9 Helpful Tips for Your Spain Digital Nomad Visa Application

Spain ranks as one of the top digital nomad visas in Europe. But did you know that it is also one of the hardest digital nomad visas to apply for? We’ve rounded up some extremely helpful tips for your Spain digital nomad visa application to make the process smoother. 

We know just how difficult it can be to apply for a digital nomad visa, especially when you’re doing it alone. 

Nomads Embassy strives to make the digital nomad visa application process simpler and more streamlined. Whether you work one-on-one with our hand-selected local immigration lawyer partners or use helpful resources such as this article, we’re here to help! 

Remember, knowledge and information are power when applying for the Spain digital nomad visa. 

With the helpful tips for your Spain digital nomad visa application in this blog, you can feel more confident and prepared when you begin the process. 

It’s important to remember that no visa application experience is the same. Depending on your situation, you may face extra obstacles during the application process. This article’s tips for your Spain digital nomad visa application are general and not case-specific. 

If you want one of our legal professionals to review your case and assist with your Spain digital nomad visa application, complete the form in this article to get started.  

What is the Spain Digital Nomad Visa?

The Spain digital nomad visa allows remote workers and their immediate family members to live in Spain for 12 months with the option to renew their residency for up to five years. 

To be eligible for Spain’s digital nomad visa, you must meet the following requirements:

• Earn at least 2,646€ per month as an individual
  • Earn at least 3,641€ per month if applying as a couple
  • Earn an additional 335€ per month for each child dependent
• Work remotely in your current position for at least one year
• Have a graduate degree or three years of experience in your current industry
• The company you own or work for must be at least one year old
• Clean criminal record from the last five years
• Three months of remote work experience
• Never lived in Spain in the last five years

After living in Spain for five years, you can choose to apply for permanent residency. 

Applicants may apply from their country of residence or directly in Spain as tourists, making the process a bit more flexible for digital nomads on the move too. 

It’s important to acknowledge that digital nomads living in Spain are liable to pay local taxes on their income. However, there may be reduced tax rates depending on your situation. 

Is it Easy to Apply for the Spain Digital Nomad Visa?

If it were easy to apply for digital nomad visas, Nomads Embassy wouldn’t exist! 

Spain is known as one of the most difficult digital nomad visas to apply for right now. Between obtaining judicial translations, apostilles, and the excessive documents required, it can be overall confusing and frustrating, especially when doing it on your own. 

To combat the difficulties and confusion of applying for Spain’s digital nomad visa, Nomads Embassy has partnered with hand-selected local immigration lawyers to offer a Done-for-You Digital Nomad Visa Service. 

You simply gather your documents and attend your visa appointment, and our lawyers will do the rest! 

To learn more about our Spain Done-for-You Digital Nomad Visa Service, request our free eligibility assessment below. 

Helpful Tips for Your Spain Digital Nomad Visa Application

Now that we know some important information about Spain’s digital nomad visa and what it entails, let’s dive into our helpful tips for your Spain digital nomad visa application. 

Verify Your Eligibility

We can’t stress enough about how important it is that you verify your eligibility for the Spain digital nomad visa before you begin your application. 

If you don’t meet the eligibility requirements, you can expect a quick, flat-out visa refusal from the consulate. 

The most important requirement to meet is the minimum income requirement. In fact, it’s more favorable to earn more than the minimum requirement to increase chances of approval. 

It’s always a good idea to get a second – or even third – opinion and review of your eligibility. 

You can see if you qualify for free with Nomads Embassy’s digital nomad visa eligibility assessment now. 

Consider Your Employment Status

Due to tax complications and social security contributions, you may want to rethink your employment status before applying for the Spain digital nomad visa. 

If a company employs you and you receive a salary, you may want to consider converting your role to a freelance contract. This relieves the company’s liability of paying social security in Spain on your income. 

This situation is particularly true for US employees due to the nature of the country’s tax system. 

Before converting your role to freelance, we recommend speaking with an immigration lawyer about your eligibility before applying for the Spain digital nomad visa. 

Translate and Certify Documents

Many of the required documents for the Spain digital nomad visa application must be translated into Spanish by an approved judicial translator. Your local consulate or embassy may be able to refer you to an approved translator. 

Additionally, documents released by your country of origin, such as criminal background checks and marriage or birth certificates, must be certified with an apostille. 

If you need fast-track services to obtain an apostille for your documents while abroad, check out our partner Apostille USA.

Decide Where to Apply (Abroad or in Spain)

There are two methods of applying for Spain’s digital nomad visa. 

You can apply at a local consulate in your country of residence or directly in Spain as a tourist. 

It’s important to mention that if you apply directly in Spain, you must be able to enter the country without an entry visa. This includes US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand citizens.

If applying as a tourist in Spain, then you should also ensure that you have all of your documents prepared and ready for submission. It can be quite difficult to obtain a missing document from your home country while abroad. 

We recommend working with an immigration lawyer to prepare your documents before arriving in Spain. This will create a smoother, less stressful process overall. 

Obtain Remote Work Authorization

Employees must obtain authorization from their employer for remote work in Spain. This document must acknowledge that the applicant will be relocating to Spain to live full-time and any tax liabilities the company may have. 

Be Prepared to Pay Taxes in Spain

When applying for your Spain digital nomad visa, it’s important to know that you will become a tax resident and owe local taxes in Spain. 

This can get a bit complicated, especially depending on where your income is sourced. 

The good news is that with the Beckham Law, you may be able to get discounted tax rates.

We definitely recommend speaking to a professional tax accountant who specializes in digital nomad income in Spain. (We can introduce you to one!) 

It’s a good idea to do so before applying for the visa so you have a clearer idea of what your tax situation may look like when you relocate to Spain.

Keep a Flexible Timeline

One of the most helpful tips for your Spain digital nomad visa application is to keep a flexible timeline. The visa process requires patience. 

Just obtaining the required documents can take months, depending on your organization and the swiftness of bureaucracy in your country of residence. 

Applying for digital nomad visas, no matter for which country, requires having a flexible timeline. Sometimes things don’t always go as planned. 

If you absolutely have to be in Spain in a certain time period, then it may be best to apply directly in the country if possible. Sometimes getting an appointment at a consulate in your country of residence can take weeks or months, depending on the demand and schedule.

Find the Right International Health Insurance Policy

When applying for the Spain digital nomad visa, you must have a valid international health insurance policy that covers your medical costs while in Spain. 

Nomads Embassy has partnered with Genki to provide international health insurance to digital nomads relocating abroad full-time. 

Get your quote by filling out the questions below:

Use Credible Sources for Information

One of – if not the most – helpful tips for your Spain digital nomad visa application is to do your research. Get your information from credible sources such as the Spainish consulate website, immigration lawyers, and immigration laws. 

Unfortunately, there is a lot of miscommunication and misinformation about visas and immigration. Let’s face it; it’s a really complex legal process! 

One of the best sources of information you can use is an immigration lawyer. When they work on your case, they will speak with the necessary authorities to ensure you have all of the right documents, lead you through the process seamlessly, and provide legal advice and information. 

Should You Use an Immigration Lawyer to Apply for Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa?

The last and final of our helpful tips for your Spain digital nomad visa application is to work with a professional immigration lawyer throughout the process. 

While it is completely possible to complete the visa application process on your own, having a legal professional on your side and speaking with authorities on your behalf makes the process much easier and ensures your application is compliant. 

You’ll have all of your questions answered by a legal professional, someone to follow your application from start to finish, and support from an experienced expert. 

Get Personalized Legal Assistance with Your Spain Digital Nomad Visa Application

Have you decided to take the stress-free route and apply for your Spain digital nomad visa with legal assistance?

Nomads Embassy: The World’s First Embassy for Digital Nomads is ready to introduce you to our hand-selected local immigration lawyers to assist you! 

We traveled to Spain to find the best immigration lawyers and created an exclusive Done-for-You Digital Nomad Visa Service just for you. 

Including everything you may need to successfully submit your Spain digital nomad visa application and dedicated assistance, you’ll have a smoother experience from day one. 

Are you ready to get started on your Spain digital nomad visa?

Request our free eligibility assessment or complete the form in this article to begin the process with Nomads Embassy!