Digital Nomad Visa for Spain (2025 Update)
Spain ranks amongst the very-top tourist destinations in the world. Meanwhile, desirable tourism scenarios such as these tend to be very attractive to digital nomads looking for a place to settle. So for those of us in this field, it was definitely good news when the Spanish government officially announced that they were launching their own digital nomad visa in 2023. This allows computer-based remote workers employed by foreign entities to legally reside in the country, up to a good three years, while concurrently doing their thing.
But since Spain is such a coveted destination, officials are able to stipulate digital nomad visa requirements that may seem a bit extra or out of reach to some of us. Accordingly, the purpose of this post is to take a look at those stipulations. Furthermore, I will use my own experiences as a digital nomad (in Ghana) to judge whether these statutes are fair or if Spain is being a bit unreasonable when it comes to receiving us remote workers.
VISA APPLICATION FORM, PASSPORT, ETC.
There are a number of documents, besides the typical “Application for long-term visa” form, that are part of the process for qualifying a digital nomad in Spain. This country deals with a lot of immigrants and visitors, and there is significant red tape that needs to be hurdled to become a legal resident.
What I mean by significant isn’t necessarily that you’ll probably be spending time filling out a bunch of forms. Most of the information you’ll provide comes in the form of ready-made documents, like birth certificates, criminal background checks, employment contracts, etc.
But to illustrate the type of bureaucracy you’ll have to deal with, said documents usually have to be translated into Spanish, “by a sworn translator”, before becoming eligible for filing. Furthermore, they need to be “apostilled”, i.e. officially certified, by your home country or the country that issued them.
So for instance, if you’ve been globetrotting over the past five years, you’ll be required to ascertain a criminal background check from any country you’ve resided in during that span for over six months. And again, that document must not only be “apostilled” but also subsequently translated, with said translator being under oath basically. Meanwhile, this process goes not only for criminal background checks but also the likes of employment documents, birth certificates and marriage certificates.
NOT THE CASE IN GHANA (WHERE I CURRENTLY LIVE)
That isn’t the case when you decide to be a digital nomad in a country like Ghana. The Gateway to Africa has a pretty-strong tourism industry, but it doesn’t rank anywhere near Spain, in terms of the number of people who want to come here.
Relatedly, the Ghanaian government isn’t really tight-assed like that. Being accepted as a visitor for the most part requires just paying the application fee, besides having a valid passport of course. If you want to stay longer than the standard three months, there will be additional administrative expenses, though not nearly as much as you’ll cough up as a digital nomad in Spain.
Ghana does not have anything like a digital nomad visa yet. But if you’re living that lifestyle, it’d likely be easier to stay here, monetarily and administratively, than it would be in Spain.
REQUIREMENTS AND COSTS OF BECOMING A DIGITAL NOMAD IN SPAIN
For instance, to become a full-fledged digital nomad residing in Spain, you’ll be parting ways with at least a couple of hundred dollars in application expenses. And just getting all of the necessary documentation filed can cost up to a whopping $1,000, approximately.
On that note, it should be pointed out that Spain isn’t particularly accommodating to those of us on the lower end of the wage-earning spectrum. The truth is that many digital nomads aren’t making a lot of money. Sometimes, we have to take lower-paying gigs just to stay in the game.
Meanwhile, to qualify as a permanent digital nomad in Spain, you need to be bringing home around €2,300 or $2,700 monthly, besides having officially-approved proof of those earnings. That isn’t necessarily an unattainable amount but a lot more than many digital nomads make.
Long story short, the Spanish government doesn’t want digital nomads struggling in their country. And that’s why some of us rather choose to reside in the Third World, where the cost of living is a lot cheaper, and local governments tend to be more accepting of foreigners.
HEALTH INSURANCE
Having private, government-approved health insurance in Spain is another requirement for becoming a digital nomad there. Furthermore, the associated coverage must be completely comprehensive. Or as one site puts it, “it should cover 100% of your medical, hospital and out-of-hospital expenses”.
Meanwhile, I never heard of health insurance being an actual requirement for foreigners in Ghana. Recently, a national health insurance scheme was launched, and outsiders for the most part are eligible. I don’t know if it’s 100% comprehensive, though it does contribute significantly to bringing hospital costs down.
That said, I can understand why governments wouldn’t want foreigners falling ill in their countries without proper medical backup. And places like Western Europe have more issues when it comes to diseases, if you will.
TAX, TAX AND TAX
In Ghana, you can get away with not paying taxes. It isn’t advisable, particularly as an outsider, to try to dodge the man. But in this part of the world, most people don’t formally pay taxes, not like they do in the West. Out here, the government has other ways of deriving funds from citizens, such as taxing amenities or telecommunications.
Contrastingly, as a digital nomad in Spain, you’re very much expected to pay formal tax. The good news is that, if you haven’t been residing in the country for five years prior, you’re taxed at a reduced rate. That’s actually one of the financial advantages, compared to standard residents, of being a digital nomad in Spain.
NOT SO GOOD NEWS
The bad news is that, as one site puts it in relation to digital nomads, “you will be allowed to pay a flat tax rate of just 24% on your income”. “Just”? Well, that’s once again compared to standard residents, who are taxed “a progressive rate that can reach up to 48%”. Wow. Imagine losing half of your income, automatically, to taxes. Those of us in the know understand that’s one of the benefits of avoiding developed countries, i.e. the ridiculously-high tax rates.
Spain has an agreement with a number of countries that goes something like this. If you’re already being taxed as a digital nomad in your homeland (i.e. being the employee of a foreign entity), then Spain will not concurrently tax those same earnings.
So if your homeland’s tax rate is significantly less than that in Spain, you may want to make sure you’re fully registered as a taxpayer, at home, before coming over. But if the rates are comparable, I’d argue that you’re just better off paying taxes in Spain. Doing so is a solid method of forming a relationship with a foreign government when you’re abroad, as you never know when you may need assistance from formal officials.
FULL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SPAIN DIGITAL NOMAD VISA
Below are all the requirements needed to qualify for Spain’s digital nomad visa program:
- You will need to fill out the official Visa Application Form, which you can find on the government’s official website.
- You must have a passport that is valid for at least one year. Furthermore, the passport should have at least two pages that are blank.
- Then you should submit two current passport photos.
- One of the most important requirements is to proof to the authorities that you are gainfully employed and that your employer allows you to work remotely and of course that you have the ability to work remotely.
- You would also need to proof to the authorities that the company or organization that you work for has been existing for a year or more.
- Now the proof of income is also one of the most important requirements to show. You can do this by showing the likes of your bank statements as well as pay slips.
- You also need to show your professional qualifications such as your degrees or diplomas or any professional certificate. If you don’t have these, you can show evidence that you are an expert in your field. Usually three years proof of experience or more is fine.
- And of course you also need to have health insurance like was mentioned above.
- Another key requirement is to submit criminal records certificates to the authorities which should be accompanied with Apostille. This criminal record certificate should cover at least the last two years.
IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE FOR THE INCOME REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS VISA
A single person applying for this visa would need to show they earn €2,763 as their monthly income. If the applicants are a couple, then they need to show that their combined monthly income is at least €3,797. Furthermore, if they have an adult dependent, then they need to also show an additional €1,035 on a monthly basis. And regarding a minor dependent, that figure is at least €346 on a monthly basis.
CONCLUSION
Spain is not a country for digital nomads who are just getting by. You need to be an established and successful remote worker employed by a foreign entity, one who is earning somewhere in the range of $3,000 a month. Furthermore, those earnings need to be formal, documented and regular into the foreseeable future.
As an experienced digital nomad, I wouldn’t even think about moving to Spain unless I’m generating a considerable amount of expendable income. On one hand, the cost of living in Spain is known to be relatively inexpensive when compared to other developed nations. But the bad news is that it’s still pretty, hovering at about $1,000 a month for a single person, and govvie is going to be all up in your pockets. So all things considered, it may be advisable to visit Spain first, via a standard visa, before deciding to spend 1 to 3 years there as a digital nomad.
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