Digital Nomad Visa in Spain: How to Get It

Obtaining Digital Nomad Visa in Spain makes a living in this resort country easier and cheaper for freelancers, remote workers, and international businesspersons. From financial conditions and personal requirements to visa application deadlines and procedures, below are key points for remote workers and freelancers who’d like to move to Spain.

Spain’s complicated path to its own Digital Nomad Visa

Thanks to its pleasant climate, incredible cities, rich history, affordability of goods and services, and good internet speed, Spain has long maintained its status as a favorite relocation destination for digital nomads.

But until January 2023, many digital nomads had to limit their stay in Spain to 3 months, following the conditions of a tourist visa. In addition, digital nomads staying in the country as tourists actually work illegally for remote employers/customers. After all, this visa does not come with a work permit in Spain.

The number of remote jobs and digital nomads has continued to grow rapidly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. A growing number of countries are introducing digital nomad visas to create favorable conditions for freelancers and remote workers with sufficient income.

Many other European jurisdictions have already benefited from the remote work trend over the past few years, including Greece, Croatia, and Portugal. All three jurisdictions have introduced special migration programs for digital nomads.

Discussions on the possibility of creating their own Digital Nomad Visa in Spain have been going on since the end of 2021, when the Minister of Economy, Nadia Calvinho, announced the intention of the country’s authorities to attract and retain talents by helping remote workers and digital nomads who have settled in Spain. Authorities hope Spain Digital Nomad Visa will help the country recover from the economic fallout caused by COVID-19.

In November 2022, a new immigration program was approved by Parliament under the Startup Law (Spanish: Ley de Startups). The document was developed over a long 16 months to attract entrepreneurs and support the local technology ecosystem. The rules for granting Spanish Digital Nomad Visa came into force in January 2023. Let’s consider them in more detail.

Conditions for obtaining Spanish Digital Nomad Visa

The list of requirements includes the following:

• Country of origin: Spanish law allows citizens of countries outside the European Union and the European Economic Area to obtain a digital nomad visa.
• Employer/customer: Foreigners working remotely for non-Spanish companies (full-time employees) or foreign customers (self-employed freelancers) are eligible to apply for a digital nomad visa. Also, the program can be used by business people from all over the world who want to live in Spain and can manage their business remotely. Applicants are allowed to receive a maximum of 20% of income from Spanish companies/customers.
• Remote working: Applicants will need to prove their ability to perform work duties/orders remotely.
•  Duration of employment or existence of a foreign business: It is necessary to prove the fact of completing orders of non-Spanish clients or employment in a foreign company within 3+ months before applying for a Spain Digital Nomad Visa. A foreign company-employer (in the case of full-time remote workers) must have been operating for at least one year at the time of applying for a visa.
• Residency: Applicants who have held Spanish residency for 5+ years at the time of applying for a digital nomad visa will not be accepted. If the visa procedure is carried out in Spain, the candidate is prohibited from being in the country illegally at the time of application.
• Proof of aptitude/education: A digital nomad applying for a Digital Nomad Visa in Spain will have to prove qualifications and three years of work experience in the relevant professional field. An alternative is a diploma of higher or professional education.
• Income level: A digital nomad will have to prove that they have sufficient income. The income threshold for a foreigner who wishes to obtain a Spanish Digital Nomad Visa is set at 200% of the minimum monthly interprofessional wage in that country (Spanish: Salario Mínimo Interprofesional/SMI). As of January 2023, the monthly minimum wage in Spain is EUR 1,166.67. Accordingly, the minimum allowable income for a digital nomad to obtain a visa is EUR 2,334 per month / EUR 28,000 per year. Growth of this indicator is likely in the future. The Spanish authorities annually revise the minimum wage upwards.
• Insurance: Private health insurance is a prerequisite for obtaining a visa. Taking out regular travel insurance with medical coverage is not enough. In the future, it is possible that digital nomads will be able to use public health insurance by making social security contributions from their own income.
• Trustworthiness: Candidates for a digital nomad visa with a criminal record in Spain or countries of previous residence within 5+ years prior to application will not be accepted.

Ability to add relatives to Spain Digital Nomad Visa application and requirements

Both a bachelor and a whole family of digital nomads can get a Spain Digital Nomad Visa in 2023. Relatives (children and spouse) are added to the application as dependents. In addition to fulfilling all of the above requirements, excluding professional ones, if you add dependents, you must confirm the presence of a higher income.

In the case of a couple of applicants (for example, a digital nomad with a spouse), you will have to prove the presence of additional income in the amount of 75% of the monthly minimum wage in the country (EUR 875 per month). When adding any additional family member, the monthly income requirements increase by 25% (EUR 292).

Documents for Spanish Digital Nomad Visa

The list of documents for obtaining a Digital Nomad Visa in Spain includes the following items:

• Completed visa application form. The form is available on the website of the Unit of Large Companies and Strategic Sectors (Spanish: Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos / UGE-CE) of the Spanish Ministry of Labour and Social Economy.
• Certificates of no criminal record for the two-year period preceding the visa application. Certificates from the state of origin and countries of previous residence are required.
• A sworn statement of no criminal record for the previous five-year period.
• Employment contract (full-time remote employees or international businesspersons) with a company outside Spain or contracts for the performance of services for foreign customers (freelancers).
• Proof of income in the required amount in the form of bank statements, contracts, and invoices.
• Passport copy.
• Proof of payment of the administration fee for accepting the application (modelo. 790 038).
• Documents confirming the fact of being employed or working as a self-employed person for at least three months prior to the date of application.
• Proof of registration of the employing company at least one year earlier.
• A letter from a foreign company-employer stipulating the admissibility of remote work from Spain, as well as the position, salary, terms of employment, and other conditions for cooperation with the person involved in the application.
• Copy of diploma/professional certificate + confirmation of professional experience.
• Private health insurance policy.

How to apply for a Visado Paro Nomades Digitales? How fast is processing?

There are two ways to apply for a Digital Nomad Visa in Spain:

• Firstly, a personal application is possible when residing in Spain with a tourist visa. You can do this within the first three months from the moment of your arrival to this country.
• The second option is to submit an application to the Spanish diplomatic mission (consulate/embassy) in the country of your current residence.

How long will it take to process an application? According to reports from Spanish immigration and law companies dealing with this issue, the process of obtaining a Digital Nomad Visa in Spain takes from 20 days to 3 months (excluding the collection of supporting documentation). But, due to the fact that this migration program appeared in the beginning of 2023, is a new product, there is no official deadline for obtaining a visa yet.

Find out more about most affordable digital nomad visas in 2023.

The validity period of a Spanish Digital Nomad Visa and obtaining a resident card

Spanish Digital Nomad Visa is initially issued with a validity of 12 months. If the duration of the employment indicated by the applicant is less than 12 months, the visa validity period is reduced accordingly

A visa extension is allowed. Spanish Digital Nomad Visa enables non-EU citizens to live and work in Spain for a total period of up to 5 years.

To maintain a visa, it is allowed to reside out of Spain for no more than six months during the year. Accordingly, a digital nomad who wishes to extend their visa will have to become a Spanish tax resident.

Remote workers are also eligible to apply for a Spanish resident card. This card allows you to travel within the European Union while living in Spain.

Do digital nomads get tax benefits in Spain?

As noted above, anyone staying in Spain for more than 183 days is considered a Spanish resident for tax purposes, even if the relevant individual works in a foreign company.

Fortunately, tax benefits are available to any foreign digital nomad working and living in Spain, thanks to the visa program we are talking about. Remote workers are entitled to pay income tax at a reduced rate of 15% for the first four years of their stay in Spain (if the income is less than EUR 600,000 during the reporting fiscal year) instead of the regular 24% rate.

Why is Spain popular among digital nomads?

Spain has long been a popular destination for remote workers thanks to its EU-leading internet speed, low cost of living, and warm climate. Digital nomads looking to broaden their horizons are also drawn to the rich culture and eventful history.

The Spanish coastal city of Valencia was recently voted the best city in the world for expats, with Madrid in the top 10. In December 2022, three local villages shared first place in the annual UNWTO ranking of the world’s best towns for tourism.

According to UNESCO, Spain also has the most beautiful street in Europe. It is located in the small town of Calle San Pedro, which is part of the municipality of Osuna in the province of Seville.

Our experts will help you get a Digital Nomad Visa in Spain

Have you decided to move to Spain, applying for a Digital Nomad Visa through employment in a foreign company or as a freelancer? Do you want to rent or buy a home, open a local bank account, and solve tax issues? Perhaps you are interested in obtaining a “Spain Golden Visa” instead of a Digital Nomad Visa? Our website team is always ready to help. Consult with our experts to take the decisive first step toward your goal!

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