Digital nomad residence for freelancers: contracts and documents

Freelancers on the digital nomad visa: what the law and UGE documents say

The word “freelancer” does not appear in the law. Article 74 bis of Ley 14/2013 distinguishes two cases: employment activity (you are an employee) and professional activity (you provide services independently). For the second, the law allows work for a company in Spain as long as it accounts for no more than 20% of all professional activity [1]. The qualification requirement is the same as for everyone: a degree from a university, vocational college or business school, or at least three years of experience [1].

UGE clarifies that a self-employed person can obtain the permit by proving a professional relationship through a commercial contract with a foreign company lasting at least three months [2]. The law adds that the company (or group) must have carried on real and continuous activity for at least a year, and the contract must set out the terms on which you work remotely [1]. For the overall picture, see DNV requirements; here we look specifically at the freelance route.

Which documents prove you are a freelancer on the digital nomad visa

If you have several clients, the law refers to a relationship with “one or more” companies over the last three months [1]. The public documents do not say how UGE counts this period across several clients, so do not rely on adding them up without checking. Documents in another language need a sworn translation, and foreign official documents need an apostille or legalisation [3].

Contracts and invoices: how to build one consistent story

UGE checks not whether the files exist but how they link together. An invoice number from your invoice register must appear in the contract or order, and the matching payment in the bank certificate. The certificate must be in your name and stamped by the bank, with the transactions for the invoices shown separately from the rest [3]. If a project lasts longer than three months, show the period of work and the basis for the recurring payments.

Do not replace a real history with a fresh contract backdated to the past. The law requires a relationship that has existed for the last three months, and this is checked against the payments [1][3]. A professional portfolio explains what you do, but it does not replace the contract, invoices and certificate.

Working through a freelance marketplace or payment service needs a separate explanation: who the client is, who pays and on what basis. UGE’s public documents do not mention platform names, and we found no official position. The logic of the guidance note suggests that the amount in the certificate must match the invoices and the contract, and that the name of the payment service must not hide the real client. This is our reading, not the authority’s position.

Owning your own company, sole trader status and self-employment

Owning a company does not automatically make you a freelancer, but UGE describes this case separately. For an autónomo societario (a business owner working through a company) who is its sole owner or controls it, the length of the relationship is considered proven if 100% ownership and real company activity for more than a year are shown [3].

You also need proof of ownership or control, the company’s latest corporate income tax return, investment in means of production, and information from the social security authority of the company’s country on its employee history [3]. Instead of invoices and the certificate, your personal tax return for the previous year may be accepted, and in that case the company letter must contain the remaining terms [3].

Whether a Russian sole proprietorship (IP) or self-employed status works as a basis is covered in a separate article: Russian IP for the DNV. If your set-up is unusual, it is better to bring it for review before you apply.

Spanish clients and the 20% rule

Spanish companies are allowed among your clients only in the professional model and only if two conditions are met: the relationship with the company on which your permit was based continues, and Spanish work makes up no more than 20% of all your professional activity. Relationships with Spanish clients must be professional, not employment [1][2]. Neither the law nor UGE specifies how to calculate the share (by revenue, hours or orders): how to apply the 20% rule. If you are not sure your set-up will meet this rule, compare the DNV with an ordinary self-employment permit: DNV or cuenta propia for a freelancer.

Preparation step by step

1. Check your model. You work under a commercial contract, not an employment one; your counterparties are outside Spain; their age and genuineness are confirmed by the register.
2. Count the three months. Contracts and invoices must cover the last three months before you apply, and the payments must be visible in the statement.
3. Prepare the client’s letter. Position, duties, a remote work clause, payment in euros, working conditions [3].
4. Sort out the qualification. A degree or at least three years of experience; for a regulated profession you need homologation or a notarial statement that you will not practise it in Spain [3].
5. Prepare your alta in RETA. Tax and social security registration are done after approval and before you start working from Spain: autónomo registration step by step.
6. Apply. From your country of residence through a visa at the consulate, or from Spain through UGE if you are there legally [1]. You cannot apply for the permit directly from abroad, only for the visa [2]. The €73.26 fee is paid online before you apply [2].

After approval: RETA, contributions and compliance checks

For a self-employed person there is one scheme: RETA. Unlike what is sometimes allowed for employees, it cannot be replaced by an international social security agreement [2]. If you did not register (alta) straight after receiving the permit and this comes to light later, the permit is terminated under additional provision 7 of Ley 14/2013, and both the applicant and their family lose the right to live and work in Spain [2]. A quick way to do the alta without a digital certificate is a PAE point, which starts the tax and social security registration through CIRCE [2].

You must keep meeting the conditions on which you got the permit for its whole term. Any change that affects them (for example, losing your main client or changing your working model) must be reported to UGE within 30 days [1]. Contributions are calculated under the income-based system; taxes and residence are covered in the article digital nomad taxes.

Common freelancer mistakes

• Proving net income. UGE counts gross amounts, before tax and contributions [3].
• Sending a general statement with no markings. Payments for the invoices must be shown separately from other transactions [3].
• Bringing an employment contract instead of a commercial one. Proof of an employment relationship does not work for the professional model, and vice versa [3].
• Having worked “on a trial basis” on a no lucrativa permit. This permit does not give the right to work, so you cannot rely on such work [2].
• Putting off the alta in RETA “until later”. It is a condition of the permit, not a formality [2][3].
• Estimating the share of Spanish clients “by eye”. Keep records by client, contract and period from the start.

When you need an individual review

A review is worthwhile if you have one large client and many small ones, if you own the company you work with, if your set-up goes through a platform or intermediary, if your clients include Spanish companies, or if you plan to switch to another basis later.

How we can help

The ReloVictory team in Barcelona checks your situation against the DNV requirements, helps you structure contracts, invoices and the client letter, prepares a plan for the alta in RETA, and supports you through the application and the response to a requerimiento. The first 15 minutes of a consultation are free: book. How we work: Digital Nomad service. The general procedure for applying on your own: residence permit in Barcelona and the DNV route card.

Frequently asked questions

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ReloVictory · Sources reviewed 02.10.2026 · Not a substitute for individual legal advice.