Spain Digital Nomad Visa

The Digital Nomad Visa lets you live in Spain while you keep working remotely for companies and clients based outside the country. It came in with Spain's Startups Law and is aimed at employees and freelancers whose income does not depend on the Spanish market. If you are employed abroad or run a client book abroad and want to do that work from Spain, this is your route.

What is the Digital Nomad Visa?

The Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) is a residence visa for remote workers. You may be an employee of a non-Spanish company or a freelancer serving mostly non-Spanish clients. The point of the visa is that your living comes from outside Spain, so you are not taking a job in the local market.

You can start it two ways: apply at a Spanish consulate before you move, which gives you a visa, or apply from inside Spain to the large-business unit (UGE-CE), which gives you a residence permit directly. The in-Spain route usually grants a longer initial period.

Who qualifies

Three gates decide it, and all three have to be clear.

• At least 80% of your income comes from outside Spain. Serving a few Spanish clients is allowed, as long as they stay a minority of your work.
• Your employer or your clients have been operating for at least a year, so the work is real and ongoing.
• You hold a degree from a recognized institution, or you can show at least three years of relevant experience in your field.

You also need a clean criminal record and compliant health cover, same as any Spanish residence visa.

How much income you need

The income minimum is set as a percentage of Spain's monthly minimum wage, the SMI.

• The main applicant must show 200% of the monthly SMI.
• The first family member adds 75% of the SMI.
• Each additional family member adds 25% of the SMI.

The monthly SMI for 2026 is €1,221.00, so the multiplier applies to that figure. The worked euro amounts for one applicant, a couple, and a family are on the requirements page below.

One correction worth making, because it trips people up. You will see a monthly minimum quoted a few hundred euros higher than the real one. That figure spreads the fourteen annual minimum-wage payments across twelve months and then applies the multiplier, which inflates the base. The rule that governs this visa, the Instrucción conjunta of April 2023, uses the plain monthly minimum wage. Use the monthly figure, not the annualized one, or you will over-save and, worse, misjudge what the consulate is checking against.

Documents you will need

Start the criminal-record certificate first, because it and its apostille are the slowest part.

• Passport valid for the stay, plus photos
• Employment contract or client contracts showing remote work
• Proof the company or clients have operated for at least a year
• Proof of income against the threshold above
• Degree certificate or evidence of three years of experience
• Criminal-record certificate, apostilled
• Compliant health insurance

Every foreign document needs an apostille and then a sworn (traducción jurada) Spanish translation. Police checks in some countries, including the United States, take weeks to issue before you can even start the apostille, so order them the day you decide to apply.

Health insurance

You need private health cover from an insurer authorized to operate in Spain, with no copay, no deductible, and no cap on payouts. A thirty-thousand figure circulates for required coverage: that is the Schengen short-stay travel-insurance floor from the Visa Code, and this is a national residence visa, so it does not apply. What the consulate actually checks is the quality of the policy, not a headline number, and that standard is stricter than any cap. Travel insurance is not accepted.

There is one exception. If you register with Spanish Social Security through your work arrangement, private insurance is not required at all.

Tax: the Beckham Law option

Many Digital Nomad Visa holders can opt into a special tax regime, often called the Beckham Law, which applies a flat rate to Spanish-source employment income for a fixed number of years instead of the normal progressive scale. It is not automatic and it does not suit everyone, so it is worth checking against your own numbers. We cover eligibility and how to apply in the Beckham Law guide under Living in Spain.

How to apply

You have two routes, and they lead to slightly different permits.

1. From your home country: apply at the Spanish consulate for your district. You get a visa, travel to Spain, and exchange it for a residence card. In the United Kingdom, book through the consulate's system as soon as your file is complete.
2. From inside Spain: if you are already here legally, apply to the UGE-CE for a residence permit. This route usually grants a longer initial period than the consular visa.

Either way, the document set and the income test are the same. The difference is where you file and how long the first permit runs.

Digital Nomad Visa or Non-Lucrative Visa?

The dividing line is simple: if you will keep working remotely, you need the Digital Nomad Visa, because the Non-Lucrative Visa forbids work of any kind. If you are living off a pension or other passive income, the Non-Lucrative Visa fits better. Compare the two if you are on the fence.

FAQ

What is the real income minimum? A set multiple of the plain monthly minimum wage, not the inflated annualized figure you may have seen. The exact euros for 2026 are on the requirements page, worked out for singles and families.

Can I have Spanish clients? Yes, up to a point. At least 80% of your income must come from outside Spain, so Spanish clients can only be a minority of your work.

Employee or freelancer, does it matter? Both qualify. Employees show a contract with a non-Spanish company; freelancers show non-Spanish clients and that those clients have been active for at least a year.

How long is the visa valid? The first period depends on whether you applied from a consulate or from inside Spain, and it renews as long as you still meet the rules. Time on the visa counts toward longer-term residence.