Spain
Madrid · Southern Europe
A large EU and Schengen member with strongly regional character, an explicit legal status for remote workers created in 2022, and an unusually short naturalisation period for citizens of Ibero-American countries.
- European Union
- Schengen Area
- Eurozone
- Capital
- Madrid
- Currency
- EUR €
- Language
- Spanish
- Population
- 48.8M
- Long-stay routes
- 5
- Route to permanent residence
- Yes
- Unemployment
- 11%
- Drives on the
- Right
Euro
4 recognised
2024 estimate
Soonest, 5 years
2025, indicative
+34
Entry and short stays
What your passport allows before any long-stay permission is involved.
Reading your passport selection…
Can I live here?
Every long-stay route this country publishes, checked against what you tell us. The checking happens in your browser.
About you
Stored in this browser only. Never sent anywhere.
Before tax, in the currency you earn.
Reading your answers…
Nothing here is an approval, and nothing here is advice. Only the authority deciding your application can tell you the answer, and it will weigh things this tool does not model.
Long-stay routes
Stored as structured records, so the same data drives the checks above, the comparison view and the checklists.
International teleworker residence
Remote workCreated by the 2022 startups law, this is a full residence authorisation for people working remotely for employers or clients outside Spain. Applying from inside Spain gives a three-year authorisation directly; applying at a consulate gives a one-year visa first.
- Income needed
- €2,849 a month
- Leads to settlement
- After 5 years
Non-lucrative residence visa
Retirement and passive incomeFor people who can support themselves without working. It expressly forbids all economic activity in Spain, including remote work, which is what separates it from the teleworker route.
- Income needed
- €2,400 a month
- Leads to settlement
- After 5 years
Highly qualified professional residence
EmploymentA fast employer-sponsored route for qualified roles, also processed by the large-companies unit. Faster and less restrictive than the general work authorisation.
- Income needed
- Not stated
- Leads to settlement
- After 5 years
Entrepreneur residence
EntrepreneurFor people starting a business judged to be innovative and of economic interest. A favourable report from the national innovation body (ENISA) is the decisive step.
- Income needed
- Not stated
- Leads to settlement
- After 5 years
EU, EEA and Swiss free movement
Freedom of movementNo visa or permit. Stays beyond three months require registration on the Central Register of Foreign Nationals and an NIE.
- Income needed
- Not stated
- Leads to settlement
- After 5 years
Cost of living
An estimate you can shape. It is not survey data and it is not a quote.
| Category | Monthly range |
|---|---|
| Housing | €750 – €1,400 |
| Food | €260 – €430 |
| Utilities | €100 – €190 |
| Internet | €30 – €55 |
| Transport | €40 – €110 |
| Healthcare | €50 – €150 |
| Everything else | €200 – €430 |
| Total | €1,430 – €2,765 |
| Suggested monthly buffer | €3,318 |
Modelled from a baseline for one adult and scaled, not sampled from households. Figures are shown as ranges because that is the honest shape of the data.
Worth knowing. A modelled estimate. The gap between Madrid or Barcelona and smaller inland cities is large.
Housing
Foreign nationals may buy property, needing an NIE to complete. Buying confers no right of residence. Several regions have introduced measures aimed at non-resident purchasers and short-term lets.
What landlords usually ask for
- NIE
- Proof of income, commonly three times the rent
- Spanish bank account
- Sometimes rental default insurance instead of a guarantor
Idealista (opens in a new tab)Fotocasa (opens in a new tab)
Worth knowing. Market conventions rather than legal requirements.
Healthcare
A regionally administered national health system funded from taxation and generally well regarded, alongside a large private sector used to avoid waiting lists.
- If you live there
- Access follows from social security registration, or through the convenio especial, a paid scheme regions offer to residents outside the contributory system.
- If you are visiting
- Emergency treatment is available to anyone. EU, EEA and Swiss visitors use the European Health Insurance Card.
Tax
- Tax residency threshold
- 183 days
- Taxes worldwide income
- Yes, for residents
- Income tax range
- 19% – 47%
- VAT or sales tax
- 21%
Tax residency follows from spending more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, or from having your main centre of economic interests there.
Remote workers. Teleworker residence holders may apply for the special expatriate regime, taxing Spanish employment income at a flat rate for up to six years. It is conditional and does not suit everyone.
Social insurance. Employer and employee contributions are significant. The self-employed pay a monthly cuota assessed on declared earnings, with reduced rates in the first years of activity.
Capital gains. Savings income and gains are taxed on a separate progressive scale. Spain also levies a wealth tax, administered regionally, with large differences between regions.
Special regimes
Special expatriate regime (often called the Beckham Law)
Flat-rate taxation of Spanish-source employment income for up to six years for qualifying new arrivals, instead of progressive rates on worldwide income.
Worth knowing. Orientation only. Regional variation in Spain is unusually large. Confirm with the Agencia Tributaria and an adviser.
Work and the labour market
Conditions in the labour market, which is a different claim from how many jobs are open right now. This product does not pretend to know the second from static data.
- Unemployment
- 11%
- Youth unemployment
- 26%
- Average earnings
- €2,200 / mo
- Minimum wage
- €1,221 / mo
Worth knowing. Indicative. Spanish unemployment varies enormously by region and age. The minimum wage is paid across 14 instalments a year.
Sectors
- Tourism and hospitalitystableOne of the largest tourism sectors in the world, and strongly seasonal.
- TechnologygrowingMadrid and Barcelona host most international engineering employers.
- Renewable energygrowingLarge solar and wind build-out with sustained investment.
- Agriculture and food processingstableA major exporter, with significant seasonal labour demand.
Cities
A country-wide average hides a lot. Where we have city data, use it instead.
Madrid
The capital and the largest domestic job market, with the widest range of international employers and the highest salaries in the country.
One adult, monthly: €1,900 – €2,900
Barcelona
A coastal city with a large international population and a well-established startup scene. Housing is the tightest of any large Spanish city and short-term rental rules have been tightened.
One adult, monthly: €2,000 – €3,000
Valencia
A coastal city that costs meaningfully less than Madrid or Barcelona while keeping most of the same amenities, which has drawn a large remote-working population.
One adult, monthly: €1,600 – €2,400
Sources
Every claim on this page traces to one of these. If something here matters to a decision you are making, read it there.
Authorities for Spain
- Consular visa information and national long-stay visa categories (opens in a new tab)Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación · Foreign ministry
- Ley 28/2022 de fomento del ecosistema de las empresas emergentes — creates the international teleworker residence (opens in a new tab)Boletín Oficial del Estado · Government department
- UGE-CE — the unit that processes international teleworker, highly qualified and entrepreneur applications (opens in a new tab)Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE-CE) · National immigration authority
- Portal de Inmigración — residence authorisations and procedures (opens in a new tab)Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones · National immigration authority