Non-lucrative visa in Spain: Requirements for residency

Want to move to Spain without a job? Discover how you can get residency in Spain as a non-EU citizen using a non-lucrative visa.

Jale

4 minute read

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Updated on 20 Mar 2024

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Moving

The Spanish non-lucrative visa (also known as visado residencia) is a long-stay visa allowing non-Europeans to live in Spain without working. Since you can’t work when on a non-lucrative visa, you must have enough money to support yourself and your family.

The non-lucrative visa is a 1-year residence permit that explicitly allows non-European citizens to reside in Spain without having to work.

Since the major requirement is being financially sufficient, this visa is perfect for:

• Those who want to retire in Spain. That’s why some call it the “Spain retirement visa”.
• Those who want to stay in Spain for 6 months to 1 year and have healthy savings to support themselves without working.
• Those who want to first stay in Spain for a while to explore its best cities and then convert to a different residence permit, such as a work permit after finding a job.

There’re many benefits of obtaining a non-lucrative Spain visa:

1. You can apply to bring your family members with you: Whereas other visa types require you to have lived in Spain for at least 1 year before bringing your family, a non-lucrative visa has no such limitation.

2. You can extend your residency: After you’re granted a 1-year non-lucrative visa, you can apply for a two-year extension twice.

3. You can study: A non-lucrative visa allows you or your dependents to enrol in educational institutions like a student visa.

4. You can earn extra money by investing: Even though a non-lucrative visa doesn’t allow you to work, it allows you to invest in companies, shares, or properties.

5. You’ll become an EU resident: With a non-lucrative visa, you’ll be free to travel to any European country.

Obtaining a non-lucrative visa is a straightforward process. The most critical factor in getting this visa will be your ability to take care of yourself financially.

How much money do you need for a non-lucrative visa in Spain?

In 2023, you’re required to have a passive income (pensions, savings, rent, shares, or other income-generating investments) of at least €2,400 per month or €28,800 annually.

As of 2023, for each additional family member (dependent) you want to bring to Spain, you must have €7,200 more per year.

Documents required for non-lucrative visa Spain

To apply for the non-lucrative Spanish residence visa, you’ll need:

• filled visa application form
• passport photo (3×4 cm)
• original and copy of the first page of your passport
• police clearance certificate (less than 90 days old, translated into Spanish by a sworn translator)
• medical certificate proving your good health (translated and original)
• private health insurance
• proof of annual income of at least €28,800 (e.g. bank statements less than 90 days old, investments, real estate)

The application for the Spain non-lucrative visa always has to go through the nearest Spanish consulate in your country of residence. So, for example, if you’d like to switch from your a student visa to a non-lucrative visa, you’d have to go back to your country first.

Here's what it looks like:

1. Apply for the Spain non-lucrative visa (at least 5 weeks before your trip to Spain).
2. Schedule a visa appointment at the nearby embassy.
3. Submit the required documents.
4. Attend the interview with the originals of your documents.
5. Pay the fees.
6. Collect your visa.
7. Once you arrive in Spain, register in the town hall (get your certificado de empadronamiento) and apply for your Foreigner Identity Card at the police station.

Processing time for non-lucrative visa

Generally, you’ll receive the result of your non-lucrative visa application within 2 or 5 weeks. But if the Spanish consulate in your country is busy, this process may take up to 3 months.

The Spain non-lucrative visa is valid for 90 days. That means that within that time you’ve to travel to Spain and then request your Foreign Identity Card within 1 month from your arrival.

The non-lucrative permit is valid for 1 year. You can renew it for another 2 years if you’ve lived in Spain for at least 183 days and have enough sufficient finances to cover 2 years. The renewal can be done between 60 days before and 90 days after the expiration date.

Yes. You can renew the non-lucrative visa 2 times. After 5 consecutive years of residence, you can apply for a permanent residency in Spain to avoid meeting the requirements each time. After 10 consecutive years, you can even apply for Spanish citizenship.

Yes, it’s possible to change your non-lucrative residence permit to a work permit or become self-employed through residence modification. This's what some people do who’ve enough savings to sustain themselves while looking for a job in Spain.

You can do that directly from Spain, as long as you meet the requirements for the desired visa and have legally lived in Spain for at least 1 year.

Yes, since you’re required to live in Spain for more than 183 days, you’ll become a tax resident and have to pay Spanish taxes.

You’ll pay tax on your worldwide income. The good news is that Spain has double taxation agreements to prevent you from paying taxes twice, both in Spain and in the country where your passive income is generated.

In addition to this, if you invest in Spanish companies, you’ll have to pay capital gains tax.

Tax rates on income vary between 9.5% and 22.5% in Spain, depending on the autonomous community you’re living in.

Remote work is a grey zone of non-lucrative visa applications. It’s not illegal to work remotely while on a non-lucrative visa in Spain. Still, such income isn’t eligible for the financial requirements of the visa and it’s strongly advised not to bring it up during your application. This’s a common reason for a denial of your application.

If you’re interested in working remotely in Spain, we recommend you consider a digital nomad visa.

The Spain Golden visa is another option for non-Europen citizens to live in Spain. But there’re a couple of differences between them:

• The golden visa allows you to work in Spain, while with a non-lucrative visa, it’s not possible.
• To bring additional family members to Spain with the Golden visa, you must reside in Spain for 1 year. The non-lucrative visa allows you to apply together.
• You don’t need to live in Spain for 183 days with a Golden visa; it’s enough to visit once a year.
• Because you don’t have to live in Spain for 183 days, you don’t have to become a tax resident in Spain.
• The Golden visa allows you to apply while living in Spain; the non-lucrative visa requires you to apply from your country of residence.

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