Spain Digital Nomad Visa: requirements, process and legal help
Keep the job, change the view.
Live legally on the Costa del Sol while you keep your remote job or your clients abroad. Independent lawyers advise and represent you through the visa, the NIE and the TIE card — and through the Beckham Law tax option that can make Spain cheaper than you'd think. All under Law 14/2013 as amended by the Startups Law (Law 28/2022), in plain English.
Yes, you can technically file it yourself. You can also cut your own hair. We've seen the results of both.
The Digital Nomad Visa requirements, in plain English
Four pillars. Get them right and the rest is process. Get one wrong and it's a refusal you then have to unpick.
Genuinely remote work
An employment contract or freelance clients based outside Spain. Employees: the company should have existed for at least a year and let you work remotely. Freelancers may bill Spanish clients for up to ~20% of income.
Enough income
Around 200% of Spain’s minimum wage (roughly €2,850/month at current figures), plus more for a spouse and each dependant. We confirm the exact threshold at the time of application — it moves with the minimum wage.
A relevant background
A university or higher-education degree, or at least three years of professional experience in your field. We help you present whichever you have so it actually lands.
The clean-file basics
A criminal-record certificate (apostilled and sworn-translated), full private health insurance, proof of the work relationship, and registration with Spanish social security or an A1/coverage certificate.
Income thresholds and documentary requirements are set by current Spanish law and verified at the time of application — they do change from year to year.
Freelancing mostly for Spanish clients? The self-employed work visa may be the better route. Bringing a partner or children? See family members of a visa holder. And the cover has to be visa-compliant private health insurance, not travel insurance.
From first call to residence card
Strategy & document audit
We confirm you qualify, map the route (consulate vs from Spain) and list exactly what to gather — before you spend a euro on apostilles.
Preparation & representation
We prepare your application, act as your legal representative before the UGE and answer whatever it asks. The decision is the authorities’; the argument is ours.
Settling in
We advise you through the NIE, the TIE residence card and the empadronamiento, and on the bank account and digital certificate that make you operational.
Tax & renewal
We set up the Beckham Law option if it fits, file the first return, and put your renewal in the calendar before it can sneak up on you.
The Beckham Law can mean a flat 24% — not the progressive rates
Many Digital Nomad Visa holders qualify for Spain's special inbound-worker regime: broadly a flat 24% on employment income up to €600,000 for up to six years. The election (Modelo 149) has a hard six-month window — miss it and it's gone — so it's the first thing we check, not the last.
Figures are set by current legislation and confirmed for your case before you rely on them. The detail is on our page about the Beckham Law for inbound workers.
The visa is one law. The paperwork is your country's.
Which criminal-record certificate counts, who apostilles it and which consulate is allowed to take your file all depend on where you live now — and getting that chain wrong is the most common way a straightforward case turns into a lost season.
Applying from the United States
The FBI check and its federal apostille, the nine consulates and which one owns your state, and the small matter of an IRS that follows you.
Read the US route →Applying from Canada
The RCMP check, the apostille system Canada only joined in 2024, and how to end your Canadian tax residence deliberately rather than by accident.
Read the Canadian route →The questions we get first
How much income do I need for the Digital Nomad Visa?
Around 200% of the Spanish minimum wage — roughly €2,850 a month at current figures — with an uplift for a spouse and for each additional dependant. Because it is pegged to the minimum wage, the precise number changes; we confirm the exact threshold and the accepted proof at the time you apply.
Can I work for Spanish clients?
The visa is designed for work tied to companies outside Spain. If you are a freelancer you may invoice Spanish clients, but only up to roughly 20% of your total income — the bulk must come from abroad. Employees should be working for a non-Spanish employer that allows remote work.
Can I bring my family?
Yes. Your spouse or registered partner and your dependent children can be included, either at the same time or later, with a corresponding uplift to the income you need to show. We prepare the family members’ applications alongside the main applicant’s so nobody is left in limbo.
What is the Beckham Law and can I use it?
It is a special tax regime for people who become Spanish tax-resident through inbound work — broadly a flat 24% on Spanish-source employment income up to €600,000, for up to six years, instead of progressive rates. Many Digital Nomad Visa holders qualify, and the Modelo 149 election has a strict 6-month window, which is exactly why we screen for it on day one. We confirm eligibility for your situation.
How long does it last, and can I renew?
Filed from inside Spain it is typically granted for three years and is renewable; from a consulate it usually comes as a one-year visa that you then convert. Either way it builds towards long-term residency — five years of legal residence opens the door to permanent residency.
Digital Nomad or Non-Lucrative — which one is mine?
If you work (remotely, for clients or an employer abroad), the Digital Nomad Visa is built for you. If you do not work and live off pensions, savings or investments, the Non-Lucrative Visa is the route. People sometimes file the wrong one and get refused; the first call is largely about making sure you are on the right track.
Related services
- Self-Employed Residence (Cuenta Propia)Run your own business or freelance practice from Spain, with Spanish clients and no 20% cap — the autónomo route the Digital Nomad Visa cannot cover.
- Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV)Residence without working, on your own means — the classic retire-to-the-sun route for pensioners and the financially independent.
- Highly Qualified Professional / EU Blue CardFor senior or specialist hires moving to a Spanish employer, including the EU Blue Card.
- Succession & ProbateHandling an inheritance in Spain — the process, the tax and the paperwork.
- Relocation Package (tiered)End-to-end relocation, in tiers — from the essentials to the full white-glove move.
Guides on this
Reviewed by a lawyer
Reviewed by Alberto García López
Immigration lawyer · ICA Málaga, reg. no. 11.441
We check every page against current Spanish law. This is general information, not advice on your individual case.
Globalium is an independent law firm, not a government agency, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any public administration. Visas, permits and identification numbers are granted solely by the Spanish authorities, and you are free to apply to them directly yourself. Our fees pay for legal advice and representation, and are separate from any official fee or tax.
Tell us the setup. We'll tell you if it flies.
A straight answer on whether you qualify, what it costs and how long it takes — before you book a flight or cancel a lease.
+34 667 77 02 19 · infoglobalextranjeria@gmail.com
P.S. — the tourist-stamp shuffle (90 days in, 90 days out, a calendar app full of anxiety) is not a visa strategy. It's a hobby, and an expensive one.