Spain Digital Nomad Visa Requirements

The Spanish nomad visa sets a moderate income floor and a strict requirement about where the income comes from. The profile Spain wants is a remote worker for an established foreign employer, or a consultant whose client base is primarily foreign — not a founder whose business is domiciled in Spain.

Eligibility

• Non-EU/EEA/Swiss national. EU citizens may work remotely from Spain without a visa.
• Remote work ability. Your employer's letter, freelance contracts, or business structure must make clear the work can be performed remotely.
• 3+ years of professional experience or a university degree / equivalent professional qualification.
• Existing employment or contract relationship of at least 3 months with the foreign entity at the time of application, and a contract running at least another year.
• Foreign employer in operation for 1+ year (or a registered foreign business under your name in operation for 1+ year).
• Clean criminal record in every country you have resided in for the last 2+ years.

Income threshold

Spain indexes the income requirement to the Salario Mínimo Interprofesional (SMI), revised annually. The baseline is 200% of SMI; each additional family member adds a percentage.

UGE and consulates typically request the last 3 months of payslips or invoices plus a year of tax returns or bank statements as supporting evidence.

The 20% Spanish-client rule

A distinguishing feature of Spain's nomad visa: up to 20% of your gross income may come from entities established in Spain. This is unusually permissive among EU nomad visas. Practically, a freelancer can take on Spanish clients without invalidating the visa so long as the foreign-income majority holds. Consulates and UGE verify this against invoice histories — expect to show a 12-month client revenue breakdown.

Document checklist

• Passport valid for at least 1 year with 2 blank pages
• Completed national visa application (or residence-permit form if applying from Spain)
• Employment contract from a foreign employer (1+ year duration, remote work allowed) or proof of self-employment (business registration, client contracts, invoices covering the last year)
• Letter from employer or a sworn self-employment statement confirming remote work is permitted and the work for Spanish clients will stay ≤20%
• Proof of 3+ years of relevant professional experience or a recognized university degree
• Proof that the foreign employer has been in operation for at least 1 year
• Bank statements showing sufficient means (last 3 months)
• Criminal record certificate from every country of residence in the last 2+ years, apostilled/legalized, issued within 90 days
• Private health insurance with full coverage in Spain (public-plan alternative only if registered in social security)
• Sworn statement that you do not have an irregular stay or re-entry ban in Spain
• NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) — obtained via consulate or in-country
• Fee payment (~€80 consulate / €73 UGE)

Family reunification

Spain treats family reunification as part of the same application bundle, not a separate process — uniquely convenient compared to Portugal or Greece. Dependents included on the initial application receive the same visa duration. Eligible dependents:

• Spouse or registered partner
• Children under 18, or over 18 if dependent and studying
• Dependent parents and adult children

Common reasons for rejection

• Foreign employer less than 1 year old — unambiguous rejection reason; self-employed applicants sometimes miss this as a business-registration age threshold.
• Irregular stay history in Spain. Applicants who overstayed a previous Schengen visa often fail the sworn statement check.
• Spanish-client share exceeds 20%. Contractors must carefully structure their client mix before applying.
• Degree not officially recognized. Non-EU degrees usually need a homologación or equivalent professional experience documentation.