Table of contents
| Visa | Income requirement | First permit | Path to permanent residency | Work rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital nomad visa (international telework) | €2,442 a month in 2026 (200% of the minimum wage), plus 75% and 25% of it for family | Visa of up to 1 year, then a residence permit of up to 3 years | Long-term residence generally after 5 years of legal residence; how telework years count is unconfirmed | Remote work for non-Spanish companies; freelancers up to 20% for Spanish clients |
| Non-lucrative visa (NLV) | €28,800 a year for the applicant (400% of IPREM), plus €7,200 per family member | One-year residence permit | Long-term residence after 5 years; citizenship after 10 | No work or professional activity; the Los Angeles consulate also excludes remote work |
Getting residency in Spain comes down to one question: what pays your bills there? Savings and pensions, a foreign employer, a Spanish job and your own business each lead to a different permit. Visits of up to three months in any six need no visa for Americans or Britons; a longer stay usually starts with a consular application and ends with a residence card (TIE) in Spain. Since April 2025, buying property no longer counts.
Below: a chooser table, the legal basis and headline test for each permit, the arraigo routes, Withdrawal Agreement rights for British residents, and the five-year path to long-term residence.
Spain residency: which route fits your situation
Start from your income, since every permit has its own test.
| If you are… | Look at | The key test |
|---|---|---|
| Living on savings, pensions or investments | Non-lucrative visa | €28,800 a year for a single applicant, and no work |
| Working remotely for a company or clients outside Spain | Digital nomad visa | €2,442 a month from remote work in 2026 |
| Hired by a Spanish employer | Employment permit | A contract, and the job on the shortage list or no local candidate |
| Starting a business in Spain | Self-employment or entrepreneur permit | A viable business plan and enough investment |
| Highly qualified job | EU Blue Card or highly qualified permit | A qualifying contract and salary |
| Studying | Student stay | Admission to a recognised course; higher-education students can work part time |
For US and UK movers, the first two are the most common fit. Retirees with passive income can start with the non-lucrative visa, and remote employees and freelancers with the digital nomad visa, whose remote employees may also qualify for the Beckham flat-tax regime.
Visiting Spain first: the 90-day limit
British passport holders can stay up to three months out of every six in Spain and the rest of Schengen without a visa (GOV.UK); the US is also on the EU’s list of visa-exempt countries (Regulation 2018/1806, Annex II). Overstaying can lead to an entry ban of up to three years.
The EU’s Entry/Exit System, which records non-EU visitors’ fingerprints and photos at the border, has been fully operational since April 10, 2026 (EU), while ETIAS, the travel authorisation for visa-free visitors, hasn’t started yet. Time spent on a Spanish residence permit or long-stay visa doesn’t count toward the 90 days.
The main residence routes compared
Most routes run on the immigration regulation, Real Decreto 1155/2024, in force since May 20, 2025; the digital nomad, entrepreneur and highly qualified routes sit in Ley 14/2013.
| Route | Legal basis | Headline requirement | Work allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-lucrative | RD 1155/2024, arts 60–64 | 400% of IPREM: €28,800 a year, plus €7,200 per family member | No |
| Digital nomad | Ley 14/2013, arts 74 bis–quinquies | €2,442 a month in consulate guidance (200% of the minimum wage) | Remote work for foreign companies; freelancers up to 20% for Spanish clients |
| Employment | RD 1155/2024, arts 73–75 | Contract and employer filing | Yes, for the employer |
| Self-employment | RD 1155/2024, arts 82–85 | Qualifications, a viable activity, enough investment | Yes, your own business |
| Entrepreneur | Ley 14/2013, art 69 | An innovative business assessed by the state | Yes |
| Highly qualified / Blue Card | Ley 14/2013, arts 71 and 71 bis | Qualifying degree or experience, and salary | Yes, for the employer |
| Student | RD 1155/2024, art 52 | Admission to a recognised full-time course | Higher-education students: up to 30 hours a week |
Working for a Spanish employer
The employer applies, and the job must either be on the quarterly catalogue of hard-to-fill occupations for that region or be one the employer couldn’t fill locally. Highly qualified hires go through a separate company-led route under Ley 14/2013. For the EU Blue Card, the salary must be at least 1.4 times Spain’s average gross annual earnings, or 0.8 times for some shortage occupations and recent graduates (Orden PJC/44/2026).
Studying, then staying
Students in higher education can work alongside their course, up to 30 hours a week. After graduating, they can switch to a work permit inside Spain without the labour-market test, and graduates at bachelor level or above can stay on to look for work or start a business.
The golden visa has ended
Property purchases no longer lead to residence. Ley Orgánica 1/2025 emptied the investor-residence articles of Ley 14/2013 with effect from April 3, 2025 (BOE). Applications filed earlier are processed under the old rules, and existing golden visas keep their validity.
Arraigo: residence after time in Spain
Arraigo lets people already living in Spain without a permit regularise through five routes, most after two years of continuous presence (RD 1155/2024): second chance, sociolaboral (with a job contract), social (with family ties or an integration report), socioformativo (with training) and familiar, which has no minimum stay. Since April 16, 2026 applicants must not hold any other stay or residence permit (RD 316/2026).
Arraigo isn’t a planned route for moving from the US or the UK, but you’ll see it in guides, and it explains why Spain’s rules mention years of residence without a permit.
Moving from the US or the UK
Newcomers from both countries use the same visas; the difference for Britons is history. UK nationals who moved to Spain before January 1, 2021 and lived there legally may have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, and the TIE card is the residence document the agreement recognises (GOV.UK). The older green residence certificate doesn’t exempt holders from registering at the border under the Entry/Exit System.
Consular checklists and fees differ by consulate, so use the one for where you live. Taxes, pensions and healthcare differ by nationality: see Spain for Americans and Spain for Britons.
Family, long-term residence and citizenship
On the non-lucrative and digital nomad routes, spouses and children can apply alongside you; on other routes, or if they follow later, reunification opens once you’ve been resident for a year and hold a permit valid for at least one more. Five years of continuous legal residence, with means and health cover, lets you request long-term status (short absences don’t break it), and Spanish nationality by residence normally needs a decade (Civil Code, article 22), with a two-year track for Latin American and some other nationals.
Spain vs Portugal for movers
Spain asks more of retirees and less of remote workers than Portugal does. Retirees face a yearly bar of €28,800 in Spain versus roughly €11,000 on Portugal’s D7; remote workers need €2,442 a month in Spain versus €3,680 in Portugal. Our overview of Portugal visas sets out the other side.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to common questions about moving to Spain.
Do US citizens need a visa for Spain?
Not for short trips: 90 days within a rolling 180 is allowed visa-free. Moving there requires a national visa, usually the non-lucrative or digital nomad one.
What is the easiest way to get residency in Spain?
With enough savings or passive income, the non-lucrative visa is the most direct path; a single applicant needs €28,800 in 2026. People employed remotely by a foreign firm usually fit the digital nomad visa, with a lower income bar.
Does Spain still have a golden visa?
No. The real-estate investor visa ended on April 3, 2025. Existing holders keep their permits.
Can I work in Spain on a student visa?
Yes. Higher-education students can work up to 30 hours a week alongside their studies.
Do British people need a visa to live in Spain?
Yes, unless they were living in Spain before 2021 and have Withdrawal Agreement rights. Newcomers need a national visa.
When can I get long-term residence in Spain?
After five uninterrupted years of legal residence. Nationality usually takes ten.
Choosing a Spain visa starts with where your money comes from: savings and pensions point to the non-lucrative visa, remote earnings to the digital nomad visa, and a Spanish job or business to the work and entrepreneur routes. Apply from home, book your residence card appointment soon after arriving, and count five years to long-term residence.
Explore Spain
Sources
- Real Decreto 1155/2024 (Immigration Regulation), consolidated text
- Ley 14/2013 (support for entrepreneurs), consolidated text
- Orden PJC/44/2026 (Blue Card salary thresholds)
- Spain entry requirements
- Living in Spain
- Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 (visa list), Annex II
- Real Decreto 316/2026 (amendment to the Immigration Regulation)
- What is the EES
- Ley Orgánica 1/2025
- Civil Code, article 22
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Immigration and tax rules change often and depend on your circumstances. Check the official sources above and speak to a licensed professional before you apply or move. Read how we research and review in our editorial guidelines.