Income required for Spanish digital nomad residence in 2026

Income for the digital nomad residence in Spain in 2026: how much you need

The applicant must show income of €2,849 a month, i.e. €34,188 a year. This is 200% of the 2026 minimum wage (salario mínimo interprofesional, SMI): €1,221 a month over 14 payments, €17,094 a year. The SMI was set by Real Decreto 126/2026 of 18 February; it applies from 1 January 2026 and is 3.1% higher than the previous year’s [6].

The threshold is the same for both routes: the visa at the consulate and the residence permit from the UGE (Unidad de Grandes Empresas, a unit of the Ministry of Inclusion) [3][4]. More on the status itself: Digital Nomad in Spain: conditions for international teleworking.

Where 200% of the SMI comes from: the law does not contain that figure

The law only says that the applicant must have sufficient means for themselves and their family for the duration of their stay: that is the wording of article 62.3 f) of Ley 14/2013 [1]. It contains no specific percentages. Additional provision 20 of the same law instructs the authorities to issue instructions setting out the requirements for applicants and establishes that the thresholds for means are linked to the SMI [1].

The percentages are given in the UGE document guidance: for the applicant, “mensualmente”, i.e. monthly, 200% of the SMI; for a family of two, at least 75% of the SMI; for each additional member, 25% [2]. The consulate in Moscow repeats the same figures [4]. The consulate in Sydney explains that means are assessed under the “instrucción tercera” of the joint instruction issued on 30 March 2023 by the Director General for Spaniards Abroad and Consular Affairs and the Director General for Migration [5]. The text of the instruction itself is not on the official pages we read.

Since the figure is set not in the law but in an instruction and a guidance note, the authorities can revise it without amending the law. The text of Ley 14/2013 does not contain the number 200% [1]; rely on the UGE guidance and the current SMI.

How the calculation works: 14 payments, annual base and division by 12

In Spain the SMI is announced as a monthly amount: €1,221 over 14 payments a year, twelve monthly ones and two extra ones (pagas extraordinarias). The BOE also fixes the annual amount: on an annual basis, the minimum wage cannot be counted as less than €17,094 [6]. Twice €17,094 gives €34,188 a year, and dividing by 12 gives €2,849 a month.

The discrepancy arises because the UGE guidance says “monthly 200% of the SMI” and does not specify whether the annual amount is divided by 12 or by 14 payments [2]. Hence the three figures that competitors publish under the heading “2026”:

Both “14 payments of €2,442” and “12 payments of €2,849” meet the annual threshold of €34,188, while 12 payments of €2,442 give an annual total well below it. How the authority compares the monthly amounts in your documents with the threshold is not explained, so leave a margin: each of the three months covered by your documents should show at least €2,849 gross. If your employer pays 14 times a year, enclose the contract or a letter stating the annual amount: the monthly documents will show €2,442, and the annual figure will cover the threshold.

How much a family needs: 2026 table

The applicant counts for 200% of the SMI, the first family member adds 75%, and each additional one 25% [2][4]. Family members are the spouse or partner, minor children, and adult children and parents who are dependants [3].

Totals for typical households:

Monthly amounts are the annual figure divided by 12 and rounded to the euro, so adding up the rows may give a difference of €1.

The wording has a nuance. The UGE guidance requires “at least 75% of the SMI” for a family of two and does not use the word “additional” [2]. The Moscow consulate’s visa page specifies: at least 75% of the SMI for the first family member joining and at least 25% for each additional family member [8]. The table reads both wordings as supplements on top of the applicant’s threshold: otherwise a family of two would need less than a single applicant. We have not found a separate UGE clarification on this point. Family cases in detail: Digital Nomad family and income for a family of three.

What counts as income and how to prove it

What counts is income from work under the contract on which the application is based: an employment contract for an employee, a commercial contract (contrato mercantil) for a self-employed person [2]. Receipts outside the contract, such as a transfer from a relative or a loan repayment, do not fall under the wording “income under the contract” as written.

The UGE guidance document lists payslips (nóminas) or invoices (facturas) for the three months before the application date, a bank statement (certificado bancario) in the applicant’s name, signed or stamped by the bank, for the same three months, the contract, and a company letter stating the duties, the remote work conditions and the pay in euros. Owners of their own company (autónomo societario) also need the company’s corporate income tax return and proof that they control it [2].

If income under the contract falls short of the threshold, the UGE accepts bank statements showing savings or other liquid income that cover the difference for the whole validity period of the permit [2]. For example, if you are €300 a month short and the permit is for three years, you need to prove €10,800 to cover the difference: this is a hypothetical example, not a forecast. The document does not say whether the authority uses the visa period (up to a year) or the permit period (up to three years). The money must belong to the applicant, be lawful and be available [8]. The basis of the application is still income from work [3].

For applicants from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, the hardest parts are the letter in euros and the bank statement: salaries are paid in roubles, tenge, hryvnias or dollars [2]. Which exchange rate the authority accepts is not stated, so record the rate and conversion date in an explanatory letter. The full set of documents is covered in how to prove income for the UGE, and the employer’s letter separately: employer’s letter for the digital nomad residence permit.

Gross or net

Gross. The UGE guide states explicitly that the required amounts are before any deductions: tax, social security contributions and the like [2]. The threshold is compared with the total earnings on the payslip (total devengado), not with the amount paid into your card.

The bank statement shows the net amount: less reaches the account than appears on the payslip, while the UGE requires the receipts to match the payslips or invoices [2]. The solution: enclose an explanatory letter that brings the gross amount, the deductions and the amount received together in one line. The authority itself recommends such a letter when the documents do not exactly match the list [2].

For a self-employed person, gross is the invoiced amount. If a platform has taken a commission or converted currency, less will reach the account. Discrepancies are explained with a table: “client, contract, invoice, payment”. The guide says nothing about deducting business expenses.

Several employers and clients: how income is counted

The law allows a self-employed person to have relationships with “one or more” companies outside Spain, each for at least the last three months [1]. Income from several clients can be shown together, but each one needs a contract, invoices for three months and receipts in the bank statement [1][2].

It is harder for an employee: under an employment contract they work only for the foreign company [1][3], and how the authority treats a second foreign employment is not stated in the public materials. Such a case should be settled before applying.

A “salary plus freelancing” mix is risky: according to the UGE guidance, an employment relationship does not prove a professional one, and vice versa [2]. It is better to reach the threshold with one type of relationship.

A self-employed person may have a Spanish client as long as it accounts for no more than 20% of their total professional activity [1]. The sources do not say whether income from that client counts towards the threshold, so calculate without it. Details: the 20% rule for digital nomads and Digital Nomad for freelancers.

Common applicant mistakes when calculating income

• Calculating from €2,442 with 12 payments a year: the annual total falls below the threshold.
• Using the 2025 figure or an undated article: the SMI changes every year [6].
• Comparing the amount received on the card with the threshold instead of the gross amount on the payslip [2].
• Submitting a statement from a banking app instead of a stamped bank statement in the applicant’s name [2].
• Receiving payment into the account of a spouse, a business (IP), a payment service or a relative: the statement must be in the applicant’s name [2], and ownership of the money must be proved [8].
• Collecting documents in advance and applying later: the three months are counted back from the application date, so the set has to be updated [2].
• Calculating the threshold for one person when three are moving: the family supplements are forgotten.

Such mistakes lead to a request for documents: requerimiento from the UGE.

What to change when a new SMI is set

The SMI is approved by a Real Decreto for each year. The 2026 decree applies from 1 January to 31 December 2026 [6]. As of 2 October 2026, we have not found a decree for 2027 in official sources.

The UGE guide links the threshold to the current SMI [2]. It does not say which SMI applies to applications in January and February before the new decree is published.

When the new decree comes out, the procedure is:

1. Take the new monthly SMI and the annual amount from the first article of the decree in the BOE.
2. Multiply the annual amount by two and divide by 12: this is the new threshold for the applicant.
3. Add 75% of the SMI for the first family member and 25% for each additional one, divided by 12.
4. Compare with your contract income: with an SMI increase of 3.1%, as in 2026 [6], income just at the old threshold no longer qualifies.

For a renewal, the law requires the conditions that gave rise to the permit to be maintained [1]. It does not say whether the UGE compares income at renewal with the new SMI; it is safer to assume it does. On renewal: residence permit renewal after three years.

How we can help

An individual review is needed when your income with 12 payments falls between €2,442 and €2,849, when it is mixed (salary and freelancing), when the money does not go into the applicant’s account, or when you have your own company. The ReloVictory team in Barcelona calculates the threshold for your household and payment schedule, checks how your income documents will look to the UGE, and prepares explanatory letters for the bank statement. First consultation: 15 minutes free; full consultation: €121 for 45 minutes. Booking: consultation. Service page: digital nomad residence permit; step-by-step application procedure: DNV route card.

Frequently asked questions

Related articles

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