Moving to Spain: what do you need to know?

A step-by-step guide to visas, processing times and key conditions for applicants

Spain is the second largest country in the European Union. It occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula in south-western Europe, as well as some territories in Africa. This country has a rich history and unique cultural heritage.

Citizens of other jurisdictions choose to immigrate to Spain because of its mild climate, high standard of living, advanced healthcare, convenient infrastructure, and the opportunity to obtain a European passport.

The main ways to obtain a Spanish residence permit

In order for an immigrant to have legal grounds for staying in Spain, they must obtain a residence permit. Often, the abbreviation “residence permit” refers to either the document itself — a residence card — or a long-term visa issued for a period of at least one year.

Resident status is granted to foreign citizens who move to Spain on a national visa. The most popular immigration routes in 2026 are:

1. Visa for financially independent persons.
2. Digital nomad visa.
3. Entrepreneur visa.
4. Self-employed visa.
5. Student visa.
6. Work visa.
7. Family reunification visa.

Comparison of immigration routes to Spain

Immigration to Spain on a Non-Lucrative Visa

The visa for financially independent persons was developed for immigrants who do not need to work or engage in commercial activities in order to live comfortably in the Kingdom of Spain. This immigration route is ideal for:

• wealthy pensioners;
• investors;
• rentiers;
• wealthy families planning to move to Europe;
• recipients of interest on savings accounts and deposits.

Key requirements for applicants for a Non-Lucrative Visa

1. Applicants for a financially independent visa must have sufficient funds to live in Spain.
   The source of funds can be personal savings or regular passive income. The IPREM, a multifunctional general income indicator in Spain in annual or monthly terms, is used to determine the minimum acceptable values.
   For a single visa applicant, this minimum will be at least 400% of the IPREM, which at the beginning of 2026 corresponds to a monthly income of €2,400 or personal savings of at least €28,800.
   Wealthy foreigners who plan to move to this hospitable country with their families must show even more passive income or savings. Adding one relative to the application increases the minimum requirements by 100% IPREM (+€600 to monthly income or +€7,200 to the minimum deposit).

2. You must purchase private or public insurance that covers all medical expenses in Spain.
3. Request a certificate of no criminal record from the police in each country where you have lived for a long period of time in the last 5 years.
   If the document is in a foreign language, it must be apostilled and accompanied by a sworn translation into Spanish.

4. Before applying for a residence permit, immigrants must rent or buy accommodation in Spain and register at their place of residence.

Procedure for obtaining a Spanish residence permit for financially independent persons

By contacting Imperial & Legal, you will save time, as our consultants provide ready-made turnkey solutions with minimal client involvement in the process. The entire process takes no more than 5 steps.

1. Preparation

From accurately assessing the applicant’s circumstances and drawing up a joint action plan at the first consultation to restructuring finances, purchasing insurance, preparing documents and making an appointment at the Spanish consulate, the preparatory stage takes our consultants approximately 2-3 weeks.

2. Appointment at the Spanish consulate, visa application

The applicant submits the application in person to the Spanish consulate. As a rule, this stage takes no more than one working day.

3. Application review, visa issuance

Imperial & Legal’s legal support minimises the likelihood of errors in the documents, so our client is granted a visa to enter Spain within 3 months. The absence of an official response is interpreted as “silence is consent”.

4. Moving to Spain

The Non-Lucrative Visa is valid for 90 days and allows two visits to the Kingdom of Spain. We recommend not postponing relocation until the last minute, as the client will have to solve two important tasks with the help of Imperial & Legal once they arrive:

• Rent or buy accommodation and register at their place of residence. (In some jurisdictions, consulates require that Spanish registration be completed at the visa application stage).
• Gather the documents for obtaining a residence card and visit the immigration department at the local police station to submit an application and provide biometric data.

5. Obtaining a residence card

With our help, you can obtain a residence card within 30 days after visiting the immigration department of the Spanish police. The first residence permit for Non-Lucrative visa holders is valid for 1 year.

How can a financially independent person extend their residence permit in Spain?

To have your residence card renewed, you must meet 5 simple requirements:

1. Do not work for hire or engage in business in Spain or abroad. In other words, your source of income must remain passive income or savings.
2. Spend at least 183 days a year in the Kingdom of Spain.
3. You must not have any tax debts.
4. If you have come to Spain with a minor child, you must enrol them in a local school.
5. You must have sufficient funds to purchase medical insurance and cover your living expenses in the country.

If you show personal savings, the minimum amount allowed in your bank account will be twice as much, as the residence permit is extended for 2 years instead of 1. If you renew your residence card at the beginning of 2026, this minimum must be €57,600.

Visa for remote work in Spain

The Digital Nomad Visa is ideal for immigrants whose work is related to modern digital technologies and is not tied to any one location. This is the option for you if you:

• work remotely for a foreign company;
• earn money remotely as a freelancer;
• run an online business.

Key requirements for applicants for a Digital Nomad visa:

1. A digital nomad must work or conduct business for a foreign company that has been operating on the market for more than 1 year at the time of application.
2. If a Digital Nomad Visa is obtained by an employee, the duration of their employment relationship with their employer must be more than 3 months.
3. Digital nomads must have foreign sources of income. A small exception is made for entrepreneurs with online businesses and freelancers – up to 20% of their income may be generated in Spain.
4. Applicants for a Digital Nomad Visa must not have a criminal record. A police certificate is required to confirm good character.
5. The applicant must confirm that they do not have any diseases that pose a threat to public health, so a medical certificate is required. Medical expenses that a digital nomad may incur during their stay in the country must be covered by medical insurance.
6. The professional competence of a digital nomad must be confirmed by a college, university or business school diploma in a relevant field. Many years (>3 years) of work experience in the declared field can also serve as confirmation.
7. Digital nomads must obtain a NIE (foreign identification number) from the Spanish consulate or immigration authorities.
8. Applicants for a Digital Nomad visa must earn enough to not only pay all fees and insurance, but also to cover their living expenses in Spain.

To determine the minimum acceptable income for a digital nomad, the Spanish authorities use a parameter such as the minimum interprofessional wage, abbreviated as SMI, which at the beginning of 2026 is €1,381 per month.

The minimum monthly income of an applicant for a Digital Nomad Visa must start at €2,763, which corresponds to 200% of the SMI.

The income requirement for a digital nomad will increase if they move to Spain with their family or plan to bring relatives there on a family reunification visa. Add to the minimum acceptable income:

• 75% of the SMI for the first dependent in the visa application, regardless of their age;
• 25% of the SMI for each additional relative.

Advantages of moving to Spain as a digital nomad

1. Tax optimisation

In Spain, digital nomads can switch to a preferential tax regime, also known as the “Beckham Law” — a law named after British footballer David Beckham. 

This is a favourable tax regime for immigrants who have come to Spain for work. By taking advantage of the Beckham Law, foreign specialists can fix their tax rate at 24% on the portion of their declared income that comes from their professional activities.

Income from passive sources abroad is taxed at a progressive rate of 19% to 24%.

The preferential tax treatment under the Beckham Law is available to digital nomads in the year of their relocation and for the following five tax periods, and as long as their declared income does not exceed €600,000 per year.

2. Comfortable living and working conditions

Digital nomads appreciate Spain for its mild climate, safety, relatively low cost of living, and well-developed infrastructure, which includes a developed service sector, high-speed internet, and shared workspaces.

3. The opportunity to bring your family with you

Who can move to Spain with a digital nomad?

• Spouses and partners
• children under 18;
• Adult children, provided they are still financially dependent on their parents and are enrolled in full-time college or university studies
• ascendants: parents, grandparents, if they are an important part of the digital nomad’s family and are dependent on them.

4. Access to education and healthcare

Digital nomads have the opportunity to give their children a modern education at numerous educational institutions in Spain. They also have access to the high-quality and affordable Spanish healthcare system.

5. Second citizenship

If a foreign specialist plans to settle in Spain for a long time, they can apply for a residence permit. The residence card is valid for 3 years and can be renewed an unlimited number of times.

Five years of permanent residence ≥ 183 days per year, in the homeland of Pablo Picasso gives the opportunity to apply for a permanent residence permit. After spending 10 years in Spain, you can obtain European citizenship through naturalisation.

Alternative immigration routes to Spain

Entrepreneur Visa

The main requirements for applicants are the same as for the immigration categories discussed above.

The peculiarity of the Entrepreneur Visa is that this route is only suitable for enterprising foreigners with an innovative business project that is not only economically viable but also brings tangible benefits to the Spanish economy.

Therefore, the applicant’s start-up must be approved by the state innovation company ENISA – Empresa Nacional de Innovación. Only then will the entrepreneur be able to obtain a positive decision from the Spanish immigration authorities on their application.

The financial requirements for future Spanish entrepreneurs are not as strict as those for digital nomads. At the beginning of 2026, applicants will only need to show an income exceeding €600 per month. On the other hand, successfully launching a start-up in Spain is impossible without significant cash injections, which are not regulated by law but often reach €50,000 or more.

Work visa

A fairly common way to obtain a residence permit in Spain is to find long-term employment with one of the local companies.

There are two types of visas suitable for this purpose:

1. Work visa / Skilled Worker Visa

Before applying for a visa at the consulate, the applicant must sign an employment contract with a Spanish employer and obtain a work permit from the Spanish Ministry of Labour.

When deciding on an applicant, the Spanish authorities assess how scarce their profession is. Otherwise, the employer in Spain will have to prove that they were unable to find candidates for this vacancy in the EU.

2. EU Blue Card

An immigration programme to attract highly qualified foreign specialists to European Union countries. Three key conditions for participation in the EU Blue Card programme:

• the applicant must have a relevant education: academic degree – no lower than a bachelor’s degree in the specialty for which they are applying;
• the applicant must have a signed employment contract with a company registered in the Kingdom of Spain;
• the foreign employee’s salary must be 1.2-1.5 times higher than the average salary in the country.

Student visa

A student visa is intended for citizens of countries that are not members of the European Union who wish to move to Spain for the purpose of:

1. Full-time study at a Spanish college, university or business school, or to obtain a postgraduate degree.
2. Participating in school or university exchange programmes and student volunteer programmes.
3. Undertaking unpaid internships and participating in Au pair programmes in Spain.

To remain in Spain after their studies, former students find employment, switch to a more promising type of visa and modify their student residence permit to a residence permit with the right to work.

Visa for family reunification

This type of visa is used by relatives of foreigners who have already obtained a residence permit in Spain to move to Spain. This immigration route is suitable for:

• spouses and partners;
• children under 18, including the children of spouses and adopted children;
• disabled children over 18 who are recognised as incapacitated;
• parents of the reuniting person or their spouse, if they are over 65 years of age, financially dependent on the person inviting them to Spain and are an integral part of the family.

A family reunification visa is issued for 90 days. Upon arrival in Spain, a residence permit is issued.

How much money will a future resident of Spain need to pay registration fees?

Consular fees are usually charged in the currency of the country where the application for a national visa to Spain is submitted. In most jurisdictions, the application processing fee is equivalent to €80.

There are countries where the consular fee is higher, as it is regulated by bilateral agreements. These countries include the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and Canada.

Applying for a Spanish residence card also involves paying a fee of around €10.

When calculating the cost of moving to Spain, you should take into account additional expenses related to obtaining a medical certificate, purchasing insurance, and paying for the services of a certified translator and immigration lawyer.

At the initial consultation at Imperial & Legal, the client receives an estimate of the upcoming costs, broken down by individual items.

Permanent residence and Spanish citizenship

A significant number of expats who have come to Spain on long-term visas highly value this wonderful country for its mild climate, economic stability, high-quality healthcare and the opportunity to provide a good education for their children.

In order to obtain a permanent residence permit, you will need to have lived in Spain legally for 5 years. Applicants for a permanent residence card must integrate into the local community and have a sufficient knowledge of Spanish to pass the interview.

After living in Cervantes’ homeland for more than 10 years, immigrants have the opportunity to apply for second citizenship. Immigrants from Latin American countries, as well as citizens of Portugal, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Jews of Sephardic origin can become subjects of the Spanish kingdom two years after moving there.

Taxes and cost of living in Spain

Taxes

A significant portion of the immigration routes to Spain considered here involve a long-term stay and, as a result, tax obligations in the country.

If the income of a new tax resident was earned outside Spain, they can take advantage of a tax break and exclude the first €60,100 of that amount from taxation . There are additional conditions for applying the tax break — in particular, tax on income earned abroad must be paid in the jurisdiction where it was earned.

The Spanish tax authorities conditionally divide an individual’s income into:

1. Total income – money received from employment or entrepreneurial activity, lottery winnings, etc.
2. Income from savings – dividends, interest on bank deposits, income from securities, capital gains.

A progressive tax rate is applied to total income, which is the sum of taxes levied at the state level and at the level of a specific autonomous community in Spain. Depending on the declared amount of total income, it can vary between 19% and 47%.

• For total income, the maximum rate can be as high as 47%.
• For income from savings, the maximum rate is 30%.

Spanish income tax rates on savings

Spain does not seem to be the most favourable place for tax residence, unless legal tax optimisation methods are taken into account.

Digital nomads take advantage of the preferential tax regime under the Beckham Law to lock in a favourable income tax rate for six years. Competent asset structuring helps wealthy expats reduce their tax base. For more information on tax optimisation in Spain, please contact Imperial & Legal consultants!

Cost of living

The cost of living depends largely on the region of Spain to which you are moving. In large cities such as Madrid or Barcelona, a single person will need at least €2,500 per month to live comfortably. A family with a child and the same level of consumption in a city with a population of over a million will spend around €4,000 per month.

An expat will need less money to live in provincial Spain, as rents for rented accommodation are usually lower in the countryside and goods and services are cheaper. A single person will need €1,500-2,000 per month to live comfortably.

It is generally accepted that the cost of living in Spain is not as high as in France, Belgium and Germany.

Which region should you choose when moving to Spain?

The choice of region depends entirely on your reasons for moving to Spain. Ambitious entrepreneurs are attracted by the opportunities offered by Madrid and Barcelona. Digital nomads often choose the more peaceful Valencia or Malaga for living and working. Pensioners often move to quieter areas of the country near the Mediterranean Sea, far from popular tourist routes.

How Imperial & Legal helps you immigrate to Spain

If you are not familiar with the intricacies of Spanish immigration law, it will probably be difficult for you to obtain a residence permit within a reasonable time frame. Fortunately, you can always take advantage of the knowledge and experience of our company’s specialists!

At Imperial & Legal, we take a comprehensive approach, providing our clients with reliable legal support at every stage of their immigration to Spain. We successfully solve the following tasks:

1. Choosing the appropriate visa category.
2. Preparing documents, including apostille and sworn translation, submitting applications, and liaising with the Spanish consulate.
3. Assistance in Spain: finding accommodation and supporting the rental or purchase transaction, consulting during the process of obtaining a residence permit.
4. Tax optimisation.
5. Legal support for your business.

Moving to Spain will be much easier if you consult with Imperial & Legal specialists during the preparation stage!