Spain Digital Nomad Visa: 8 Important Things We Know So Far

1. Consulates around the world are opening their doors?

The Spanish digital nomad visa is available for in-country applications through the UGE website and has been since it was introduced in December 2022. We are seeing more consulates slowly open their doors to teleworker visa applications every day. The only thing is, they seem to have slightly different visa requirements.?

Miami Consulate: This was one of the first consulates to open up for digital nomad applications. The stated financial requirement is $2300 which equates to around 2000 Euros. This contradicts the government website which says that the minimum required amount is equivalent to 200% of Spain's Minimum Interprofessional Salary (SMI), which should be 2520 Euros.?

New York Consulate?

Guadalajara Consulate:?

The financial requirement: Demostrar, un mínimo de € 600.00 euros (aprox. $12,000.00 MXN) por cada mes de permanencia en Espa?a, (Ejemplo: Si su estancia es de 6 meses debe de comprobar solvencia por $72,000.00 M.N.) Además, por cada familiar € 300.00 euros (aprox. $6,000.00 MXN) mensuales.

Show a minimum of €600.00 for each month of your stay in Spain. So if you are staying for 6 months, you’ll need to show a minimum of €3600,00 in your bank account.

Belgrade Consulate:?

The financial requirement is: Al titular del visado se le exigirá acreditar una cantidad que represente mensualmente el 200% del salario mínimo interprofesional (que, en 2023, se sitúa en 1.080 euros).

You must show that you have a salary of at least 200% of the minimum salary which is 1,080 Euros. This seems to contradict the U.S. consulate information.?

Bahia Blanca Consulate:

The income requirement can be shown in the form of a bank certificate showing the minimum salary for the last 6 months.

2. Proof of entering Spain for in-country applications

People applying for the digital nomad visa (telework visa) within Spain will need to prove that they entered the country by showing a stamp in their passport evidencing the date of entry. If they arrive from another Schengen country, they will need to get a stamp within 72 hours of arriving to Spain. It is a good idea to keep copies of proof of travel including a boarding pass and flight information. Or, for those travelling by land, copies of petrol receipts and other proof.?

3. Savings are acceptable to meet the financial requirement?

Both the New York and the Miami consulates state that in order to meet the financial requirement for this visa, applicants must provide:

“Original and a copy of the documents proving sufficient own financial means, or accrediting a regular source of income for the teleworker.”?

I'll leave that to your own interpretation!

4. You need a NIE before applying for the telework visa

The visa application form and information on consulate webpages state that applicants must apply for a NIE - Foreign Identification Number before submitting their visa application. This number can be used to set up a bank account in Spain.?

5. Do you need to register with Social Security?

According to the Spanish government:

“Employed worker: The company must register with the Social Security to be able to enroll the teleworker here in the General Regime.

Self-employed. The worker himself must register in the self-employed workers regime ( RETA )

The Social Security registration requirement may only be substituted by importing the right from the country of origin, as long as there is an international agreement on social security signed between Spain and that country and the social security administration of origin issues a document based on said agreement for teleworkers that provides temporary coverage in Spain.”

6. Time spent outside of Spain

If you hold the digital nomad visa, you can spend a maximum of 6 months outside of Spain per calendar year to have continued authorisation to live and work in Spain.?

7. Documents to be provided

Here is the official list of documents that must be submitted as part of the application process.

8. Check your health insurance is authorised

Here is the database that can be used to check that the health insurance provider is accepted by the Spanish government.?