choose (provided they meet the minimum requirements).
In both cases, you must have all the relevant evidentiary documents prepared, translated, and apostilled as required, and be able to pay the application fee. You can then book an appointment with a Spanish embassy or consulate, where you will submit physical copies of your documents and undergo a formal interview to confirm your identity and your employment situation.
It can then take 15–45 working days for your application to be processed. The more complete and accurate the information and documents provided, the faster this is likely to be – which is why it can be helpful to seek professional support from lawyers in Spain, such as Manzanares Abogados.
If your application is approved, you must collect your visa and relevant documents from the embassy or consulate where you attended your initial appointment. This will then allow you to make an appointment with an immigration office or police station in Spain, where you can apply for your foreigner identification number (NIE), register your biometric information, and receive your new identification document.
Digital Nomad Visa Requirements
To successfully apply for a nomad digital visa, you must fill out the application form and pay the fee – but you must also make sure that you meet the eligibility requirements, and can provide the required documents as evidence to support your application. Check below whether you are eligible for a digital nomad visa before contacting us to apply.
Digital Nomad Visa Eligibility
The primary eligibility criteria for Spain’s digital nomad visa is that you must be a foreigner who works completely remotely.
This means non-EU and non-EEA citizens only, either employed by a non-Spanish company to work remotely, or working from home as a freelancer for multiple clients registered outside of Spain.
The applicant must not be already living in Spain illegally, nor have been a resident in Spain in the previous 5 years.
Of course, there are more specific requirements for proving you are a legitimate remote worker. These conditions include:
- ⦿ Working for a company/clients outside Spain for at least 3 months
- ⦿ Having a contract with a company/client operational for at least 1 year
- ⦿ Confirmation that your job can be done remotely with an internet connection
- ⦿ Demonstration of expertise – either 3 years of experience working in your field or a relevant qualification (e.g. a graduate or postgraduate certificate)
- ⦿ Earning an income of at least 200% of Spain’s national minimum wage
The Spanish authorities may request additional verification for degrees, particularly for applicants in government-regulated roles.
If you work remotely for only one employer, they must not be located in Spain.
However, if you are self-employed and work with various clients, you can earn up to 20% of your income from clients within Spain, as long as at least 80% of your income is from foreign clients.
Depending on how you apply, the remote worker visa will initially be valid for either 1 year or 3 years, after which you can choose to renew it periodically for 2 years up to a maximum of 5 years.
The holder must stay in Spain for at least 183 days a year to maintain this visa, and must obtain a foreigner identification number (número de identidad de extranjero) and apply for a TIE card (tarjeta de identidad de extranjero) in order to live in Spain for longer than 6 months.
Remote Work Visa Documents
First of all, you will need to provide the completed digital nomad visa application form, and pay the administrative fee for processing it.
This must be submitted to your local Spanish consulate or embassy in your home country, or at an immigration office in Spain if you have already travelled there on a 90-day tourist visa.
Your digital nomad visa application must also include the following documents:
- ⦿ Original passport still valid for at least 1 year, plus two passport photos
- ⦿ Either: A) Copy of employment contract (with a company incorporated for 1 year or longer) for at least 3 months prior to the application date, lasting for at least 1 year from this date
- ⦿ OR: B) Proof of self-employment agreements demonstrating at least 3 months of prior wages and ongoing work for up to 1 year after the application date
- ⦿ Authorisation for working remotely in Spain (whether as an employee or a self-employed person)
- ⦿ Either: A) Proof of at least 3 years’ experience working in this type of role
- ⦿ OR: B) Relevant certification from a reputable university, technical school, or training programme
- ⦿ Proof of sufficient income – at least 200% of the SMI (Salario Mínimo Interprofesional)
- ⦿ Police report indicating no criminal record for the previous 5 years
- ⦿ Medical certificate indicating no risks to public health AND proof of health insurance cover in Spain
Please note that while this covers the basics, it is not an exhaustive list – other documents may be required as additional evidence, and specific documents may only be accepted in each case.
The Spanish embassy or consulate can provide more detailed information.
Typically, it is also a requirement for all Spanish visa application documents to be translated into Spanish by an official translation service, and apostilled to certify their legality. Your local embassy should be able to make recommendations.
Apply with Manzanares Lawyers
As with any Spanish visa application, the process will go smoothly if you meet the eligibility requirements and can provide the requested documents. However, as the Spain digital nomad visa is so new, there may be some confusion around how to apply and what you need to do. This is where the expertise of Manzanares Lawyers could ease your stress and guide you through the process.
When you arrange a consultation with us, we can confirm the application conditions for your personal situation, including minimum income requirements and the possibility of bringing family members with you. Once we confirm your eligibility, we can give you detailed insight into the application procedures and even submit the application on your behalf if you prefer.
Our highly qualified team can advise you on the correct documentation and check that you have everything you need in order. If you would like us to represent you, we can complete the application for you (including the fee in our charges) and arrange your Spanish embassy appointment.
Following your appointment, we’ll keep you informed on the progress of your application. Once you have approval to collect your documents and head to Spain, we can help you set up your appointment to register at a police station in Spain and collect your identification card.
Contact us for help with your remote work visa
At Manzanares Lawyers, we speak several languages and are always happy to assist international citizens who want to live and work legally in the beautiful country of Spain.
To get started with your Spanish digital visa nomad application, please call one of our offices on the following numbers:
- ⦿ Alhaurín (Málaga) – +34 952 59 50 42
- ⦿ Marbella (Málaga) – +34 952 82 41 12
- ⦿ Jesús (Ibiza) – +34 971 30 31 32
Alternatively, you can fill out the call request form on this page to arrange a phone call, or email our team directly at clientservices@manzanareslawyers.com.
Please include as much information about your situation as possible to help us determine your eligibility for the digital nomad visa in Spain.
Our team will respond to your enquiry as quickly as we can.
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Spain Digital Nomad FAQs
Spain is a favourite destination for visitors and expats alike, and with digital nomads being something in between, what better place to spend time working while enjoying a laidback sunny lifestyle for a few months or more?
The remote worker visa offers successful applicants the opportunity to not only live in Spain for several months while working remotely, but also to stay in Spain for up to 5 years if they choose to become a long-term resident.
Considering all the benefits of living in Spain, why wouldn’t you want to extend your stay?
The many advantages of moving to Spain (even temporarily) include a relatively low cost of living with a high quality of life, a comfortable climate with warm weather, a welcoming culture with delicious cuisine, and easy access to the rest of Europe.
Spain also offers excellent resources for remote workers, such as high speed internet – and the more people come to Spain to work in this sector, the more co-working spaces will develop, potentially making the country a leading hub for digital entrepreneurs.
In addition to being able to take family members with you, such as your partner and any young children, a digital nomad visa also comes with tax benefits (you may be able to apply for the Special Regime for Displaced Workers to pay less income tax in Spain).
Like digital nomad visas for other countries, and the Spanish Golden Visa, there is a minimum income requirement for the remote worker visa in Spain.
This is because the Spanish government needs to confirm that you will have enough money to support yourself while living in the country, since the visa will not allow you to engage in other business activities or local employment in Spain.
To verify that you have a sufficient income, which must be at least twice the monthly minimum wage in Spain, you must provide official documents proving your monthly income when submitting your application. Examples of such documents include:
- ⦿ Employment contract – if you have a primary employer, your contract should state your salary along with the details of your role.
- ⦿ Pay slips or invoices – receipts or bills of payments from employers or for clients can show your average income over several months.
- ⦿ Bank statements – you can easily prove your income and how much money you have to support yourself with bank account records.
- ⦿ Investment reports – proof of other income (e.g. dividends or investment returns) that supports your income from remote work.
- ⦿ Tax returns – copies of tax bills and rebates can prove you are a tax resident of your country and earn more than its tax-free allowance.
These are just some of the documents you may need to supply, typically covering at least 3–6 months to prove your earnings are stable.
Cryptocurrency is unlikely to be accepted as evidence of income.
Your income does not need to come from a singular source – as long as you can prove that your total monthly and annual earnings meet or exceed the minimum financial requirement, you should be eligible for the visa.
While you are gathering your documents, you should also check whether they need to be notarised or apostilled for legal verification.
Yes, if you maintain the digital nomad visa while meeting the minimum residency requirements, you can apply for permanent residency in Spain.
If you apply for this visa through a Spanish consulate or embassy in your home country, you will receive a visa that is valid for 1 year. At the end of this year, you can extend this visa for a further 2 years. After that, you can renew it again for a final time for another 2 years.
On the other hand, if you go to Spain on a short-stay visa and apply for the remote worker visa while you are already in the country, you will receive a visa that is valid for up to 3 years. You can then renew this visa once, to extend it for an additional 2 years.
If you have maintained the minimum residency criteria for the full 5 years, and decide to settle down in Spain as a full-time resident, you can choose to apply for permanent residency. This permanent residence permit will be valid for a further 5 years.
Read our blog on the differences between permanent residency in Spain and Spanish citizenship to learn more about the requirements.
While you can travel outside of Spain throughout the Schengen Area with your visa, bear in mind that you must stay in Spain for at least 183 days of each year to maintain your residency permit and be eligible for permanent residency.
