Digital Nomad Visa Spain
Spain is one of the best countries to be a digital nomad, and since 2023 it has a visa built for exactly that. The digital nomad visa (DNV) lets non-EU nationals live in Spain while working remotely for companies based outside the country. It came in with the Startup Law (Law 28/2022), which added it to articles 74 bis to 74 quinquies of Law 14/2013. Below: who qualifies, how much income you need in 2026, how to apply, and how the tax side works.
What is a Digital Nomad Visa (DNV)?
Spanish law calls it residence for international teleworking. It covers a third-country national who works remotely, using only computers and telecoms, for companies located outside Spain. You can apply from abroad for a visa of up to one year, or from inside Spain (if you are there legally) for a residence permit of up to three years. The permit renews for two years at a time, so five years is the usual horizon before long-term residence.
- Employees working remotely for a company outside Spain. An employee can only work for foreign companies.
- Freelancers and self-employed professionals with clients outside Spain. A freelancer can also bill Spanish clients, as long as that work stays at or below 20% of their total professional activity.
Is Spain a good destination for digital nomads?
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Explore these countries
SpainFor most remote workers, yes. A few reasons it keeps coming up:
- Cost of living: lower than most of Western Europe outside Madrid and Barcelona. Housing is the big variable, so look at mid-size cities and the coast too. Here are the cheapest places to live in Spain near the sea.
- Weather: long, sunny summers and mild winters along the Mediterranean and in the south.
- Internet: fibre is standard in towns and cities, with speeds that handle video calls without trouble.
- Coworking spaces in every big city, which also makes it easier to meet people.
- Getting around: high-speed trains link the main cities, most cities have metro or tram, and it is easy to drive in Spain.
Requirements for the Spanish Visa for Digital Nomads
Before 2023, a non-EU national who wanted to live in Spain and keep a remote job abroad had no clear route. Tourist stays did not allow it, and the non-lucrative visa bans work of any kind. The DNV fixed that. The requirements come from article 74 ter of Law 14/2013 plus the general rules in article 62:
- You are a qualified professional: a university degree or postgraduate qualification, a vocational or business-school qualification, or at least three years of professional experience.
- The company you work for, or your main client, has been operating for at least one year.
- Employees must show at least three months of employment with the foreign company before applying, plus a letter or contract clause allowing remote work. Freelancers must show at least three months of work with one or more foreign clients and the terms of that work.
- Minimum income: 200% of Spain's minimum wage (SMI). The SMI for 2026 is €1,221 a month in 14 payments (Royal Decree 126/2026), which puts the requirement at €2,850 a month, or €34,188 a year.
- Clean criminal record: a certificate from every country where you lived in the last two years, plus a signed statement that you have had no criminal record in the last five years.
- Public or private health insurance with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain.
- You must be over 18 and not be in Spain irregularly.
- Payment of the fee. For applications filed in Spain it is form 790, code 038. Applications at a consulate pay the consular visa fee instead.
How to apply for the Spain DNV
There are two routes. From your home country you apply at the Spanish consulate for a visa valid for up to one year; in the last 60 days before it expires you can switch to the residence permit inside Spain. If you are already in Spain legally, for example as a visa-free tourist, you can apply online to the Large Companies Unit (UGE) for the residence permit directly. That permit lasts up to three years and renews for two years at a time (article 74 quinquies). Many applicants use a lawyer for the digital nomad visa because the UGE only takes applications electronically.
Below is a step-by-step process on how to apply for the Digital nomad visa
- Choose your route: consulate from abroad, or UGE from inside Spain.
- Gather the documents: passport, application form, photos, proof of income, the employment contract or client contracts, the company's proof of activity for at least a year, the remote-work authorisation, your degree or proof of three years of experience, criminal record certificates and health insurance. Foreign public documents normally need an apostille and a sworn translation into Spanish.
- Book the appointment at the consulate, or prepare the electronic filing if you apply in Spain.
- Pay the fee and submit. Consulates collect fingerprints at the appointment.
- Wait for the decision. Consulates have 10 working days to decide on the visa under article 75.5 of Law 14/2013. The UGE has 20 days for a residence permit, and if it does not answer in time the permit counts as granted (article 76.1). A request for more documents pauses the clock.
Do digital nomads pay tax in Spain?
Yes. Living in Spain on this visa normally makes you a Spanish tax resident. What changes is how much you pay. The special regime for people who move to Spain, known as the Beckham Law (article 93 of the income tax law), lets you pay tax under non-resident rules: a flat 24% on employment income up to €600,000 a year, instead of progressive rates that reach 45% or more depending on the region. It applies to the year you move and the next five tax years, provided you were not a Spanish tax resident in the five years before.
The law names employees who hold the digital nomad visa as eligible. Freelancers on the DNV are not covered by that clause and can only use the regime in narrower cases, so check before you plan around the 24% rate. More detail in our guide to digital nomad taxes.
Bringing your family on the digital nomad visa
Your spouse or partner, minor children, adult children who still depend on you financially, and dependent parents can apply with you, at the same time or later. The income requirement goes up: add 75% of the SMI for the first family member (about €1,068 a month in 2026) and 25% of the SMI for each one after that (about €356 a month each). Those percentages are the ones the Spanish consulates publish.
FAQs about Spain Visa for remote workers
Can I move to Spain if I work remotely?
Yes, if you are a qualified professional working for companies or clients outside Spain and you earn at least €2,850 a month. That is what the digital nomad visa is for. Spain is also one of the cheapest places to work remotely in Western Europe. Do not use the non-lucrative visa for this: it bans remote work too.
Which European countries have digital nomad visas
Does Spain offer a digital nomad visa?
Yes. It has been in force since the Startup Law took effect on 23 December 2022, with applications opening in early 2023. It gives up to one year as a visa from abroad, or up to three years as a residence permit applied for in Spain, renewable for two years at a time.
When can I apply for Spain’s digital nomad visa?
Any time. Apply once you have at least three months of work with your foreign employer or clients and the company has been operating for a year. If you are on a visa, apply to switch to the residence permit within the 60 days before it expires.