Digital Nomad Visa (international teleworker authorisation) (Spain): Requirements
Spain residence route
Digital Nomad Visa (international teleworker authorisation)
Semi-retired Americans who still work remotely and therefore cannot use the non-lucrative visa.
- Income threshold
- $3,107 / month
- Minimum age
- None
- Validity
- Three years when applied for inside Spain through the UGE, or a one-year visa when applied for at a consulate and then converted.
- Permanent residence
- Five years of legal residence
- Processing
- 2 to 5 months
The legal basis
Law 28/2022 on the promotion of the startup ecosystem, the so-called Startup Law.
The financial test in detail
Approximately 200 percent of the Spanish minimum wage, commonly cited as about 2,850 euros per month, with uplifts for accompanying family members. The exact figure moves with the minimum wage each year.
What the status gives you
- Renewal
- Renewable for two further years, then eligible for long-term residence at five years.
- Work rights
- Yes, for non-Spanish employers or clients. No more than 20 percent of income may come from Spanish sources. The employer relationship must predate the application, usually by at least three months, and the company must have existed for at least a year.
- How much time you must spend there
- Tax residence follows at 183 days. A reduced non-resident income tax rate is available for qualifying applicants under the Beckham regime.
- Citizenship
- Ten years, with the same dual-nationality caveat.
- Government fees
- Visa: 80 EUR. Residence permit: 75 EUR.
- 1 Decide consulate route or in-country route Entering on a 90-day tourist entry and applying inside Spain through the Unidad de Grandes Empresas gives a three-year permit and a 20-working-day decision, which is why most applicants choose it. The consular route gives one year first.
- 2 Prove the employment relationship Contract, a letter from the employer authorising remote work from Spain, proof the company has traded for at least one year, and proof you have worked for them at least three months.
- 3 Handle social security Because there is a U.S.-Spain totalization agreement, an employee can normally obtain a certificate of coverage so U.S. Social Security continues to apply. Self-employed applicants usually register with Spanish social security instead.
Your action Documents and authentication Government processing
Your document checklist for this route
8 documents in total, of which 2 need authentication: 1 through the U.S. Department of State and 1 through a Secretary of State. All authenticated documents also need certified translation into Spanish.
- U.S. passport Identity and the physical book the visa is placed in. Lead time: Routine renewal takes weeks; check current published times
- Passport-format photographs Every application. Specifications differ by country and are enforced strictly. Lead time: Same day
- National long-stay visa application form The core filing. Almost always country-specific and often only valid if printed from the consulate portal. Lead time: Same day
- FBI Identity History Summary (background check) U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications (federal) Apostille Almost every retirement and long-stay residence visa requires a national-level police clearance. For Americans that means the FBI Identity History Summary, not a local police letter, because consulates want a federal record covering all 50 states. Lead time: 1 to 10 days to obtain, then federal authentication
- Certified birth certificate Secretary of State for the issuing state Apostille Proves identity, nationality and, where relevant, family relationships for dependants. Lead time: 3 to 20 days depending on state
- Bank and brokerage statements Proof of savings or liquid assets, used either instead of income or alongside it. Lead time: 1 to 10 days
- Private international health insurance certificate Nearly universal. Schengen countries usually require a minimum of EUR 30,000 of coverage valid across the zone; other countries set their own floor. Lead time: 1 to 3 days
- Certified translation of the authenticated set Non-English-speaking destinations require the document and its apostille translated by a translator they recognise. Lead time: 2 to 7 days
Why applications on this route fail
- Missing the social security element. Spain requires proof of coverage and this is where most files stall.
- Freelancers with a single client are often reclassified as employees, which changes the evidence required.
Apply here
- Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos The official description of the international teleworker authorisation.
- 1 Obtain the record Order certified copies from the issuing authority. Do not use photocopies, scans or hospital souvenir certificates.
- 2 Notarise if required Letters and affidavits need a notary acknowledgement before any state can authenticate them. Government-issued vital records do not.
- 3 County clerk (some states) A handful of states require the county clerk to certify the notary commission before the Secretary of State will act.
- 4 Authenticate State-issued documents go to the Secretary of State of the issuing state. Federal documents go to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications.
- 5 Apostille or legalise Hague Convention destination: an apostille finishes the chain. Non-Hague destination: the document then goes to that country embassy or consulate for legalisation. For Spain the apostille ends the chain.
- 6 Certified translation Translate the document together with its apostille. Translating first means paying twice.
- 7 File with the consulate Book the appointment at the consulate with jurisdiction over your state of residence and bring originals plus copies.
The expensive mistake: translating before the document is authenticated. The apostille or legalisation certificate is itself part of what the receiving government reads, so it has to be inside the translation. Do it the other way round and you pay for the same translation twice.
Digital Nomad Visa (international teleworker authorisation): common questions
How much income do I need for the Digital Nomad Visa (international teleworker authorisation)?
The published threshold is about $3,107 a month for a single applicant. Approximately 200 percent of the Spanish minimum wage, commonly cited as about 2,850 euros per month, with uplifts for accompanying family members. The exact figure moves with the minimum wage each year.
Can I work on this visa?
Yes, for non-Spanish employers or clients. No more than 20 percent of income may come from Spanish sources. The employer relationship must predate the application, usually by at least three months, and the company must have existed for at least a year. This is the field applicants most often misread, and in several countries remote work for a U.S. employer counts as work performed locally.
What documents need an apostille?
For this route we count 2 documents needing authentication: 1 federal, through the U.S. Department of State, and 1 state-issued, through the Secretary of State of the issuing state. Spain is a Hague Convention country, so an apostille completes the chain.
How long does it take?
2 to 5 months Appointment availability at the busier consulates, especially New York, Los Angeles and Miami, is usually the binding constraint.
How much time must I spend in the country?
Tax residence follows at 183 days. A reduced non-resident income tax rate is available for qualifying applicants under the Beckham regime.
Does it lead to permanent residence?
Permanent residence: Five years of legal residence. Citizenship: Ten years, with the same dual-nationality caveat..
Verified Sep 7, 2026
Email this to yourself
We will send your plan and document checklist as a plain-text email you can forward to a spouse or an attorney. No account, no drip sequence.
This resource is provided free by Federal Apostille as an educational tool. It is not legal, tax, immigration or financial advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by using it. Immigration rules, income thresholds, fees and processing times change frequently and often without notice, and consulates apply them differently. Always confirm current requirements with the official government source and the specific consulate that has jurisdiction over your U.S. state of residence before you act. Every figure on this site carries the date we last verified it and a link to the primary source.
