Spain Digital Nomad Visa · by numbers
The catch is how Spain counts it. The SMI is €1,221 a month — but it is paid in 14 instalments, and the authorities work from the annual figure: €17,094 a year, so 200% is €34,188 a year, or €2,849 a month. Guides that simply double the monthly SMI arrive at €2,442 and understate the bar by more than €400.
Do you qualify?
Set your monthly income and who is coming with you. The bar moves with family size — this is the arithmetic the consulate does.
Family rule: +75% of the base for a spouse, +25% per dependent child.
An arithmetic aid, not an eligibility decision. Consulates weigh the documents as a whole and assess the threshold in force on the day of your appointment.
What that number actually means
The same threshold, placed on three scales the consultancy guides never show: local pay, local output and local prices.
The minimum wage is €1,424.5 (SMI on the annual basis (€1,221 × 14 ÷ 12), 2026).
$38,627 per person a year (2025) — World Bank, CC BY 4.0.
Prices in this country sit at 61% of the US level (2024), so the same income goes further. Price level is measured across the whole economy, not a nomad's basket.
The fine print
Every row carries its own status and links to the authority that sets it — nothing here is a guess dressed as a fact.
| Entry visa | 1 yearverified | Applied for at a Spanish consulate; converts to a residence permit once you are in Spain. |
|---|---|---|
| Residence permit | 3 years, renewableindicative | Applying from inside Spain goes through the UGE-CE and grants a three-year permit directly. |
| Decision | 20 working days (UGE-CE)indicative | The in-country route is the fast one; consulates abroad take longer and vary widely. |
| Government fees | ≈ €75 visa + TIE cardindicative | Consular fee plus the foreigner identity card (TIE) issued after arrival. |
| Tax | optional 24% "Beckham" regimeindicative | Qualifying newcomers can elect a flat 24% on Spanish-source income up to €600,000 instead of progressive rates. Eligibility is decided by the tax authority, not by the visa. |
| Path to permanent residence | yes — after 5 yearsindicative | Time on the permit counts toward permanent residence; citizenship has separate conditions. |
| Family | spouse and children may joinindicative | Each added member raises the income you must document — see the calculator above. |
What you have to show
- Proof of at least one year of activity with the foreign company, and of remote work being allowed
- Contract or client relationship of at least three months with the same employer or clients
- Degree or three years of professional experience in the field
- Social-security coverage certificate or Spanish registration
- Criminal record certificate for the last five years
- Private health insurance valid in Spain
How it compares
Spain sits #9 of 19 flagship programs by income threshold, counted from the most accessible upward.
Cite this page
Our compilation — the threshold in USD, the ratios above and the per-fact status — is published under CC BY 4.0. Use it anywhere, including commercially, with a link back. The underlying government figures belong to the authorities that publish them.
Us, by Numbers. "Spain Digital Nomad Visa: income requirement." Spain: €2,849/month (200% of the minimum wage (SMI)), checked 2026-08-05. https://usbynumbers.com/nomad-visas/spain
Questions people actually ask
How much income do you need for the Spain digital nomad visa?
€2,849 a month — about $3,077 — set as 200% of the minimum wage (SMI). The catch is how Spain counts it. The SMI is €1,221 a month — but it is paid in 14 instalments, and the authorities work from the annual figure: €17,094 a year, so 200% is €34,188 a year, or €2,849 a month. Guides that simply double the monthly SMI arrive at €2,442 and understate the bar by more than €400.
What is the income requirement with a spouse or children?
Each family member raises the bar: add 75% of the base for a spouse and 25% for each dependent child. A couple therefore needs about €4,986 a month rather than €2,849. Add 75% of the SMI for the first family member and 25% for each one after that, on the same annual basis. Sources differ on whether the add-on is figured from the monthly SMI or its annualised equivalent — we use the annualised one, to stay consistent with the base.
Is the Spain threshold high compared with local pay?
It is 2.0× the country's own SMI on the annual basis (€1,221 × 14 ÷ 12), 2026 of €1,424.5, and 1.0× what Spain produces per person per month ($3,219, GDP per capita 2025). In other words the visa is aimed at incomes well above the local norm — which is the point of the programs: they import spending power without competing for local jobs.
Do you pay tax in Spain on a nomad visa?
Optional 24% "Beckham" regime. Qualifying newcomers can elect a flat 24% on Spanish-source income up to €600,000 instead of progressive rates. Eligibility is decided by the tax authority, not by the visa. This is general information, not tax advice.
Does the Spain nomad visa lead to permanent residence?
Yes — after 5 years. Time on the permit counts toward permanent residence; citizenship has separate conditions.
Which countries ask for less than Spain?
Among the flagship programs we track, Spain ranks #9 of 19 by income threshold, from the lowest bar upward. The closest programs below it are Italy ($2,520), Costa Rica ($3,000), Panama ($3,000). The lowest of all is Colombia at $1,440 a month.
Sources
- OfficialLey 14/2013, art. 62 — the statutory basis (BOE, official)
- OfficialReal Decreto 126/2026 — the 2026 SMI (BOE, official)
- DataGDP per capita and price level: World Bank (CC BY 4.0), via our own GDP per capita ranking and cost-of-living page.