Spain Non-Lucrative Visa 2026: Income, Insurance and Process

The non-lucrative visa lets you live in Spain without working there. It is the usual route for retirees and for people living off savings, a pension or investments. You prove you can support yourself, you buy a Spanish health policy, and you agree not to work.

How much money you need

The regulation sets the bar at 400% of the IPREM for you and 100% of the IPREM for each family member you support (art. 62). The IPREM has been frozen at €600 a month since 2023, so in 2026 the figures are:

Household	Per month	Per year
Just you	€2,400	€28,800
You + partner	€3,000	€36,000
You + partner + 1 child	€3,600	€43,200
You + partner + 2 children	€4,200	€50,400

The money has to cover the whole period of the permit (art. 62.2). The first permit lasts one year, so in practice you show €28,800 for one person, either as savings you can access or as regular income such as a pension.

You can prove it with bank statements, investment account statements, pension letters or property deeds. For accounts outside Spain, the regulation asks that the bank document includes the bank’s name and address, the account details, opening dates, and the balance on 31 December of the previous year plus the average balance for that year (art. 62.3). The Los Angeles consulate also asks for your last three months of statements and your most recent tax return.

You cannot work, including remotely

The visa is for people who will live in Spain “without carrying out work or professional activities” (art. 61.1). Consulates read this strictly: the Los Angeles consulate states plainly that the visa “does not allow teleworking.” If you are of working age, it asks for a termination letter from your employer, proof that you receive a pension, or, if you are self-employed, a notarized statement that you will not work while in Spain.

If you want to keep working for clients or an employer abroad, the digital nomad visa is the visa built for that.

Health insurance

The regulation only says you need health insurance (art. 61.2.b). Consulates set the details. The Los Angeles consulate asks for a policy that:

• is with an insurer authorized to operate in Spain,
• lasts at least one year,
• covers everything the Spanish public system covers, and
• has no deductible, no copayment, no waiting period and no coverage limit.

Travel insurance is not accepted. Ask the insurer for a certificate that states these points in Spanish; that is what the consulate checks.

Documents the consulate asks for

Each consulate publishes its own list, so use the one for where you live. The Los Angeles list, updated in February 2026, is a fair picture:

1. National visa application form and the EX-01 residence form, one each per applicant.
2. Passport valid for at least one year, with two blank pages.
3. Proof that you live in the consulate’s area (state ID or driver’s license). Non-US citizens also show legal US residence; B-1/B-2 visitors must apply in their home country.
4. Proof of funds, as above.
5. Health insurance certificate.
6. Medical certificate, issued no more than 90 days before you apply, stating you have no disease that could seriously affect public health under the 2005 International Health Regulations.
7. FBI criminal record check for applicants over 18, 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. You also need certificates from any country you lived in during the past five years.
8. Fees: the residence permit fee (form 790-052, $13 in 2026) plus the visa fee, which depends on nationality: $140 for US citizens and $106 for other nationalities from 1 January 2026.

Foreign documents must be apostilled and, where needed, officially translated into Spanish. Family members applying with you (spouse or partner, minor children, dependent parents) each need the same documents plus proof of the relationship.

How the process works

You apply in person at the Spanish consulate (or its visa center) for the area where you live; the visa and the first residence permit are processed together (art. 63.1). The immigration office in Spain has one month from receiving the file to decide on the permit, and if it does not answer in that time the application is treated as refused (art. 63.4). The consulate then issues the visa.

Once in Spain you have one month from arrival to apply in person for your foreigner identity card, the TIE (art. 63.5). The card carries your NIE, the foreigner number you will use for everything from bank accounts to taxes.

Renewing: two years at a time and 183 days a year

The first permit lasts one year (art. 61.4). After that, renewals last two years (art. 64.7). To renew you need:

• enough money for the renewal period, on the same IPREM formula,
• to have kept your health insurance the whole time,
• school enrollment for children of compulsory school age, and
• to have actually lived in Spain for more than 183 days in the calendar year (art. 64.2.f).

You apply in the two months before your permit expires (art. 64.1). After five years of legal residence you can move to long-term residence.

The tax catch

Spending more than 183 days a year in Spain normally makes you a Spanish tax resident, taxed on your worldwide income, and the renewal rule makes that almost unavoidable. US citizens also keep filing with the IRS. Read Spanish tax residency before you move, especially if you have large investment accounts or a pension from abroad.