Spain digital nomad visa: requirements in 2026

What the digital nomad visa is

Spain's digital nomad visa is the popular name for the international teleworker permit created under Ley 14/2013, the law on entrepreneurs and international mobility. It lets non-EU nationals live in Spain while working remotely, either as employees of a company outside Spain or as freelancers whose clients are mainly outside Spain.

There are two ways in:

• From your home country, applying for a visa at the Spanish consulate.
• From inside Spain, if you are here legally (for example, as a visitor), applying for a residence authorisation to the Unidad de Grandes Empresas (UGE), the unit that handles Ley 14/2013 permits.

The requirements are broadly the same on both routes. What changes is where you file, which fee you pay and how long it takes.

The income threshold for 2026

The key requirement is income of at least 200% of the Spanish minimum wage (SMI). The SMI for 2026 is €1,221 per month paid 14 times a year (RD 126/2026). Spread over 12 months, that is €1,424.50 a month, so the threshold is:

The first family member adds 75% of the SMI (€1,068.38 a month) and each additional one adds 25% (€356.13 a month). The calculator above uses exactly these figures.

Work and professional requirements

According to the published guidance, you also need to show that:

• Your employer has been operating for at least 1 year. A brand-new company is a common reason for refusal.
• You have worked with that employer or those clients for at least 3 months before applying.
• If you are a freelancer, no more than 20% of your work comes from Spanish clients.
• You have a university degree or at least 3 years of relevant professional experience.
• You can work remotely: a company letter confirming that remote work from Spain is authorised is standard.

You also need a clean criminal record for the last 5 years, health insurance and, if you are an employee, proof of social security coverage. A missing social security certificate is one of the documents that most often slows files down.

Documents that need an apostille and sworn translation

Foreign public documents must be apostilled (Hague Convention of 5 October 1961) or legalised, and translated into Spanish by a sworn translator, unless they are already in Spanish. For most nomads that means:

1. Criminal record certificates from every country where you lived in the last 5 years.
2. University degree or proof of experience.
3. Employment contract and company letter, if not in Spanish.
4. Marriage and birth certificates for any family members coming with you.

Remember that the apostille itself must be translated too. A sworn translation from your home country is usually not accepted; our guide to sworn translation in Spain explains why.

Fees and timing

If you apply from Spain, the UGE fee is the modelo 790 code 038, listed at €89.96 in a secondary source whose date is unclear, so confirm it on the official page before paying. After approval you pay for your residence card (TIE): €16.08 for the first card. If you apply at a consulate, the visa fee is set by the consulate and depends on your nationality. Our immigration fees table (in Spanish) lists every 790 code.

Applications filed with the UGE are generally reported to be decided within around 20 working days, with positive silence if there is no answer, but treat that as indicative and check the current rules. Consular timing varies by country.

Common mistakes

• Using the wrong income figure, typically an old SMI or a 14-payment calculation.
• An employer less than a year old, or a contract that started less than 3 months ago.
• Too many Spanish clients for freelancers.
• Criminal record certificates that are expired or missing their translated apostille. In practice they are accepted for about 6 months.
• Family documents not apostilled, which delays the dependants' applications.

If you want the full document list for your situation (employee or freelancer, alone or with family, consulate or UGE) with the steps in order, our personalised checklist covers it.

For the full Spanish-language guide, see visado de nómada digital (in Spanish).