What are the requirements for a digital nomad visa in Spain?

Six blocks: that your work can be done remotely and that the contract allows it, a minimum monthly income of approximately €2.900, that this income comes from outside Spain (maximum 20% from Spanish clients if you are self-employed), a minimum seniority of six months with an indefinite contract, a special health insurance for digital nomads without limits or waiting periods, and the documentary file with background, apostilles and translations.

I own my own business and don't have an employment contract, do I qualify?

Probably yes, but with one condition. The system includes two profiles: those with a contract and those who work independently for clients or their own company. If you receive profit-sharing rather than a salary, you qualify under the second option. The condition is that being a partner isn't enough: you must actually work for the company, either as an employee or in a senior management position. A partner who only receives profits and doesn't work for the company doesn't qualify.

How long does it take to get a digital nomad visa in Spain?

It depends on where you apply. From the consulate of your country of legal residence, the legal processing time is 10 business days and the visa is granted for one year. From Spain, the processing time is 20 business days and the visa is granted for three years. Both are renewable.

How many years of residency do I need for Spanish nationality?

For nationals of Ibero-American countries, the requirement is two years of legal residence, compared to ten years under the general regime. Two years to be eligible to apply is not the same as two years to receive the passport: after applying, there is a file that is processed and takes its own time. A minimum of 18 months of residence within a 24-month period is also required.

Schedule call

Digital nomad visa · Spain

Can you do your current job from Spain if you are Chilean, Argentinian, or Mexican?

Q: Can you do your current job from Spain if you are Chilean, Argentinian, or Mexican?

It depends on who pays you. If you're looking for a Spanish company to hire you, the permit is handled by that company and isn't up to you. If you already work remotely for a company outside of Spain, or invoice clients outside of Spain, you can apply for a digital nomad visa (residence permit for international teleworking, Law 28/2022).

Q: If my digital nomad visa application is rejected, can I appeal?

Yes, a negative decision can be appealed. It's important to understand why it was rejected, because often the problem is a document that can be corrected, not the applicant's profile.

The short answer is that it depends on who pays you.

If you're looking to be hired by a Spanish company, this isn't the right path for you, and you should be aware of that now. However, if you already work remotely for a company outside of Spain, or invoice clients outside of Spain, there is a route that is within your control.

And it has a consequence that almost no one mentions: if you're Latin American, the time you legally live in Spain starts counting towards your Spanish passport after two years . For someone from most other countries, it's ten.

Book an assessment call

Last updated: August 2026 · 8-minute read · Reviewed by the AIM Global legal team

First, what it is not

If you're looking to get hired in Spain, this isn't for you.

There are two searches that look very similar but are completely unrelated. Confusing them is the number one reason why people waste months reading about the wrong visa.

Search 1

“I want a Spanish company to give me a job.”

This process is controlled by the employer: they need a concrete offer, a work permit processed by that company, and, in many cases, the position cannot be filled by someone already in the country. There's no form you can fill out on your own to obtain it.

You don't control it → close this tab

Search 2

“I already have my job, I want to do it from Spain.”

This is something you control, because the income already exists and the only thing that changes is where you sit down to work. This is the question that answers the rest of this page.

You control it → keep reading

If you fall into the first category, you'll be more helpful in searching for job offers on Spanish employment websites than in reading about visas. We're serious.

The figure

So, which visa can you apply for?

It's called a digital nomad visa . Officially, it appears as a residence permit for international teleworking , and it was created by Law 28/2022. It's the permit Spain grants to those who live within its territory but are paid from abroad.

The name is misleading. “Digital nomad” sounds like someone who changes countries every three months, but the requirement for this visa is the opposite: it requires you to stay. If you get it and then spend most of the year outside of Spain, time stops counting.

The requirements

There are six blocks. The first two are the ones that leave people out.

That your work can be done remotely

The contract has to allow it.

This filter has nothing to do with how much you earn. If your job is in-person, this visa won't work for you even if you meet all the other requirements: Spain only authorizes remote work. Your contract—or your relationship with your clients, if you're self-employed—must allow you to work remotely.

A minimum monthly income

≈ €2.900 per month

It's calculated as a multiple of the Spanish minimum wage. If your income is below the threshold, there's a lesser-known option: proven savings can be taken into account in the evaluation, and a family application can sometimes be processed differently.

That this income comes from outside Spain

Maximum 20% from Spain

If you are self-employed, you can have some Spanish clients, but there is a limit: at most 20% of your income can come from there.

Antiquity

Minimum 6 months · Permanent contract

A contract signed last week is not valid. A minimum period of employment with your employer or of self-employment is required.

Health Insurance

The travel insurance included with the tickets won't do: it only covers three months. You need special coverage for digital nomads, with no limits and no waiting periods (for example, Asisa ).

The documentary file

Background checks, apostilled documents, forms, and translations. This is the tedious and confusing part, and this is where a lawyer comes in.

The question that no website answers

I own my own business and I don't have an employment contract. Do I qualify?

Probably yes, but with one condition.

The figure considers two different profiles, and that's why the question is answered before looking at your contract: you look at who pays you.

1 gate

Contract employee

You receive a salary from a company outside of Spain. This is evidenced by the contract and the payments.

2 gate

Self-employed or partner in your company

If you receive withdrawals and not a salary, this is the step you need to take. What you need to prove is your financial relationship with the person who pays you.

The condition is this: being a partner is not enough. You must actually work in your company, either as an employee or in a senior management position. Someone who only owns a company, receives profits, and doesn't work in it, does not qualify for this visa.

The two paths

How long does it take? There are two paths, and they're not the same.

Where you submit your application changes the deadline and the number of years you're granted it: it's not the same to enter with one year as with three. It's the most underestimated decision in the process.

	From your country's consulate	From Spain
Legal deadline for resolution	10 working days	20 working days
How much is granted	1 year	3 years in the Making
Renewable	Yes	Yes
How do you travel?	You arrive with your visa already granted	You present while in Spanish territory

Processing times are subject to the internal workload of each consulate and the officials in charge. And in either case, each renewal requires meeting the same requirements as the initial application : employment contract, verifiable income, savings, and insurance.

Tax

What happens to my taxes when I leave?

When you move to Spain, your tax residency changes, and this change has consequences in both countries at the same time: where you declare, on what income, and how to avoid double taxation.

You are considered a tax resident in Spain if you live within the country for more than 184 days. Beyond that, everything depends on your circumstances and goals.

We're not going to throw together figures from two jurisdictions in one article. It's exactly the kind of calculation that's done with your specific numbers, verifying what agreements exist between Spain and your country.

A warning about the Beckham Law

It's the special tax regime everyone's heard about. It's not automatic and doesn't apply to everyone who enters with this visa; it's focused on high-net-worth individuals. We've had clients who based their entire decision around this benefit and then didn't qualify. If your decision depends on this regime, resolve it before making any changes.

Mobility

Do I have to stay locked up in Spain?

No. You can travel, and within the Schengen Area—which covers almost the entire European Union—you can move freely without border controls. The requirement is that Spain be your actual residence, not just an address on paper.

However, if your goal is a passport, the schedule becomes less flexible: a minimum stay of 18 months within a 24-month period is required , and it is not recommended to leave Spain for periods longer than three continuous months.

Almost always, this question is followed by another: “How do people know if I'm traveling?” The paperwork is there. When it comes time to prove residency for citizenship, they check your records, not your word, so planning your trips from the start is cheaper than explaining them later.

Family

Can my spouse work? And do the children go to school?

The children go to school, and that's the point that most reassures families. The Spanish public school system provides schooling for resident minors. However, the application process has its own schedule: places are requested during a specific window of the year, and if you miss it, you're placed on a waiting list.

Regarding the spouse, the answer depends on their immigration status and their intended purpose afterward. There's a real difference between three things that are often mentioned interchangeably: accompanying someone as a dependent, accessing the Spanish labor market, and changing their immigration status without leaving the country. All three scenarios exist and don't mean the same thing, so this is one of the questions you should clarify with your specific situation in mind before making any commitments.

The minimum income requirement also increases for each person traveling with you: with a partner it goes up to around €4.000 per month , and with a partner and two children to around €5.000 . These are approximate amounts, not an official table: the additional percentage depends on who each companion is and is calculated based on your base requirement.

The comparison

Spain or Portugal?

It's the comparison that comes up first in almost all our conversations, and the answer depends on a single question: do you care more about your passport or do you care more about the tax burden?

	Spain	Portugal
Path to nationality for Latin Americans	Reduced term: 2 years of legal residence	Without that benefit: the general term applies
Language	Without barrier	A real barrier in daily life
Figure for income from outside	Digital nomad visa	Visa D7 for passive income and remote work figures
Tax treatment	It's the variable that's most simplified online and the one that's generally least easy to answer: it depends on the current tax regime, your income structure, and any agreements with your country. We'll calculate it using your figures.

What almost no one mentions

And what happens at two years old?

This visa grants you legal residency in Spain. And legal residency, maintained over time, qualifies you to apply for Spanish citizenship.

Two years to apply doesn't mean two years to actually receive your passport. After you apply, there's a file that needs to be processed, and that process takes time. We can explain how this entire process works, what counts, what triggers it, and how long the resolution takes, all in a phone call.

years of legal residence
if you are Latin American

years under the general regime
for the rest of the world

FAQ

What they ask us on the calls

My company is Chilean and I work from my home in Chile. Does that still work?

Yes. The requirement is that your employer be located outside of Spain, not outside your country. A remote job from Chile to Chile—or from Argentina to Argentina—means the same, as long as the contract allows for remote work. It's a common misconception: many people believe their employer has to be foreign, which isn't the case.

Is this only for Latin Americans?

The digital nomad visa can be requested by anyone who meets the requirements, regardless of nationality. However, the deadline for applying for Spanish nationality afterward varies depending on your country: nationals of Ibero-American countries have a shorter deadline.

Which countries are Ibero-American?

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Venezuela, Andorra, Portugal and Spain.

Do I need to have a signed lease in Spain before submitting the application?

You'll be asked to provide proof of address, but that doesn't obligate you to sign a long-term contract before receiving a response. Committing to a rental agreement while you wait is how people end up paying two rents for months.

If I am rejected, can I appeal?

Yes, a negative decision can be appealed. Before doing so, it's important to understand why it was rejected, because often the problem is a document that can be corrected, not the applicant's profile.

Is the health insurance I already have in my country valid?

Almost never. National insurance doesn't cover travel outside the country, and travel insurance only covers tourist stays. Special coverage for digital nomads is required, with no limits and no waiting periods.

Can I later change to another visa, or open a business in Spain?

Changing from one authorization to another is possible without starting over. However, if your goal is a passport, interrupting your residency to change your status could cost you time. It's a decision best made with the timeline in mind.

How much does the service cost?

The fees depend on the number of people traveling and which of the two routes you choose. We'll give you the fees in our first conversation, along with an assessment of your eligibility.

Years of Experience

200+

Golden Visa

550+

Nationalizations

800+

+ residence permits

The next step

Half an hour with a lawyer, before moving anything.

If you work remotely or invoice clients outside of Spain, what you need to do now is review where your income comes from, how you can prove it, and which of the two paths is best for you.

Book an assessment call

If you don't qualify, we'll tell you during that call.