Spain has a unique immigration category for enterprising foreigners with innovative business ideas. The entrepreneur visa (Ley de Emprendedores visa) allows you to live, work and develop your start-up in the Kingdom of Spain. The Entrepreneur visa allows family business owners to bring their immediate relatives with them to Spain.
Compared to other immigration routes, the entrepreneur visa is one of the fastest ways to obtain a residence permit in Spain. However, the Spanish business visa, like no other category, requires careful preparation, which is easier to do with the help of our company’s professionals.
When deciding on an entrepreneur visa, the Spanish authorities first assess the viability of the business idea by carefully studying the business plan and supporting documents provided. Of course, even the most promising start-up will require significant financial investment to be successful. However, unlike an investor visa, this immigration route does not have a pre-set minimum amount of money that a foreign businessman must invest in his project.
The Ley de Emprendedores visa category allows entrepreneurs to bring their families to Spain. The main applicant can apply for visas and residence permits for their relatives at the same time as their own immigration documents.
Since entrepreneurs with a promising start-up will mainly be busy developing their business project, it is much easier for them to obtain a work permit in Spain.
Decisions on applications for an entrepreneur visa to Spain are made in a record 20 working days. Moreover, in Spain, the principle of “positive silence” applies to applicants for an entrepreneur visa, whereby the absence of a decision by the immigration authorities after 20 working days is interpreted in favour of the applicant.
Along with a Spanish residence card, ambitious foreign businesspeople get the chance to establish business contacts throughout the EU, as residents can travel visa-free throughout the 29 jurisdictions of the Schengen area.
A visa to launch a start-up requires obtaining a residence permit and registering a company in Spain. In other words, foreign entrepreneurs are given time to implement their business projects and access a large, solvent market in Europe.
After 5 years of living in the country on an entrepreneur visa, a businessperson can apply for permanent residence. After 10 years in Spain, entrepreneurs can apply for citizenship. Citizens of some countries can obtain a Spanish passport after just 2 years of residence.
The essence of the start-up idea must be detailed in a business plan.
The Spanish entrepreneur visa is not a “classic” visa for foreign entrepreneurs who plan to open a regular operating business in Spain, the development of which will require a certain amount of money as stipulated by law. Rather, this immigration category is a tool for launching promising start-ups.
Your business idea must be unique, realistic and in line with Spain’s economic interests. When evaluating your project, the Spanish authorities will be guided by criteria such as:
Information about your project must be detailed in a business plan.
A business plan is a key document for obtaining an entrepreneur visa to Spain. It should include:
The start-up business plan must be submitted for review to Empresa Nacional de Innovación, S.A. – ENISA, a state-owned innovation company under the Spanish Ministry of Economy.
To ensure that the business plan for your future enterprise in Spain meets ENISA’s strict standards, seek assistance from our company’s consultants.
The final decision on whether to grant residency to a foreign entrepreneur is made by the Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos – UGE-CE, a state organisation that deals with immigration to Spain through business projects.
In addition to the application and standard set of documents, UGE-CE specialists will assess the applicant’s professionalism – their education, work experience, in short, their ability to successfully implement a business idea in practice.
Accordingly, the more knowledge, experience and professional skills an entrepreneur visa applicant has, the higher the likelihood of receiving a positive decision.
At the first consultation at Imperial & Legal, we conduct a preliminary check of the client to determine exactly how suitable their education and experience are for implementing a start-up. With the help of our consultants, you will also be able to correctly convey information about your professional level to UGE-CE.
The applicant must have sufficient funds to cover their living expenses in Spain. The required monthly income for the entrepreneur and their family members is determined using the IPREM index, which at the beginning of 2026 corresponds to an income of €600 per month.
There is no minimum amount that a business visa applicant must invest in a start-up. It is more important to demonstrate to the Spanish immigration authorities that the applicant has the funds to launch and maintain the project – income-generating assets, personal savings, etc., as well as its viability and investment attractiveness.
It is common practice in the market to indicate more than €50,000 as the amount to be invested in a business project, but we would like to emphasise once again that this is only a guideline and not a mandatory minimum.
Marriage certificates, birth certificates, police certificates of no criminal record and other documents in a foreign language issued by government authorities in your country must be apostilled and accompanied by a translation into Spanish.
Citizens of Portugal, Andorra, Latin American countries, the Philippines and Equatorial Guinea can obtain second citizenship after 2 years of residence in Spain.
The following persons may apply for a visa together with the entrepreneur:
It should be noted that the above categories of relatives can apply for a visa and a residence card at the same time as a foreign entrepreneur. A residence permit entitles them to study and work in Spain.
If we disregard the fact that these are fundamentally different immigration categories with dissimilar requirements for applicants, the main differences can be summarised in a small table:
Our company provides a wide range of services to foreign businesspeople planning to launch their start-up in hospitable Spain.
You can rely on the professional skills of Imperial & Legal specialists when:
We do not abandon our clients after they move to Spain. With the help of Imperial & Legal staff, they can apply for a residence card, as well as extend or change their immigration status.
Unlike the investor visa, the Spanish entrepreneur visa does not have a legally fixed minimum investment amount that a foreign businessman must invest in his project.
In addition to the financial backing of the project, the Spanish immigration authorities evaluate the business idea itself, as well as the applicant’s experience and professional qualifications.
A decision on an entrepreneur visa application is made within 20 days. However, it should be noted that UGE-CE will only approve the application once your business plan has been approved by ENISA. Spain’s state innovation company may take up to 3 months to review the business plan submitted.
Yes, an entrepreneur visa applicant can include relatives in their application so that the whole family can move to Spain at once. You can find out which family members are eligible for a visa together with the entrepreneur in this article or by consulting with Imperial & Legal specialists.
No, you will not be refused. However, your application to the UGE-CE will not be considered until ENISA has given a positive opinion on the business plan. Therefore, if you submit your business plan to ENISA and your visa application to the UGE-CE, online or through the consulate, at the same time, the visa decision will not be made within 20 days. In this case, the lack of a quick response cannot be interpreted as “silence is consent”.
A significant portion of the mistakes that lead to rejection by the Spanish immigration authorities are related to the applicant’s overconfidence, who neglects the help of professionals in drawing up a business plan and collecting supporting documents.
Imperial & Legal staff will draw up a detailed business plan for your innovative project, collect the necessary additional materials, apostille and provide Spanish translations of documents from government agencies.
Another common mistake identified during the initial consultation at Imperial & Legal is a business idea that is not suitable for obtaining an entrepreneur visa. If your project involves opening a coffee shop, barbershop or beauty salon, there is a high chance of rejection.
Practice has shown that the Spanish authorities give priority to projects related to digital technologies, fintech, engineering, biotechnology and green energy.
Entrepreneur visa to Spain - startup launch, residence permits for the whole family, and a pathway to permanent residency and citizenship.
Spain Residence
Dual citizenship