Since December 2022, Spain offers one of the most attractive visas in southern Europe for remote professionals: the International Teleworker Visa, widely known as the Digital Nomad Visa, created by Law 28/2022 on the Promotion of the Startup Ecosystem (the Startups Law). Here is everything you need to know, with a focus on the documents to translate.
Who can apply
Three main profiles fit the visa:
- Employees of foreign companies teleworking from Spain (employment contract of at least one year).
- Self-employed professionals providing services to foreign clients (at least one client with a contractual relationship of one year or more; the share of work for Spanish companies cannot exceed 20 %).
- A combination of the above.
Excluded: company directors who set up Spanish corporate structures to circumvent the rules (anti-abuse).
Financial requirements for 2026
Minimum income evidence:
- Spanish Minimum Wage (SMI) × 200 % monthly: roughly €2,760/month or €33,120/year (2026 SMI ≈ €1,380/month × 12 = €16,560/year × 200 %).
- +75 % SMI for spouse or partner.
- +25 % SMI for each dependent child.
Evidenced through:
- Employment contracts with the foreign company.
- Invoices and service contracts for the self-employed.
- Bank statements showing recurring income.
- Tax filing from the country of origin (P60 UK, Avis d'imposition FR, etc.).
Documents to translate
The block reaching the Spanish Consulate (UK, France, USA, Mexico, etc.) or the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE-CE) in Madrid if applying from inside Spain:
- Passport (does not usually need translation).
- Criminal record certificate from the country of origin and from any country of residence in the last 5 years, apostilled and translated into Spanish.
- University degree or equivalent professional experience (minimum 3 years in the field): university diploma or employer letters, apostilled and translated.
- Employment or services contract with the foreign company or clients, translated into Spanish.
- Employer certificate on seniority (minimum 3 months with the employer before applying).
- Proof that the company has been operating for at least 1 year (registration certificate, deed, financial statements): filed translated.
- Income evidence (bank statements, tax filing from the country of origin).
- Spanish private health insurance with full coverage.
Timelines
- Application from abroad (at the Consulate): reply within 10 business days (one-year visa, renewable).
- Application from inside Spain (on a tourist visa or already with a NIE): handled by the UGE-CE, reply within 20 business days (initial 3-year authorisation, renewable).
The internal route (UGE-CE) is faster and grants 3-year residence directly, so it is preferred by applicants already in Spain.
Tax advantage: Beckham regime
The Digital Nomad Visa makes the applicant eligible for the special impatriate regime (popularly the Beckham regime): for the first 6 years, employment income is taxed at a flat 24 % up to €600,000, instead of the general progressive IRPF. A meaningful tax advantage for high earners.
Common mistakes
- Applying without meeting minimum seniority with the employer (3 months).
- Company younger than 1 year. UGE-CE will reject.
- Work for Spanish companies above 20 %. Grounds for denial.
- Expired criminal record certificates. ACRO UK or Bulletin n.º 3 FR expire in 3-6 months.
- Apostilling after translating.
- Health insurance with copays. The rule requires full coverage without copays.
In short
The Digital Nomad Visa is the gold-standard route for remote professionals wishing to settle legally in Spain with a tax advantage. Britons, Americans, French, Germans and Latin Americans dominate applicants. At Textualia we translate criminal record certificates, university degrees, employment contracts and employer certificates from the UK and France into Spanish to a closed turnaround so that the application to the Consulate or the UGE-CE enters complete and resolves on time.