Spain’s international telework permit. Updated October 2026.
Digital nomad visa lawyers in Spain
If you work remotely for an employer or clients outside Spain, the digital nomad visa lets you live here legally and keep that work. We check that you qualify, build a file the authorities can approve without questions and stay with you until you hold your residence card, with your partner and children included.
We are a Spanish law firm based in Seville and we file applications for clients anywhere in Spain. One immigration solicitor leads your case from the first call, in English, with a fixed quote in writing before we start.
What clients ask before anything else
Figures for 2026, checked against the Spanish Official Gazette (BOE) and the guidance of the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE), the government office that decides these applications in Spain.
We tell you whether you qualify and how to apply
Tell us who you work for, how you are paid and who is moving with you. A lawyer reads your message and replies within 24 hours on working days, in English. Full confidentiality.
What the law asks of you and your employer
The permit is regulated by articles 74 bis to 74 quinquies of Law 14/2013, added by the 2022 Startups Law. These are the conditions the authorities check in every file.
| Requirement | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Remote work for a foreign company | Your work must be done remotely, using computers and telecommunications, for a company or clients based outside Spain. |
| Income | €34,188 a year for the applicant in 2026 (200% of the minimum wage of €1,221 paid 14 times). Add €12,821 a year for the first family member and €4,274 a year for each additional one. Consulates sometimes express these amounts as monthly figures, so we check the method yours uses. |
| Qualifications or experience | A university degree or postgraduate qualification, or at least three years of professional experience in the work you will do. |
| Your employer or clients | The company or group must have been operating for at least one year. |
| Length of the relationship | At least three months working with that employer or those clients before you apply, with written permission to work remotely from Spain. |
| Spanish clients | Employees work only for the foreign employer. Self-employed professionals may bill Spanish clients up to 20% of their total activity. |
| Criminal record | No criminal record in Spain or in the countries where you have lived in the last two years, plus a sworn statement covering the last five. |
| Health cover | Spanish public cover or private health insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain, with no copayments and no waiting periods. Travel insurance is not accepted. |
| Legal stay | If you apply from Spain, you must be here legally when you file. |
Designed for people whose office is a laptop
The permit suits employees of foreign companies who already work from home, and freelancers and consultants whose clients are mostly abroad: software developers, designers, marketing and finance professionals, writers, translators and similar roles. It is open to nationals of countries outside the EU, including British, American, Canadian and Australian citizens.
Who it is not for
Jobs that need you on site, people whose main clients are in Spain, and employees of a Spanish branch of their company, who usually need a different permit. If you already live here on a non-lucrative permit, remote work you have done on it cannot support this application.
From a consulate or from Spain
You can apply for a visa at the Spanish consulate that covers the place where you legally live, or apply for the residence permit once you are in Spain. The right choice depends on your timing, your family and where you are now.
| Visa from a consulate | Permit from Spain (UGE) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you apply | The Spanish consulate for your place of legal residence | Online, to the UGE, while you are legally in Spain |
| Decision time | 10 working days once the file is complete | 20 days; if there is no answer, it is approved |
| Validity | Up to one year | Up to three years |
| Afterwards | Apply to the UGE for residence in the 60 days before the visa expires | Renew for two years at a time |
| Best for | People who want everything settled before they move | People already in Spain as visitors who meet every requirement |
After five years of continuous legal residence you can apply for long-term residence, and later for Spanish nationality, which as a rule requires ten years of residence (two for nationals of Ibero-American countries).
Your partner and children can come with you
Plan both before you move
What your file usually contains
- Full passport.
- Your employment contract or client contracts, with written permission to work remotely from Spain.
- A company certificate showing at least one year of activity.
- Proof of at least three months working with that employer or those clients.
- Your degree, or proof of three years of professional experience.
- Proof of income: payslips, invoices and bank statements.
- Criminal record certificates and a sworn statement.
- Health insurance or proof of social security cover.
- For family members: marriage or birth certificates and proof of dependency.
British and American applicants
British applicants usually provide an ACRO police certificate, and an S1 form can serve as health cover. American applicants usually need an FBI background check with an apostille, and consulates such as Houston accept it only if it was issued in the last six months. Each consulate publishes its own list and only takes residents of its district, so we prepare your file against the list of your consulate.
The problems we prevent
If your application has already been refused, you can usually file an administrative appeal within one month or go to court within two months. Sometimes a new, stronger application is faster. We review the reasons and tell you which option makes sense.
What it costs before you start
Every matter has a fixed quote in writing, tailored to you and your family, with the work included from the first review to the residence card: eligibility check, document checklist, review of every document, filing and follow-up. No items added along the way.
Other costs to budget for
- The government fee for each application filed in Spain, €73.26 per person according to the UGE, or the consular fee, which depends on your nationality.
- The residence card fee for each family member.
- Sworn translations, apostilles and legalisations.
- Private health insurance, if you do not use social security cover.
One lawyer, from the first call to your card
You will not be passed from one assistant to another. A Spanish lawyer leads your case, speaks to you in English and answers for every step.
Applications to the UGE are filed online, so we handle them wherever in Spain you plan to live: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, the islands or Andalusia. We meet clients in Seville, and in Marbella and Cádiz by appointment, and by video call wherever they are.
If the digital nomad visa does not fit, we compare it with the non-lucrative visa, the highly qualified professional permit and family routes in our guide to Spanish residence.
Written and reviewed by a Spanish lawyer
Leads our immigration and nationality practice and advises international clients on visas, residence and Spanish nationality, and on how residence affects their property, their company and their taxes.
Last reviewed on 23 October 2026. You can check any Spanish lawyer, including us, in the Spanish Bar Council’s public register, the Censo General de Letrados. David on LinkedIn.
- Law 14/2013, articles 74 bis to 74 quinquies: international telework (BOE)
- Royal Decree 126/2026, the 2026 minimum wage (BOE)
- Digital nomads: questions and answers of the UGE (Ministry of Inclusion and Migration)
- Royal Decree 1155/2024, the immigration regulations in force since 20 May 2025 (BOE)
- Personal Income Tax Law, article 93: the special regime for new residents (BOE)
- Form 149: opting into the special regime (Spanish Tax Agency)
- Digital nomad visa at the Spanish Consulate in London (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Digital nomad visa: your questions
How much income do I need for the digital nomad visa in 2026?+
Can I apply for the digital nomad visa from inside Spain?+
Can I work for Spanish companies on this visa?+
Does the Beckham Law apply to digital nomads?+
Can my partner and children come with me?+
Do I need a degree?+
How long does the whole process take?+
How much does a digital nomad visa lawyer cost?+
Ready to work from Spain?
Tell us about your work and your family. We check whether you qualify and tell you what it costs.