Spain non-lucrative visa: income needed, and why consulates refuse remote workers

The rules allow no work or professional activity on this permit, and Spanish consulates such as those in Chicago and Saint Petersburg read that as including remote work for employers or clients abroad. If you plan to keep a remote job, the income figure above is the price of the wrong visa.

Keeping your remote job looks like a work decision, but it is also an immigration decision. The regulation lets you live in Spain without carrying out work or professional activity, on means you already have. Consulates have applied that to online work too: the consulate in Chicago lists working online among what the permit excludes, and the one in Saint Petersburg has said it will not process applications from people who want to keep doing work, professional or business activity remotely for another country. Someone who wants to keep earning from a laptop should be asking about a different visa before asking about this one.

For people the permit does suit, the figure above is the means test the regulation sets: four times Spain's public income index each month for the main applicant, and the index itself for each family member. The regulation measures it over the length of the permit you apply for, so the first permit, which lasts a year, needs a year's worth.

Income, savings, and where the money sits

The regulation accepts either: enough money for the period of the permit, or a regular source of income. You can prove it with any document the law accepts, including bank statements for accounts held abroad. It does not say the money must be held in a Spanish bank.

The index the test is built on is set in Spain's budget, and it has not changed since 2023. If a new budget raises it, the amount rises with it.

Insurance, renewal, and staying

• You need public or private health insurance. Consulates such as Chicago's ask for a company authorised to operate in Spain, and some ask for a policy with no co-payments, so check your consulate's list.
• The first permit lasts one year. Renewals last two years, and the means are measured against the longer permit.
• To renew, you must have lived in Spain for more than 183 days in the calendar year.

What to ask before you pay

Money for this visa goes to two kinds of recipient, and a proposal from an agency should keep them apart.

Charges that go to the government:

• The application fee and the residence card fee, shown above as the government fee.
• The consulate's visa fee, which varies by nationality and is charged in local currency.

Charges that are the firm's own:

• A lawyer's or agency's fee, itemised apart from the government fees.

Put these to the agency or lawyer, and to yourself:

1. Is the amount calculated for everyone applying with you, and for the length of the permit?
2. Will you show income, savings, or both, and which documents prove each?
3. Will you keep working online for anyone, even one client abroad? Consulates such as Chicago's treat that as work this permit excludes, so ask which visa fits instead.
4. Does your insurance meet your consulate's requirements, including any rule on co-payments?
5. Can you live in Spain for more than half of each year, as renewal requires?

If an agency has already sent you a proposal for this permit, answer yes to the first question in the box below and it will go through that proposal line by line; if you have none, enter the income or savings you can show and the period it covers. The check compares a document or a figure with the published rules, and does not look at your application or advise on it; for advice on your own case, speak to a qualified immigration lawyer.

General information, not legal advice.