Remote work in Spain without a visa: the risks and the legal options

Whether you can work from Spain for a Russian company without a digital nomad visa

As a general rule, no: a foreign national who wants to carry out any paid activity in Spain must hold a prior residence and work authorisation (article 36.1 Ley Orgánica 4/2000) [1]. The rule does not mention the employer’s country. For remote work for a company outside Spain, Ley 14/2013 created a separate status, teletrabajo de carácter internacional, which is what gives the right to work from Spain [2].

What counts as working in Spain if the employer is abroad

The rules do not directly say whether a tourist’s remote work for a foreign employer counts as “working in Spain”. They draw no line between a holiday with a quick look at your email and regular work on a laptop. The UGE’s position on a related case is known: a no lucrativa holder who worked remotely broke the law, because no lucrativa does not give the right to work [3]. We have not found a separate explanation for tourist stays.

The 90/180 rule: how long you can live in Spain without a residence permit

Without a residence permit, a Russian citizen can only be in Spain on a short stay (estancia). Ley Orgánica 4/2000 limits it to 90 days: to stay longer you need an extension of stay or a residence permit (article 30)[1]. The Reglamento explains how to count: no more than 90 days in any 180-day period, looking back at the 180 days before each day of stay (article 4)[4]. The rule covers stays in Spain or in any other Schengen state, so days in other countries count together with days in Spain[4].

An example. You spent 60 days in a row in Spain, from 1 January to 1 March. Then until 29 June inclusive you can spend no more than another 30 days in the Schengen area: every 180-day window in that period includes all 60. The January days start dropping out of the window on 30 June, and the allowance gradually frees up.

Ley Orgánica 4/2000 classes staying without an extension of stay or a residence permit as a serious offence (article 53.1 a)[1]. The penalties are set out in the section on fines and expulsion below. On Schengen visas for Russian citizens: Schengen visas and residence permits for Russians.

Which statuses allow remote work from Spain

Fine or expulsion: what you risk by working without a permit

Ley Orgánica 4/2000 classes working in Spain without a work permit, when you have no valid residence permit, as a serious infringement; the fine for such infringements is €501 to 10,000 [1]. For holders of a residence permit without the right to work, the classification and the amount of the fine are different: they depend on the status and are set out in separate paragraphs of articles 52 and 53 [1]. The UGE adds a practical consequence: a no lucrativa holder cannot rely on past remote work to prove a relationship with the company for the DNV [3]. How this applies in your case depends on your status and circumstances. If you live in Spain on no lucrativa and want to work, compare the options in the article no lucrativa or Digital Nomad.

What Ley Orgánica 4/2000 provides[1]:

Expulsion is imposed instead of a fine, never together with it, on a proportionality basis and only after administrative proceedings ending in a reasoned decision (article 57, paragraphs 1 and 3)[1]. Its consequences outweigh the money: every permit to stay is terminated, pending residence and work applications are closed, and entry to Spain is banned for up to five years, or up to ten in exceptional cases (articles 57.4 and 58)[1]. The amount of a fine depends on culpability, harm and the offender's financial means (article 55, paragraphs 3 and 4)[1]. Cases of working without a permit are opened by a report from the Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social (article 55.2)[1].

Legal ways to work for a Russian company

• DNV. The law does not restrict the employer’s country: you need a company outside Spain with genuine activity for at least a year and a relationship with it of at least three months [2]. Requirements: Digital Nomad in Spain; step by step: DNV route card.
• Another basis that gives the right to work. For example, a contract with a Spanish employer or self-employment: the conditions are different, and a Russian company does not serve as the basis in that case.
• A stay without work. Come as a tourist and do not work.
• Work from a country where you have that right.

How an employee’s social security is covered when the employer is outside Spain: social security without an A1.

How to get a digital nomad visa without leaving Spain

If you are already in Spain lawfully, for example on a tourist stay, you do not have to go to a consulate. Article 74 quinquies of Ley 14/2013 allows those who are in Spain lawfully to apply for the remote work permit directly to the UGE, for up to three years[2]. The key condition: on the date of application you must not be in the country irregularly (article 62.3 a)[2]. So you apply before the 90 days run out.

What applying from Spain gives you:

• The UGE decides within 20 days of electronic filing; if there is no answer, the permit is deemed granted (article 76.1)[2].
• The application itself extends your current status until the decision (article 76.1)[2]. It is the status you already had that is extended, so, as we read it, a short stay still does not allow you to work before the decision[1][2].
• The requirements are the same as at a consulate: a company outside Spain active for at least a year, a relationship with it of at least three months, and income of at least 200% of SMI, which in 2026 is €2,849 gross a month[2][3].

This route is closed from no lucrativa. Asked whether a no lucrativa holder can apply for the teleworker permit, the UGE answers no: no lucrativa does not allow work, so remote work during that period cannot be relied on (question 12)[3]. Applying from a tourist stay in detail: the digital nomad visa from Spain on a tourist visa.

183 days: when remote work makes you a tax resident

Tax residence in Spain is decided by facts, not by your visa. Under article 9 of the IRPF law you are resident if you spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, or if the main centre of your business or economic interests is here[5]. Short trips abroad count towards those 183 days unless you prove tax residence in another country[5]. If your spouse and dependent minor children live in Spain, the law presumes that you are resident too, unless proven otherwise[5].

A resident pays IRPF in Spain on all income, wherever it arises and wherever the payer is based, so this includes a salary from a Russian company (article 2)[5]. Immigration status does not matter here: what counts is days and interests, not the type of document[5]. How to count the days and avoid double tax: tax residence and the 183-day rule, double taxation between Russia and Spain.

Seguridad Social and taxes when working from Spain

The UGE states that when working from Spain, alta in the Seguridad Social is mandatory (Real Decreto Legislativo 8/2015, article 15) [3]. Tax residence in Spain is determined separately from immigration status: digital nomad taxes. Questions relating to sanctions and the employer’s bank transfers are not covered in this article: we have not found official guidance on them in the DNV sources. First consultation: 15 minutes free, book here: consultation. Support with the application is described on the page digital nomad residence permit.

Frequently asked questions

Related articles

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