Digital Nomad in Spain: residence requirements for remote work

What the digital nomad visa (Digital Nomad) is and who can apply

In Spanish law, the Digital Nomad visa (DNV) is called “teletrabajo de carácter internacional”: international teleworking. Article 74 bis of Ley 14/2013 defines it as the right of a third-country national to live in Spain and carry out work or professional activity remotely for companies outside the country, using exclusively computer, telematic and telecommunications means [1].

It is also called the nomad visa or the Digital Nomad residence permit: all these names refer to the same regime.

Any adult third-country national can apply. It does not apply to EU citizens. The law distinguishes two models: employment (you are an employee) and professional (you are self-employed and work under civil-law contracts). As an employee, you may only work for a company outside Spain. A self-employed person may have Spanish clients, but no more than 20% of their total professional activity [1]. The two models in detail: DNV for employees and DNV for freelancers.

The work must not require physical presence. The UGE specifies that the duties must not involve on-site management of production, supervision of staff or field sales [2]. If your company is transferring you to a Spanish branch, or the terms match an intra-company transfer, that is a different category, ICT: ICT visa for Spain.

Digital nomad visa requirements: what you need to show

For regulated professions (doctor, lawyer, architect) you need diploma homologation or a notarised declaration that you will not practise that profession in Spain [2]. Without a degree, experience is proved with your employment history and employer letters giving dates and duties [2]. More: do you need a degree for the DNV.

How much you need to earn and how income is calculated for a family

The income threshold is set by an instruction from the authorities and linked to the SMI. A single applicant needs 200% of the SMI: €2,849 a month, €34,188 a year before deductions. In 2026 the SMI is €1,221 a month paid in 14 instalments, that is €17,094 a year; the threshold is calculated from that amount divided by 12 months (€1,424.50) [2][3]. Income is proved with payslips or invoices for the three months before applying and a bank certificate in the applicant’s name in which the payments are shown separately. If your earnings are below the threshold, the difference can be covered by savings for the whole term of the permit [2].

There is a scale for families: 75% of the SMI (€1,068 a month) for the first family member and 25% of the SMI (€356 a month) for each additional one. An applicant with one family member must show €3,917 a month [2]. The detailed calculation and other scenarios: how to calculate income for the DNV, income for a family of three. When the threshold goes up, the whole amount changes, not just part of it, so allow a margin.

Documents for the digital nomad visa: full list

The list below follows the UGE guidance for initial teletrabajadores applications; consulates ask for the same with adjustments for their own form[3][4].

• Form MI-T signed by the applicant. If a representative files it, add the document giving them authority.
• A copy of every page of your valid passport.
• Proof of payment of the fee on form 790, code 038.
• Employment contract or client contract: the relationship with the foreign company has lasted at least three months on the filing date.
• Commercial register extract or equivalent: the company has been genuinely operating for at least a year.
• Letter from the company: position, main duties, an express statement that the work can be done remotely, salary in euros and the terms of working from Spain.
• Payslips or invoices for the three months before filing and a stamped bank certificate for the same months with those payments marked separately. If income falls short, a certificate of savings covering the gap for the whole permit term.
• CV, with a simple translation if needed.
• A degree related to the job or proof of three years of experience: an employment record from your home country and employer letters with dates and duties. For a regulated profession, recognition of the degree or a notarised statement that you will not practise it in Spain.
• Seguridad Social: for an employee, registration of the foreign company in the Spanish system and a commitment to register in the Régimen General; for a freelancer, a commitment to register in RETA. Alternatively, a certificate of applicable legislation from your home country; a mere request for it is not accepted.
• Criminal record certificates from the countries where you lived in the last two years, and a declaration of no criminal record for the last five years.
• Health insurance with no co-payments or waiting periods if you will not register with Seguridad Social. Travel policies are not accepted.

If you are the sole owner of the company you work for, the UGE also asks for proof of ownership, the company's latest corporate tax return, investment in productive assets and the company's social security staff history[3].

Foreign public documents need an apostille or legalisation and a sworn translation. The UGE suggests adding a cover letter when a document does not match the list exactly, as it helps the case handler[3]. Lists by type of work: for employees, for freelancers, proof of income.

How to get the digital nomad visa: step by step

The law allows two routes. If you are not in Spain, you apply for a visa at the consulate. If you are already legally in Spain, you apply for the permit directly to the UGE [1].

1. Check the requirements. Degree or experience, age of the company, length of the relationship, income threshold, family status.
2. Sort out Seguridad Social. For an employee, the employer registers in the Spanish system or you obtain a certificado from your country of origin; a self-employed person needs an undertaking to register (alta) in RETA. This must be done before you apply: Digital Nomad and Seguridad Social [2].
3. Gather the documents. Application form, passport, letter from the company, degree or proof of experience, proof of income, insurance, criminal record certificates with translation and apostille, fee receipt [2].
4. Apply. From your country of residence: at the consulate for your place of residence, together with the NIE. In Moscow the consulate accepts documents by appointment [4]. From Spain: to the UGE, electronically, with a digital certificate [1][2]. Details: DNV documents at the consulate in Moscow, applying from Spain.
5. Get the decision. The UGE decides within 20 days of the online application; if there is no reply, the permit is deemed granted. The consulate’s time limit for the visa is 10 working days, but for visas that require consultation with the central authorities the Visa Code time limit applies [1].
6. Get your TIE. If the permit is valid for more than six months, you must apply for the card [1].

How much the digital nomad visa costs: fees and expenses

Government fees are small. Most of the money goes on translations, apostilles, insurance and professional support if you use it.

At ReloVictory the first 15 minutes of a consultation are free, a full consultation costs €121 for 45 minutes, and case handling is quoted individually. More on fees: digital nomad visa fees.

Timelines: how long the decision and the TIE card take

Filing with the UGE extends your current stay status until the decision[1]. More: how long the UGE takes, the first 30 days after approval.

How long the digital nomad visa is granted for and how it is renewed

The consular DNV visa is valid for up to one year, provided the work lasts at least that long. You can apply for the permit 60 days before the visa expires [1]. The permit is granted for up to three years, unless a shorter period was requested, and is renewed for two years if the conditions on which it was granted still apply [1]. A change of employer, clients or conditions must be reported to the UGE within 30 days. If the conditions are no longer met, the permit may be terminated [1]. In detail: how many years the DNV is issued for, renewal after three years.

Long-term residence and citizenship after the digital nomad visa

The DNV is legal residence, so its years count. After five years of legal, continuous residence you can apply for larga duración-UE (long-term residence), provided absences stayed within six months in a row and ten months in total, and your means and insurance are in order (article 176 of the Reglamento)[8].

Russian and other CIS nationals can obtain citizenship by residence after ten years of legal, continuous residence (article 22 of the Código Civil)[9]. You can also change your basis earlier: switching from the digital nomad visa to another permit, how to count the five years.

Family, tax and insurance: what to settle from the start

Family. Your spouse, children and dependants apply together with you or later. Family members under the DNV can work as employees or self-employed without restrictions [2]. Family and the DNV.

Taxes. Tax residence in Spain does not depend on the visa: it is determined by the 183-day test and the centre of economic interests. A resident pays IRPF on worldwide income. An employee may have access to the special Beckham regime, but only if the conditions are met: digital nomad taxes, the Beckham law.

Insurance. If you are not registered with Seguridad Social, the UGE accepts public health insurance from your country of origin or a private policy without copago or carencias. Travel insurance and reimbursement policies are not accepted [2]. Criteria: insurance for the DNV.

Refusal and requerimiento: what to do

A requerimiento is a request for missing documents. As a rule you have ten working days to reply, and without a reply the application can be closed as withdrawn[7]. How to reply: requerimiento on a digital nomad visa.

A UGE refusal is appealed through a recurso de alzada within one month of the decision[1][7]. A refusal by the consulate in Moscow is first appealed at the consulate itself (recurso de reposición, one month) and then in court[4]. There are no public statistics on refusal reasons. The grounds are set out in the law: income, social security, insurance, criminal record, length of the relationship with the company, qualifications and the 20 % rule[1]. More: digital nomad visa refusal.

Common mistakes when preparing a digital nomad visa application

• Showing net income. The UGE counts gross amounts, before taxes and contributions [2].
• Starting with the visa without a Seguridad Social plan. The consulate in Moscow asks for proof of the company’s registration application and of your afiliación with Seguridad Social [4].
• Applying with a recently created company. The company needs a year of genuine activity, and your relationship with it, three months [1].
• Working “on a trial basis” on a no lucrativa permit while waiting for the decision. The UGE does not accept that experience [2].
• Expecting tax breaks. The permit does not automatically come with a special tax regime.
• Not preparing the apostille on certificates. The consulate in Moscow accepts criminal record certificates from Russia, Belarus, Armenia and Uzbekistan only with an apostille, which has to be ordered in advance [4].

When you need an individual review

You need a review if you own the company you work with, if your work is not obviously remote, if your employer is unwilling to register with Seguridad Social, if you are a freelancer with Spanish clients, if there are several adults in the family, or if you need to change the basis of your residence.

How we can help

The ReloVictory team in Barcelona checks your situation against the DNV requirements, plans Seguridad Social and the order of the application, prepares documents, letters and translations, and supports you through the application, any reply to a requerimiento and the renewal. Consultation: first 15 minutes free. Service details: Digital Nomad, route card: DNV, general procedure: residence permit in Barcelona.

Frequently asked questions

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ReloVictory · Sources reviewed 20.10.2026 · Not a substitute for individual legal advice.