PASSPORT CONTROLSpain
RECOMMENDED ROUTE · Digital Nomad200% of the monthly SMI. RD 126/2026 sets the 2026 SMI at €1,221/mo, so the Washington consulate's 2026 figure is €2,442/mo (it quotes approx. US$2,900).
Alternatives to the recommended route
What the file has to contain
These are the documents the authorities expect for the lead route. This is a reference list, not an eligibility check: whether any one item is met depends on your own situation. Items marked for apostille must be legalized before they will be accepted.
Valid at least 1 year, issued within the last 10 years, with at least 2 blank pages. Copies of all pages.
Completed and signed 'Solicitud de visado nacional' for each applicant, selecting the teleworking (nómada digital) category.
Carnet-size, color, light background, face fully visible.
US federal FBI check (plus any country where you lived in the last 5 years), issued within ~90 days, apostilled by the US Department of State and sworn-translated into Spanish. Accompanied by a responsible declaration of no criminal record in the last 5 years.
Full-coverage policy valid in Spain with no co-payments, comparable to the Spanish public system, for the full residence period.
Employment or service contract (typically 1-year+), employer letter authorizing remote work from Spain and confirming the role is fully remote, and evidence of at least 3 months' prior relationship with the employer/clients.
Commercial registry extract or corporate/tax certificate showing real, continuous activity for at least one year. Employer/clients must be outside Spain (Spanish-source income under 20% of total).
University/postgraduate degree, vocational or business-school qualification (apostilled/legalized if foreign) OR proof of at least 3 years of relevant professional experience.
Recent pay slips (3-6 months), contract stating gross remuneration, and bank statements showing at least €2,442/month (the Washington consulate's 2026 figure, 200% of the €1,221 SMI), plus €916 for the first family member and €306 for each additional one. Posts that annualise the SMI over 14 payments ask for €2,849/month (€34,188/year).
Certificate of Coverage from the foreign social security authority (where a bilateral agreement exists, e.g. US-Spain totalization), or evidence of registration with Spanish social security / RETA if self-employed.
Spain is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, so a US federal FBI Identity History Summary (or state-issued document) needs a single apostille from the US Department of State (federal docs) or the relevant Secretary of State (state docs), plus a sworn Spanish translation, rather than full consular legalization.
From paperwork to residence card
The recorded process folds into stages, each listing the real steps it covers. Timing depends on your consulate and is not fixed, so no week estimates are shown here.
Prepare and legalize
- Gather and legalize documents
- Assemble the evidence file
Lodge the application
- Book a consulate appointment
- Submit the visa application in person
Decision and collection
- Await decision and collect the visa
Arrive and register
- Register your address (empadronamiento)
- Apply for the TIE residence card
The law says
Official rules, verified against government text.
- Income requirement
- $2,900 / month (USD)
200% of the monthly SMI. RD 126/2026 sets the 2026 SMI at €1,221/mo, so the Washington consulate's 2026 figure is €2,442/mo (it quotes approx. US$2,900). - Initial duration
- Up to 1 year (visa) then residence permit up to 3 years
- Renewal
- Residence permit renewable 2-year periods
- Maximum stay
- Up to 5 years total via renewals, then eligibility for long-term residence
- Tax status
- Beckham regime (Art. 93 LIRPF, AEAT-confirmed): 24% flat on employment income up to €600,000/yr, 47% above; duration = year of arrival + 5 years; must not have been Spanish tax resident in the prior 5 years.
- Processing time
- Approx. 10 working days to ~1 month at the consulate (legal max ~1 month for national visas)
- Official cost
- Washington consulate fee for US citizens: $190 (fees from 1 January 2026; all other citizens $106; reciprocity rates apply to Canada $1,566, the UK $963 and Australia $3,020; revised quarterly with exchange rates). TIE card after arrival is Modelo 790-012 (about €16). Excludes the FBI check (about $18), apostille and sworn-translation costs.
- Official source
- Visado de residencia para teletrabajo (nómada digital)
The street says
13 SIGNALSWhat applicants report, kept separate from the official numbers.
Voices from the field
The 183-Day Rule Is Over? | Digital Nomad Visa SpainBureaucracy Spain · 2026-07
But the income requirements are EUR 2,849 / month. They want folks who have a lot of job experience
The minimum income requirement is currently around EUR 2,646/month for the primary applicant (200% of Spain's minimum wage), with an additional
As of February, 2026, the following rules apply: Single applicant: EUR 34,188 per annum (EUR 2,849 per month) Two applicants: An additional EUR 12,820,5
SpainGuru · 2026-07. 2026 coverage pairs the new DNV requirements with a tax angle, flagging that the tax treatment is a decision factor, not an afterthought.
Open the full source file (8)
- Visado de residencia para teletrabajo (nómada digital)GOV · Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, UE y Cooperación · accessed 2026-08-03
- Real Decreto 126/2026 - SMI 2026GOV · BoletÃn Oficial del Estado · accessed 2026-08-03
- Telework visaGOV · Consulate of Spain, Washington · accessed 2026-09-08
- Solicitud del visado de nómada digitalAGGREGATOR · Plataforma ONE (Oficina Nacional de Emprendimiento) · accessed 2026-08-03
- Real Decreto 126/2026 (SMI 2026) — BOE-A-2026-3815GOV · BoletÃn Oficial del Estado · accessed 2026-08-03
- Spain digital nomad visa income (SMI increase)PRACTITIONER · Jobbatical · accessed 2026-08-03
- Spain Digital Nomad Visa Requirements 2026LEGAL · Vissumlex · accessed 2026-08-03
- Instrucción conjunta - Teletrabajadores de carácter internacionalGOV · Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones · accessed 2026-08-03
The bottom line: Spain is worth the paperwork only if you clear the income bar, and the route that matters most is the Digital Nomad (Telework) Visa, which the Washington consulate sets at 200% of the SMI, €2,442 a month for 2026 (about $2,900), with a $190 fee for US citizens. Posts that annualise the SMI over 14 payments ask for €2,849, so plan to the higher figure if that is your route. The visa gets you up to a year initially, then a residence permit for up to three years, and it counts toward the five-year path to permanent residence. The alternative Teleworker Residence Authorization filed from inside Spain carries the same formula, so the decision comes down to whether you can prove that income, and if you can, the paperwork is straightforward enough to justify it.