Two routes, depending on where you are
From outside Spain: you apply for the international teleworking visa at the Spanish consulate in your country of residence. The visa allows you to live and telework in Spain for its period of validity, up to one year unless the work period is shorter.
Already legally in Spain: you apply directly for the residence permit before the UGE-CE, with no prior visa, and the decision period is twenty days. That is why many people enter as visitors and apply from here, which the rules expressly contemplate.
The second route also allows an authorised representative to act for you, which is how we handle these files.
The requirements, one by one
- Professional qualification: a degree from a university or business school of recognised standing, or evidence of at least three years of professional experience in the activity.
- Length of relationship: at least three months with the foreign company or companies you work for, and the company must have been genuinely trading for at least a year.
- Financial means: the equivalent of 200 % of the statutory minimum wage per month. Add 75 % of the SMI for a second family member and 25 % for each additional one. The SMI is revised annually, so the percentages are the stable part.
- Health insurance, public or private, with a provider authorised to operate in Spain, in force for the whole period of the permit.
- Criminal record certificates from the countries you lived in over the past two years, plus a signed declaration covering the previous five.
- Social security coverage: a certificate from your home system where a bilateral agreement exists, or registration in the Spanish system where it does not.
The 20 % limit, which catches people out. Article 74 bis draws a line between two situations. If your relationship is an employment one, you may work only for companies based outside Spain, with no exception. If it is a professional relationship, meaning you invoice as a freelancer, a Spanish client is allowed, but that work cannot exceed 20 % of your total professional activity. Check your client mix before filing: this is a substantive requirement, not a formality.
Another requirement that ends applications: the company or group you work with must show real and continuous activity for at least a year. A company incorporated last month is not a valid basis.
The tax side, which decides whether it is worth it
This visa opens access to the special regime for posted workers, popularly the Beckham law, under article 93 of the Personal Income Tax Act. It allows you to be taxed as a non-resident on employment income obtained in Spain for several tax years, at a flat rate up to a threshold.
It is not automatic. It has to be applied for, and there is a deadline running from social security registration or from the date of relocation. Missing it costs the difference between the flat rate and the general progressive scale for years, so we plan it alongside the residence application rather than after it.
Family, renewal and what comes next
The permit lets you bring a spouse or partner and dependent children, and dependent ascendants, filing simultaneously or later. The income requirement rises per member as set out above.
The initial residence permit runs for a maximum of three years, unless applied for over a shorter work period, and is renewed in two-year periods while the conditions that created the right still hold. If you entered on the visa, the permit is applied for within the sixty calendar days before it expires. What matters in the medium term: this time counts as legal residence, so long-term residence opens after five years, and in due course Spanish nationality by residence.
Once here, the ordinary steps remain: padrón registration, the TIE card and a digital certificate.
Not sure you qualify?
We check the income threshold, the contracts and the tax planning before anything is filed. First consultation is free.
Frequently asked questions
How much income do I need for the digital nomad visa?
The equivalent of 200 % of the Spanish statutory minimum wage per month, plus 75 % of the SMI for a second family member and 25 % for each additional one.
Can I apply from inside Spain?
Yes, if you are here legally. You then apply directly for the residence permit before the UGE-CE with no prior visa, and the decision period is twenty days.
Do I need a university degree?
Not necessarily. A degree from a university or business school of recognised standing works, and so does evidence of at least three years of professional experience in the activity.
Can I have Spanish clients?
If you are self-employed, the share of income from companies located in Spain is capped. Review your client mix before filing.
Can I use the Beckham law with this visa?
Yes, the posted workers regime is compatible, but it must be applied for expressly and within the deadline running from social security registration or relocation.
Does this time count towards nationality?
Yes. It is legal residence and counts both towards long-term residence after five years and towards nationality by residence once the Civil Code periods are met.
Legal basis
- Law 14/2013 on support for entrepreneurs, arts. 74 bis to 74 quinquies on international teleworking
- Organic Law 4/2000 on the rights and freedoms of foreign nationals in Spain
- Royal Decree 1155/2024, Regulation implementing Organic Law 4/2000 (consolidated text)
- Law 39/2015 on Common Administrative Procedure, art. 14 on electronic dealings with the administration
- Law 35/2006 on personal income tax, art. 93 on the special regime for posted workers
Official sources
- Ministerio de Inclusión, UGE-CE: international teleworkers
- Ministerio de Inclusión, UGE-CE: permits and requirements
- Ministerio de Inclusión, UGE-CE
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation
Written by Irina Klein. Reviewed by Elena Alonso Volostnova, registered gestora administrativa (ICGA Valencia). Updated on 19 August 2026. This page is general information and does not replace personalised advice on your case.