Visa guide · Spain
Relocating to Spain: visa categories and tax landscape
Digital nomad visa under the 2022 Startups Law, Beckham Law for inbound workers, and the long-standing non-lucrative residence option.
The Spain relocation landscape
Spain's 2022 Startups Law modernized its inbound-talent toolkit significantly. Alongside the long-standing EU pathways, Spain now operates a digital nomad visa, an expanded entrepreneur permit, and a renewed version of the Beckham Law tax regime that is among the more competitive in Europe.
EU citizens have freedom of movement; non-EU applicants choose between work-sponsored, self-employed, family-reunification, or digital nomad routes depending on their situation.
Visa categories worth knowing
The main residence-permit categories used by relocators. Listed in editorial-priority order, not exhaustive.
Introduced under the 2022 Startups Law. Allows non-EU remote workers to live and work in Spain for non-Spanish employers, with a path to longer-term residency.
Fast-track for senior professionals with qualifying offers, often used alongside Beckham Law tax election.
Routes for freelancers and founders. The entrepreneur permit is GEM-evaluated for innovation/scalability potential.
Investment-driven residency historically available via property or capital injection. Subject to ongoing political debate about restrictions or wind-down.
Long-standing option for those who can support themselves without local employment — useful for retirees, sabbatical-takers, or families relocating ahead of a working spouse.
Available for admitted students. Limited work hours during study; transition routes to skilled migration after graduation.
Tax landscape for inbound residents
What the tax picture looks like for someone moving to Spain, alongside any special expat regimes.
The Beckham Law (Régimen Especial de Trabajadores Desplazados) offers a flat tax rate on Spanish-sourced income for qualifying inbound workers for up to six years. It's one of the more competitive expat regimes in Western Europe.
Spain has no equivalent of Portugal's NHR for retirees or passive-income earners. Outside Beckham, residents face progressive rates reaching the high 40s at the top bracket.
Practical considerations
- Spanish is essential outside major international firms in Madrid and Barcelona. Bureaucratic Spanish can be dense — having a gestor (administrative agent) is common for residency and tax filings.
- Regional variations matter: Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Madrid have meaningfully different administrative cultures and, for autonomous-community-level taxes, different rates.
Spain cities on Mundevo
Cost-of-living and salary breakdowns we maintain for cities in this country.
Related terms
Before you act
Verify with the consulate. Search for "Spain consulate" plus your current country of residence; the consulate site is the authoritative source on current categories, thresholds, and required documents.
Get a tax read. Tax residency, special regimes, and home-country exposure interact in ways no editorial guide can address for your specific situation. A consultation with a tax advisor familiar with Spain before you move pays for itself many times over.
Build the cost picture. Run the salary and cost calculations for the specific city in Spain you're considering — visa eligibility is only one of the three pillars (visa, cost, tax) that decide whether a move makes sense.