Spain Digital Nomad Visa 2026: Income Requirement and How to Apply

Spain’s digital nomad visa is a residence route for people who work remotely for companies outside Spain. The income test is 200% of the minimum wage (SMI): €2,442 a month for a single applicant in 2026, as the Washington DC consulate states it, or €2,849 if the minimum wage is spread over 12 months, which is the safer figure to aim for. You also need a qualification or three years of experience, and the company you work for needs at least a year of real activity.

How much income you need

The law (Ley 14/2013, art. 74 bis) does not print a euro amount. The amount comes from 200% of the SMI, and consulates publish it each year. The SMI for 2026 is €1,221 a month in 14 payments, at least €17,094 a year (RD 126/2026, art. 3).

Household	Share of SMI	Consulate figure (SMI €1,221)	Safe target (SMI €1,424.50)
You	200%	€2,442	€2,849
First family member	+75%	+€916	+€1,069
Each additional member	+25%	+€306	+€357

The two columns come from two readings of the same rule. The Washington DC consulate applies the percentages to the monthly minimum wage of €1,221, which gives €2,442. Many advisers spread the €17,094 annual minimum wage over 12 months (€1,424.50), which gives €2,849. If your income falls between the two, ask the consulate or office handling your application which one it uses. Above the safe target you pass under either reading. Each family amount is rounded up to the next euro, as the consulate does.

The amount can be shown with a contract, a company certificate or other proof of regular income, for you and the family members who come with you.

Who qualifies

Art. 74 bis sets the core rules:

• Remote work for companies outside Spain. You work only through computer and telecommunications systems.
• Employees may work only for companies located outside Spain.
• Self-employed professionals may also work for a company located in Spain, as long as that work is no more than 20% of your total professional activity.
• Qualifications. A degree or postgraduate degree from a recognized university, vocational school or business school, or at least three years of professional experience.

Art. 74 ter adds requirements. The company or group must show real and continuous activity for at least one year. If you are an employee, the employment relationship must have lasted at least three months before you apply, and the company must allow remote work. If you are self-employed, you need a business relationship with one or more non-Spanish companies for at least the last three months, plus the terms under which you will work.

The Washington consulate adds that you must work for a company or provide services to companies. Work for individuals, international organizations, government agencies, universities, foundations or non-profits does not qualify. It also says the visa cannot be granted when your case matches the intra-company transfer visa.

Applying from abroad or from inside Spain

From abroad. You apply for a telework visa at the Spanish consulate for your area (art. 74 quater). The visa lasts a maximum of one year and is enough to live and work remotely in Spain while it is valid. The Washington list asks, among other things, for:

1. The national visa form, a photo and a valid passport.
2. Proof of legal residence and of living in the consulate’s area.
3. An NIE assignment certificate (see how to get an NIE).
4. The company’s registry certificate showing at least a year of activity, apostilled and translated.
5. A company or client certificate with your seniority, income and, for employees, permission to work remotely from Spain.
6. Proof of financial means, as above.
7. An FBI background check, issued within six months and apostilled, plus a sworn declaration for the last five years.
8. Health insurance (see below) and proof of Social Security coverage.
9. Your degree or proof of three years of experience.
10. The fee. From 1 January 2026 the Washington page lists $190 for US citizens.

Other consulates publish their own versions of the list, so use the one for your district.

From inside Spain. If you are legally in Spain, you can apply for the residence permit directly with the UGE-CE, the large companies and strategic groups unit of the Ministry of Inclusion, with no prior visa (art. 74 quinquies). The Washington page notes that a US passport holder in Spain under the 90-day visa-free stay counts as legally in Spain. The unit has 20 days to decide, and silence means approval (art. 76.1). Applications are electronic, so you need a digital certificate or an authorized representative in Spain.

How long it lasts and how renewals work

Document	Maximum length	Source
Telework visa	1 year	art. 74 quater
Residence permit (from the start, or after the visa)	3 years	art. 74 quinquies
Each renewal	2 years	arts. 74 quinquies, 76.3

If you arrive on the visa, you can ask for the residence permit within the 60 days before the visa expires, as long as the conditions still hold (art. 74 quater). To renew a permit, the conditions that gave you the right must still be met (art. 76.3). Neither Ley 14/2013 nor the Washington consulate sets a minimum number of days in Spain for this permit, unlike the 183-day rule for the non-lucrative visa. The tax rules are separate, as below.

Family, health insurance and Social Security

Eligible family members are your spouse or unmarried partner, children and adult children who depend on you financially and have not formed their own household, and relatives in the ascending line in your care.

For health cover, the Washington consulate accepts public or private insurance with a company authorized in Spain. The policy must cover everything the public system covers, with no deficiency, copayment or coverage limit. Travel insurance is not accepted. You do not need the certificate if you prove coverage by Spanish Social Security.

For Social Security, the Washington list asks for proof that the company is registered in the Spanish system, or that you have registered, or asked to register, as self-employed (RETA). Art. 76.5 lets you register using your passport during the first six months, before you have an NIE.

Tax: the Beckham Law link

Living in Spain more than 183 days in a calendar year makes you a Spanish tax resident (IRPF art. 9). Art. 93 of the IRPF law lets some new arrivals choose a special regime for the year of the move and the five that follow, if they were not Spanish residents in the previous five years. It names remote work for employees, and says employees holding the international telework visa meet the condition. Read the Beckham Law guide for how it works and whether self-employed remote workers fit. For the basics, see Spanish tax residency.

If you do not plan to work and only want to live in Spain, compare the two visas in non-lucrative vs digital nomad visa.