Digital nomad visa and Spanish clients: working for a Spanish company

Whether you can work for a Spanish company on a digital nomad visa

It depends on the basis of the permit. Article 74 bis Ley 14/2013 distinguishes two cases: an employment relationship (relación laboral) and professional activity as a self-employed person [1].

The last row refers to family members with their own permit: according to the UGE FAQ, it allows them to work without restrictions [2].

The rest of this article is mainly about employees: why a Spanish employer is incompatible with the digital nomad visa, how to move to another permit if a Spanish company wants to hire you, and what to do about a branch, your employer's Spanish clients and EOR arrangements. Freelancers with Spanish clients should read the 20% section below; the share calculation with examples is covered in the article the 20% rule for freelancers on the digital nomad visa.

Why an employee on a digital nomad visa cannot have a Spanish employer

Article 74 bis of Ley 14/2013 is unambiguous: if the permit is based on an employment relationship, the holder «solo podrá trabajar para empresas radicadas fuera del territorio nacional», that is, only for companies outside Spain[1]. The law makes the 20% exception only for a self-employed person's professional activity. An employee has no such allowance: no part-time job and no side job with a Spanish firm on an employment contract.

The UGE FAQ puts it even more narrowly: in Spain an employee may only work for the foreign company for which they telework under this permit (question 14)[2]. The FAQ does not say how the UGE views a second employment contract with another foreign company.

What the digital nomad visa does not allow for an employee:

• An employment contract with a Spanish company, including a part-time or temporary one[1].
• A transfer to your employer's Spanish branch: according to the UGE FAQ, this is no longer teletrabajo but an intra-company transfer (ICT)[2].
• Work that requires physical presence: the duties of the post must not need on-site supervision of production, staff or sales visits[2].

The permit rests on the conditions under which you were admitted: a foreign company, a contract, a remote work letter and the employer's registration with the Seguridad Social. You must keep them for the whole term, report any change to the UGE within 30 days, and if they are breached the permit may be terminated by a reasoned decision after you have been heard (Additional Provision 7)[1]. So only start working for a Spanish company once you hold a permit that allows it.

A Spanish company wants to hire you: how to switch from the digital nomad visa

If a Spanish company offers you a staff position, the permit itself has to change. The UGE FAQ (question 18) says that as long as the DNV requirements are met, you may move to another permit under Ley 14/2013 at any time if you meet its conditions, and a move to the general regime follows Title XI of Real Decreto 1155/2024[2]. There are two routes.

The DNV allows you to live and work remotely, so after a year the literal wording of article 191 points to paragraph 3, with a four-year permit[4]. We have not found an official clarification for the DNV specifically, so confirm the length of the new permit before applying.

The article 71 route has clear timelines: the UGE decides applications in its section within 20 days, silence means approval, and filing extends your current status until the decision (article 76 of Ley 14/2013)[1]. The company is involved either way: if you file yourself, the UGE notifies the company that it has received the application[1]. All the routes for switching are compared in the article how to switch from the digital nomad visa to another residence permit, and the conditions for professionals in the highly qualified professional permit.

A foreign company with a branch in Spain: digital nomad visa or ICT

Then it is no longer teletrabajo. According to the UGE FAQ, if the company has a Spanish branch, the employee is treated as an intra-company transferee (ICT) and is subject to the requirements of that category [2]. An employee will have to choose between the DNV and the ICT. The public materials do not say how the UGE treats a subsidiary registered in Spain, so this needs to be clarified before applying. If what you need is a Spanish employer, that is a different residence basis, and its conditions are set out in the “Work” route card.

Intra-company transfers are governed by article 73 of Ley 14/2013. You need genuine activity by the company or group, higher education at MECES level 1 or three years of relevant experience, at least three months of employment with a group company, and documents confirming the transfer[1]. There are two types. ICT UE covers a manager, specialist or trainee moved from a company outside the EU to a Spanish entity of the same group: up to three years, or one year for a trainee. The national transfer permit is issued for three years or for the length of the transfer[1].

The difference from the digital nomad visa is who registers you for social security. On a DNV the foreign employer registers with the Seguridad Social as a company with no workplaces in Spain and enrols you in the Régimen General[3]. If the company has a Spanish branch, the UGE treats the arrangement as a transfer, and the ICT requirements apply[2].

Your employer's clients in Spain, EOR and intermediaries

The law sets a condition on where the employer is based, not on its clients. Article 74 bis refers to «empresas radicadas fuera del territorio nacional» and says nothing about the employer's clients[1]. If your foreign company sells services into Spain, we have found no prohibition on that in the official texts. But the UGE may ask for information about the company's size, activity and structure to decide whether your duties can be carried out exclusively at a distance (FAQ, question 3)[2].

EOR (employer of record) providers and other intermediaries that formally employ staff on behalf of the actual client are not mentioned in Ley 14/2013 or in the UGE materials[1][2]. So there is no direct answer on whether such an arrangement works for the digital nomad visa. It can be checked against the general requirements:

• If the legal employer under the contract is a Spanish company, then for an employee this is a Spanish employer, which article 74 bis does not allow[1].
• A foreign EOR must itself meet the employer requirements: genuine activity for at least a year and a relationship with you of at least three months at the date of application[1][3].
• The remote work letter with duties and salary in euros is issued by the employer under the contract, that is, by the EOR itself[3].
• If the employing company has a branch in Spain, the UGE FAQ treats this as ICT rather than teletrabajo[2].

How the UGE assesses such contracts in actual cases is not defined in the official texts. It is best to show an intermediary arrangement to a lawyer before applying, together with the contract and the employer letter. What the letter must contain is explained in the article employer letter for the digital nomad visa.

Freelancer with Spanish clients: the 20% rule in brief

The law puts the rule like this: the share of work for a Spanish company must not exceed 20% of total professional activity [1]. The text does not name the basis of calculation: it is unclear whether to count revenue, hours or the number of clients. The UGE FAQ repeats the same wording and adds that the relationship with the Spanish company must be professional, never one of employment [2]. We have not found any explanation of the calculation method in the ministry’s public materials. Formula and example: the 20% rule for self-employed DNV holders. How to set up freelance work from Russia: a Russian sole proprietorship for the DNV.

This share does not apply to employees: the law allows 20% only for a self-employed person's professional activity, and someone on an employment contract cannot have Spanish employers at all[1]. If you are a freelancer, the calculation base, period and documents are covered in detail in the article on the 20% rule for freelancers on the digital nomad visa.

For freelancers: what to keep in place so a Spanish client does not affect your status

The permit is granted on the basis of your link with a foreign company. According to the UGE FAQ, when working for a Spanish company the holder must keep the professional relationship with the company named in the application, and the Spanish share of work must not exceed 20% of their total professional activity [2]. If the foreign client leaves and the Spanish ones remain, the condition is breached. When applying, you need a contrato mercantil with the foreign company covering at least the last three months (article 74 ter) [1][3].

Additional provision 7 of Ley 14/2013 requires the holder to maintain the conditions on which the permit was granted and to notify the UGE of any change within 30 days. If the conditions are not met, the authority may terminate the permit by a reasoned decision after hearing the applicant [1]. The sources do not say what the UGE regards as a breach of the share.

Complex cases: what depends on your circumstances

The line between a client in Spain and a foreign company is not always clear: platforms, agencies, groups of companies with a Spanish subsidiary. We have not found any official explanation of how the UGE assesses such cases. Nor is there a direct answer to whether an employee can also work freelance for Spanish clients on the side: under the wording of article 74 bis, an employee works only for foreign companies [1]. Such situations are best checked with a lawyer or gestor before applying.

You can switch from the DNV to another permit under Ley 14/2013 at any time if you meet the conditions of the new basis; for the general regime, Title XI of Real Decreto 1155/2024 on changes of status of foreign nationals applies [2]. The DNV application step by step: DNV route card; service page: digital nomad residence permit.

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