How to Move to Spain From the USA in 2026: Visas and Steps

Americans can enter Spain without a visa and stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period. To live in Spain longer you need a long-stay visa or residence permit, and you apply for it in the United States, at the Spanish consulate that covers the state where you live. Most Americans choose the non-lucrative visa, the digital nomad visa or the student visa.

The 90 days you get without a visa

The European Commission’s short-stay calculator explains the rule: in the Schengen Area, which includes Spain, you can usually stay a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period. You count back 180 days from each day of your stay, and the total must not exceed 90. Days spent in other Schengen countries count toward the same 90.

The same page says that if you hold an EU residence permit or a long-stay visa, the 90/180-day rule does not apply to you. That is the whole point of the visa: it replaces the tourist clock with a residence status.

Two EU systems affect the border now:

System	Status on 7 October 2026	Source
Entry/Exit System (EES)	Fully operational since 10 April 2026. Registers non-EU nationals on short stays.	European Commission
ETIAS travel authorization	The official site says it is “currently not in operation” and that no applications are collected. The EU will announce the start date several months ahead.	travel-europe.europa.eu

The United States is on the ETIAS list of visa-exempt countries that will need it. When it starts, the fee is EUR 20, according to the official site. Until the EU announces a date, nothing needs to be filed. A long-stay visa holder is not on a short stay, so the 90-day rule is not what you plan around.

Which visa fits you

The Immigration Regulation (Real Decreto 1155/2024) sets the main routes. The three that fit most Americans:

If you…	Visa	Key test
live on savings, a pension or investments and will not work	Non-lucrative visa	€28,800 a year for one person, plus €7,200 per family member (art. 62)
work remotely for a company or clients outside Spain	Digital nomad visa	200% of the minimum wage: €2,442 a month is the consulate figure for 2026, €2,849 the safer target
will study at a Spanish school	Student visa	Paid enrollment, €600 a month of funds (100% of the IPREM), insurance

If you are choosing between the first two, non-lucrative vs digital nomad compares them. The golden visa for real estate is gone: it was abolished on 3 April 2025 (see what replaced it).

Which consulate, and what it will ask for

You apply at the consulate general whose district covers your state. Spain has nine in the US and Puerto Rico, and the consulate list by state shows which one is yours. You cannot pick another because the line is shorter: the Los Angeles consulate asks for proof that you live in its area.

The Los Angeles non-lucrative checklist, updated February 2026, is a fair picture of what US applicants assemble:

• passport valid at least one year, with two blank pages,
• proof of funds and a health insurance certificate,
• a medical certificate issued no more than 90 days before you apply,
• an FBI criminal record check no older than six months, with the federal apostille from the US Department of State (a state apostille is not valid), translated into Spanish by a certified translator,
• the visa fee, which is $140 for US citizens from 1 January 2026.

Other consulates may differ on details, so use the list from your own. The FBI check and apostille take the longest, which is why they come first in the moving checklist, the step-by-step timeline for the weeks before and after you land.

What follows you to Spain

Moving does not close your US accounts with the government.

• Taxes. The IRS taxes US citizens on worldwide income wherever they live, so you keep filing a US return, and you may owe Spanish tax as well once you are a Spanish tax resident. The exclusion, credit and account-reporting rules are in US taxes for Americans in Spain.
• Driving. The DGT, Spain’s traffic authority, accepts a non-EU license for six months after you take up normal residence. Its exchange list has no US state, so Americans normally take the Spanish tests. See driving in Spain on a foreign license.
• Health insurance. The non-lucrative visa needs a private policy with no deductible, copay or waiting period. Details are in the insurance guide.

A realistic order of steps

1. Pick the visa against the test in the table. The money and work rules decide it, not preference.
2. Find your consulate and read its checklist before you gather anything.
3. Order the FBI check, then the federal apostille. The six-month limit runs from the check, so time it to your appointment.
4. Buy the insurance and get the medical certificate (90-day limit).
5. Book the consulate appointment and apply in person. The visa and first permit are processed together (art. 63.1).
6. Collect the visa, then travel. The Los Angeles consulate says the visa itself is valid for 90 days.
7. Within one month of arrival, apply for your TIE (art. 63.5), then register in the padrón and get your NIE.

For the shipping, housing and bank steps that fill the rest of the year, follow the checklist rather than a second list here.

Before you book

Entry rules can change at short notice. Check the State Department’s country page for Spain on travel.state.gov and the EU’s ETIAS site before you travel.