Spain Visa for British Citizens After Brexit (2026 Guide)

Since Brexit, British citizens can spend up to 90 days in any 180-day period in Spain without a visa. To stay longer you need a long-stay visa or residence permit, and you apply for it from the UK, at the Spanish consulate that covers where you live.

The 90/180-day rule

GOV.UK states that you can travel to the Schengen area, which includes Spain, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Visits to other Schengen countries in the 180 days before you travel count towards the same 90 days. Overstaying can lead to a ban from Schengen countries for up to 3 years.

Time spent in Spain on a residence permit or long-stay visa does not count towards the 90 days. That is why people planning to live in Spain need a visa and cannot simply keep re-entering. GOV.UK also asks for a passport issued less than 10 years before you arrive and valid for at least 3 months after you plan to leave the Schengen area.

Which long-stay visa fits

The London consulate’s visa list includes the routes most British applicants use. Amounts below are the 2026 figures set by the regulation and the IPREM of €600 a month.

Visa	Who it is for	Key requirement
Non-lucrative	Retirees, savers, people not working in Spain	€28,800 a year single, +€7,200 per family member (RD 1155/2024, art. 62)
Digital nomad	Remote workers for non-Spanish clients or employers	€2,442 a month single (€2,849 to be safe), +€916 first family member, +€306 each extra
Residence and work (TRA)	People with a Spanish job offer	Employer-led work authorization
Student	Full-time study at a recognized institution	100% of IPREM a month (RD 1155/2024, art. 35)

The London consulate also lists self-employed, highly qualified worker, entrepreneur and family reunification visas. Spain’s golden visa no longer exists; see what happened to it.

Not sure between the first two? Non-lucrative vs digital nomad compares them.

Where British residents apply

You apply at the consulate whose district includes your home address. The Spanish Embassy lists three consulates general in the UK:

Consulate	Covers
London	Greater London, South West, South East and East of England, plus Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories
Manchester	Wales, Isle of Man, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands and West Midlands
Edinburgh	Scotland, Northern Ireland, Cleveland, Cumbria, Durham, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear and Tees Valley

The consulates ask for proof that you live, or attend classes in person, in their district. If you live in Wales, for example, you apply through Manchester even if London is closer.

Appointments run through BLS International visa application centres. London bookings are made only through BLS London, at 20 St Andrew Street, London EC4A 3AG. Edinburgh books only through BLS Edinburgh. For the non-lucrative visa, the Manchester consulate directs applicants to the BLS branch in Manchester. Applications are made in person, by you or, for a minor, by a parent.

Documents with a UK twist

The London non-lucrative checklist shows what changes for British applicants:

• Criminal record: for UK records, submit an ACRO Certificate. It must be no more than 6 months old, carry the Hague Apostille, and be translated into Spanish by a sworn translator. Applicants of legal age need certificates covering the past 5 years of residence (2 years for the digital nomad visa, plus a declaration for the rest).
• Medical certificate: issued by a registered UK practitioner within 3 months before you apply, using the wording the consulate publishes.
• Health insurance: a policy from an insurer authorized in Spain that covers what the Spanish public system covers. The consulate also accepts proof of registering an S1 form with Spanish Social Security, which matters for UK-funded pensioners.
• Digital nomad applicants also provide a Companies House certificate if self-employed, and, if they stay in the UK system, an HMRC certificate (CA3822 for employees, CA3837 for self-employed). The London page also says to apply for a NIE before the visa; see the NIE guide.

Foreign documents need an apostille and an official Spanish translation where required.

Fees

The London consulate publishes a fee list for British citizens, but the copy on its site is dated 14 February 2022 and says it can change without notice. It lists £516 for the non-lucrative visa, £409 for work visas, £174 for study visas of more than 180 days and £232 for visas under the work-permit exemption regulation. Treat these as a guide only and confirm the current price at your BLS appointment. The consulate says the visa fee must be paid in local currency at the time you apply. Separately, the residence permit fee (form 790-052) is paid when you file.

If you lived in Spain before 2021

People who moved to Spain before 1 January 2021 and have lived there legally since have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, according to GOV.UK. The TIE is the only valid residency document under that agreement. This guide covers new arrivals, who do not fall under the Agreement and need one of the visas above.