Guide · checked 16-18 October 2026
Digital nomad visa or non-lucrative visa?
Both visas let a non-EU citizen live in Spain, but one is for living without working and the other is for working remotely for a company abroad. Here is what the official texts say about each, side by side.
This guide reports what the official texts say. It does not tell you which visa you qualify for or should pick: the consulate or office that handles your application decides that. The two visas have different names in Spanish: the non-lucrative visa is the residencia temporal no lucrativa, and the digital nomad visa is officially the teletrabajo de carácter internacional.
At a glance
| Non-lucrative visa | Digital nomad visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Work in Spain | No: it is for residing “without carrying out work or professional activities” (RD 1155/2024, art. 61.1). | Yes, remotely for companies based outside Spain. Employees may work only for companies abroad; the self-employed may take up to 20% of their work from Spanish companies (Ley 14/2013, art. 74 bis). |
| Income test, per month | 400% of the IPREM for you, plus 100% of the IPREM for each dependent family member (art. 62.1). | 200% of the Spanish minimum wage (SMI) a month for the main applicant unverified: see below. |
| First authorisation | One year (art. 61.4). | A visa valid for up to one year, then a residence authorisation valid for up to three years (arts. 74 quater and 74 quinquies). |
| Renewal | Renewed for two years (art. 64.7). | Renewable for periods of two years while the conditions still hold (art. 74 quinquies.3). |
| Health insurance | Both ask for it. The wording differs between the routes: see our health insurance guide. | |
IPREM is a Spanish public reference amount; SMI is the national minimum wage. We show no euro amounts: both tests are set in the regulations as multiples or percentages, and we did not confirm a current euro figure on an official page.
The non-lucrative visa
The immigration regulation in force since 20 May 2025 is Real Decreto 1155/2024. It defines this permit as one for people who live in Spain without working:
“Se halla en situación de residencia temporal no lucrativa la persona extranjera, así como sus familiares, que hayan sido autorizados a residir en España sin realizar actividades laborales o profesionales.” (RD 1155/2024, art. 61.1)
For the money, the regulation asks for enough means for the whole period of the authorisation, set monthly as:
“a) Para su sostenimiento, durante su residencia en España, una cantidad que represente mensualmente en euros el 400 % del IPREM, o su equivalente legal en moneda extranjera.”
“b) Para el sostenimiento de cada uno de los familiares a su cargo, durante su residencia en España, una cantidad que represente mensualmente en euros el 100 % del IPREM, o su equivalente legal en moneda extranjera, cantidad a acreditar de forma adicional a la referida en el apartado a) anterior.” (RD 1155/2024, art. 62.1)
In English: 400% of the IPREM a month for you, and 100% of the IPREM a month for each family member who depends on you, on top of your own amount. The Ministerio de Inclusión's information sheet for this permit gives the same two percentages.
You apply for the visa at a Spanish consulate, and the visa application is also the application for the authorisation (art. 63.1). The first authorisation lasts one year. To renew, the regulation lists conditions that include having lived in Spain for more than 183 days during the calendar year (art. 64.2; the text says de forma real y efectiva, really and effectively). That is a condition for renewing this permit. Whether you count as tax-resident in Spain is a separate question that this guide does not cover; our guide to working remotely for a UK employer quotes the Spanish test. A renewed authorisation lasts two years (art. 64.7).
The digital nomad visa
This visa comes from Ley 14/2013, articles 74 bis to 74 quinquies, not from the immigration regulation above. Our jobs guide explains who it is for. In short, under art. 74 bis:
- employees may only work for companies based outside Spain;
- if you are self-employed, up to 20% of your work may be for a company in Spain;
- you need a degree or postgraduate qualification from a university of recognised prestige, vocational training, or a qualification from a business school of recognised prestige (de reconocido prestigio), or at least 3 years of professional experience.
Article 74 ter adds conditions on the company and on your link to it:
“a) La existencia de una actividad real y continuada durante al menos un año de la empresa o grupo de empresas con la que el trabajador mantiene relación laboral o profesional.”
“c) En el supuesto de una relación laboral, se deberá acreditar la existencia de la misma entre el trabajador y la empresa no localizada en España durante al menos, los últimos tres meses anteriores a la presentación de la solicitud, así como documentación que acredite que dicha empresa permite al trabajador realizar la actividad laboral a distancia.”
“d) En el supuesto de la existencia de una relación profesional, se deberá acreditar que el trabajador tiene relación mercantil con una o varias empresas no localizadas en España durante, al menos, los tres últimos meses, así como documentación que acredite los términos y condiciones en los que va a ejercer la actividad profesional a distancia.” (Ley 14/2013, art. 74 ter)
In English: the company or group you work for must have had real, continuous activity for at least one year; if you are an employee, your employment with the company abroad must go back at least 3 months before you apply; if you are self-employed, your commercial relationship with one or more companies abroad must go back at least 3 months, with documents showing the terms.
If you do not live in Spain, you apply for a teleworking visa, valid for up to one year (art. 74 quater.1). If you are already in Spain legally, or arrived on that visa, you can ask for the residence authorisation, valid for up to three years (art. 74 quinquies.1 and 2), renewable in periods of two years while the conditions still hold (art. 74 quinquies.3).
The income test is a percentage of the minimum wage: 200% of the Spanish minimum wage (SMI) a month for the main applicant. The Ley itself says only that the economic thresholds “se referenciarán al salario mínimo interprofesional” (will be referenced to the minimum wage; disposición adicional vigésima, 3); the percentage is stated on the Ministerio de Inclusión's FAQs, so it is on the list of things we could not confirm in the BOE.
Switching between the two
The Ministerio de Inclusión's FAQs say something about moving from the non-lucrative permit to the teleworking one, but we found it in no BOE text, so we do not repeat it as a rule. See the list of what we could not confirm, below. If this matters to you, ask the consulate or the office that will handle your application.
Tax: where this guide stops
Our Beckham law data lists working remotely, including on the international teleworking visa, as one of the routes into the special tax regime for people who move to Spain (Ley 35/2006, art. 93.1). The Beckham law calculator compares take-home pay under the two regimes. We have not checked whether the non-lucrative visa leads to that regime, so this guide says nothing either way. How tax residency works is a separate question that this guide does not cover; our guide to working remotely for a UK employer quotes the Spanish test.
Before you apply
- Read the current checklist from the consulate or office that will handle your application, and follow it over any general guide, including this one.
- Check the health insurance wording for your route in our health insurance guide.
- Our NIE guide and bank account guide cover the next practical steps.
- Our TIE guide quotes what the regulation says about renewing the card and about long-term residence.
See also our guide to the padrón, the municipal register of residents.
See also our guide for US citizens to the criminal-record certificate and apostille for a Spanish visa.