Digital nomad visa for Spain
For remote workers with an income from €2,849/month. The preferential Beckham regime (24%).
- Adult third-country nationals working remotely for foreign companies
What Spain's residence permit for remote workers is
Spain created a separate basis for remote workers in Law 28/2022 — the same law that introduced the regime for start-ups. Formally the status is called “residence for international remote work”.
The law describes it as follows: a third-country national obtains the right to stay in Spain and to carry out employed or professional activity remotely for companies outside Spain, using exclusively computer, telematic and telecommunication means.
The key difference from Hungary's White Card is that you may also work for a Spanish client, but for no more than 20% of your total professional activity. This allowance applies to those carrying out professional activity, that is, working for themselves.
Who it suits
- Adult third-country nationals working remotely for foreign companies
- Remote IT workers
An employment or professional relationship with the foreign company of at least 3 months at the time of application is required; the company must have been trading for at least 1 year and must confirm that remote work is authorised
How a residence permit differs from citizenship by investment
A residence permit is the right to live in a country lawfully for a limited period, with renewal. It gives no passport, no vote, and is almost always tied to its basis: once the basis is gone, the status is not renewed.
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For a person that means three things. The status has to be maintained: keep the investment, the income or the home, and file for renewal on time. The status can be lost — for breaching the conditions or for spending too long outside the country. And the status does not convert into citizenship automatically: the naturalisation clock runs separately, and some programmes do not count towards it at all.
In return, a residence permit costs several times less than citizenship by investment and opens up what people most often take it for: lawful residence, a bank account, healthcare, school for the children and travel around the Schengen area.
Visa or permit: how the two routes differ
| A visa from the consulate | A residence permit | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you apply from | From your country of residence | While already in Spain lawfully |
| Term | 1 year, or the length of the work if that is shorter | Up to 3 years |
| Renewal | 60 days before it expires you file for the permit | In periods of 2 years |
| What it leads to | The right to live and work remotely for its period of validity | After 5 years — a route to permanent residence |
The second route gives three times the term, but requires you to be in Spain lawfully at the moment of filing. You cannot be in the country unlawfully when you apply.
Packages
You meet the criteria
Income, track record and remote contract fit the programme requirements
You do not meet the criteria
The partner builds up what is missing before filing
Passport only
The full package for an applicant with no documents ready
We fix the exact package after reviewing your case. You pay the expert directly.
Residence permit in Spain: comparing the options
The difference is not the price — it is who each option suits. The “Best for” column is the business profile the option is built around.
| Option | Best for | Timeline | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital nomad visa for Spainyou are here | Remote IT workers | 2–4 months | from $3,920 |
| Residence permit in Spain for financially independent people | Pensioners, people living on investment income | 3–6 months | from $4,370 |
| Residence permit in Spain through language courses | Those who need status in Spain for a year, those learning Spanish before applying for another status, families where the adults apply separately | 3–4 months | from $6,720 |
| Spain's start-up visa: a residence permit for entrepreneurs | Founders with a finished product or a prototype, teams of two founders, those who so far have only a business idea | 5–6 months | from $14,500 |
Whether the status suits a freelancer or a self-employed person
Yes. The ministry confirms it: a self-employed person counts as an international remote worker if they evidence the professional relationship with a commercial contract with the foreign company they work for, lasting at least three months.
Social security obligations are the ordinary ones: the law introduces no special rules on company registration, registering with the authorities or contributions for this category.
The digital nomad visa or the start-up visa
The difference is where the income comes from. The entrepreneur builds a business in Spain, and everything turns on the ENISA report about how innovative the project is: the law sets no minimum investment and no obligation to hire. The remote worker is employed by companies outside the country, and there the checks are on income, track record and the contract. The money threshold is the same for both — 200% of the minimum wage, €2,849 a month in 2026.
| Digital nomad | Start-up visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Remote work for companies outside Spain — Article 74 bis | Your own business in Spain — Article 70 of Ley 14/2013 |
| What the state checks | Income, the length of the relationship with the employer, and the company trading for at least a year | An ENISA report on how innovative and scalable the project is |
| Living funds | €2,849 a month | €2,849 a month; no investment or hiring threshold |
| Working in Spain | An employee may not; a self-employed applicant may take a Spanish client for up to 20% of their activity | You may run your own business |
| Term of the status | Up to 3 years: the term follows the employment relationship | 3 years, renewed for 2 years |
| Price of the service | From €3,500 | From €8,900; a project from scratch — €14,900 |
What the service includes
| NIE | |
| Filing the documents | |
| Support throughout | |
| Housing— billed separately |
Documents and programme requirements
- 1An income of 200% of the minimum wage — €2,849/month in 2026
- 2Remote work outside Spain
- 3A contract of at least 3 months, with the company trading for at least a year
How the process runs
2–4 months- Step 1We settle the route: a visa from the consulate or a permit from inside Spain — the timing and the document pack depend on it.
- Step 2We check the basis: a contract with a foreign company, or a commercial contract of at least 3 months for a self-employed applicant.
- Step 3We collect proof of income, of the length of the relationship with the employer and of the company's operations, plus insurance.
- Step 4Filing the application and paying the fees.
- Step 5The decision and receipt of the status.
- Step 6Registration for social security and the tax formalities.
- Step 7Renewal: on a visa, the permit application is filed 60 days before it expires; the permit itself runs in 2-year periods.
Frequently asked questions
Can I work for a Spanish company on this residence permit?
Does the status suit a self-employed person without an employment contract?
How long is the status granted for?
When can permanent residence be obtained?
Can I apply while in Spain unlawfully?
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