Spain to offer digital nomads a 1-year visa

Get ready to pack your bags and say hola to a Mediterranean workcation lifestyle

Spain is gearing up to start offering non-EEA (European Economic Area) nationals the chance to stay and work legally in the country thanks to a digital nomad visa. The so-called Startup Act is expecting ratification this month in the parliament, giving the chance to tech-savvy remote workers to set up shop anywhere in the sun-kissed southern European country.

This is coming about a year later than expected, as already last year the authorities were considering the option as a way to boost the economy and tourism in the battered post-Covid era. And Spain is even a little bit late to the game, as other Mediterranean countries have already launched their own digital nomad visa initiatives – Portugal, Italy, Malta, Croatia and Greece.

How to stay and work legally in Spain with a digital nomad visa

As expected, there will be some conditions to meet for prospective armchair officionados (pun intended), before they can sip their sangrias in Valencia while working on their laptops.

Applicants must be foreigners working remotely, self-employed or employed by a non-Spanish company operating outside of Spain. In addition, they must meet the government's minimum income requirement, which will likely be double the national minimum wage in Spain (meaning they should earn at least 2,100 euros per month). 

The Spain Digital Nomad Visa will be granted for a period of one year and will be renewed annually, as long as you meet the government requirements and have declared your taxes in the country. Digital nomads who obtain this visa will also be entitled to bring their spouses and minor children with them, as long as they meet the government's requirements and have registered with the Spanish social security system.

Holders of the Spanish Nomad Visa will be able to travel without a visa throughout the Schengen Area of ​​the European Union while their permit is valid.

All the details of the program, however, which will be ratified in January 2023, are not yet fully known.