Digital Nomad Visa

This visa is for any foreigner planning to live in Spain as a resident, working remotely for a company or an employer (or self-employed) located outside of the Spanish national territory, and using exclusively computer telematics and telecommunication media and systems.

When the applicant is self-employed, he/she can also work for a company located in Spain, as long as the percentage of this particular work does not exceed 20% of the total amount of his/her professional activity.

The applicant must have an undergraduate or postgraduate degree from a university, college or business school of prestige, or have at least 3 years of work experience in his/her current field of activity.

The following family members may also obtain the visa:

• The spouse or unmarried partner.
• Dependent children and dependent relatives in the ascending line who form part of the family unit.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS:

1. National visa application form. Each applicant, or his/her representative, must fill and sign a visa application form.
2. Photography. A recent, passport-size, colour photograph, taken against a white background, facing forward, without dark or reflective glasses, or any garments concealing the oval of the face.
3. Valid passport. The passport must be valid for at least 1 year and must have at least two blank pages. Passports issued more than 10 years ago are not accepted.
4. Photocopy of the pages that contain biometric data, previous visas from different countries and migration stamps of the current and the last passport.
5. Criminal record check certificate.  Applicants of legal age must submit the original and a copy of the criminal record check certificate(s) issued by their country or countries of residence for the past 2 years.  The document is valid for a period of 6 months. Foreign documents must be, where applicable, legalized or apostilled.
   - Indian Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) must be issued by the Regional Passport Office and apostilled by the Ministry of External Affairs, India and submitted together with its sworn translation in Spanish.

6. Proof of residence in the consular district.  For instance, recent (no older than 6 months) utility bills that clearly display the applicant's full name and current address; copy of lease or of house deed; etc. Please, be aware that this is not an exhaustive list.
7. Proof of the representative's identity and capacity. 
• If the visa application is submitted through a representative, a self-attested copy of the ID card or passport of the representative and a copy of the power of attorney or official document accrediting representation must be submitted. 
• The originals must be shown at the time of the application. 
• Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled. Click here for more information.
8. Health insurance. Original and a copy of the certificate accrediting the public or private health insurance contracted with an insurance entity authorized to operate in Spain. The insurance policy must cover all the risks insured by Spain's public health system.
9. Payment of the visa fee. Consult the visa here. For nationals of Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, the United States of America and the United Kingdom different rates apply for reasons of reciprocity. In these cases, the amount of the fee must be consulted with the Consular Office.

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL WORKERS: 

1. NIE number certificate. The applicant must apply for a NIE number prior to visa application.  Click here to get the information about how obtain a NIE number.
2. Certification of working for at least 3 months (before the visa application) for a foreign company. To this end, the applicant will submit a certificate, issued by the company and stating the following:
• If the applicant is an employee: a) Length of the contract; b) Explicit consent to work remotely in Spain; c) Salary.
• If the applicant is self-employed: a) Length of the contract; b) The terms and conditions to work remotely in Spain.
3. Certificate issued by the Registrar of Companies (Mercantile/Commercial Register), declaring the date of creation of the company (or companies) and the type of business.
4. Documentary proof of registration with the Spanish Social Security System.

·         For employed workers: evidence of the company's registration with the Spanish Social Security system and evidence of the worker's affiliation to the Social Security.

·         For self-employed workers (freelance): evidence of affiliation to the RETA (self-employed workers' regime).

Note: The requirement for registration with the Social Security can be replaced by the importation of rights from the country of origin if there is an international Social Security agreement with Spain. In this case, the Social Security of the country of origin must issue a certificate of applicable legislation for teleworkers based on the agreement, providing temporary coverage in Spain. This circumstance should be included in the responsible declaration.

Important: Only some countries issue the mentioned coverage certificate for teleworkers. It is recommended to check international Social Security agreements and models of legislation certificates for bilateral agreements.

5. Responsible declaration by the company (if the applicant is an employee) or the applicant (if he/she is self-employed), stating their commitment to comply with the Spanish social security obligations before starting any work-related activity. 
6. Documentary proof of financial means.
• Financial means must be at least 200% of the monthly Spanish national minimum wage.
• In the case of family members: For the first family member they must prove additional financial means of at least 75% of the Spanish minimum wage. For each additional applicant, 25% of the Spanish national minimum wage is required
• In order to prove the abovementioned resources, any means of proof are acceptable: work contract, bank statements, payslips etc.
7. Documentary proof of Academic Qualifcations or Professional Experience:

Original and a copy of the graduate or postgraduate degree from a prestigious university, vocational training institution, or renowned business school. Alternatively, documents that demonstrate a minimum professional experience of three years in functions similar to those of the position to be performed as an international teleworker. The experience must be equivalent to the required qualification and relevant to the performance of the authorized remote work or professional relationship.

For regulated professions, the necessary homologation of the degree required for the exercise of the profession must be proved.

If there are doubts about the equivalence of a vocational training degree in the Spanish educational system, the validation of the degree before the competent educational authority can be requested.

A visa for teleworking cannot be granted when the conditions of the application coincide with those of the intra-corporate transfer visa.

SPECIFIC REQUIREMNTS FOR FAMILY MEMBERS:

1. Documents proving family relationship with the worker: birth or marriage certificates issued by the civil registry, certificate of registration as an unmarried couple or any other document proving that the relationship is an unregistered partnership. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, when necessary, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.
2. In the case of adult children, documents proving their financial dependence and civil status. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, when necessary, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.
3. In the case of relatives in the ascending line, documents proving they are in the worker's care. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, when necessary, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.

PROCEDURE 

​This Consular Office is competent to accept visa applications from individuals residing in the consular district.

• Who can apply for a visa: Visa applications must be submitted in person by the applicant or by a duly accredited representative. If the applicant is a minor, it must be submitted by one of their parents or by a duly accredited representative.
• Place of submission: Applications must be submitted at any BLS International Visa Application Centre (VAC) with prior appointment through their website.
• Rectifying the application: The Consular Office may ask the applicant to submit any missing documents, or to provide additional documents or data that are necessary for a decision regarding the application. The applicant may also be called in for a personal interview. 
• Decision period: The legal period for reaching a decision is of 10 days from the day after the application submission date, but this period may be extended if an interview or additional documents are requested. 
• Return of passport and other documentation: The Visa Application Centre will inform the applicant regarding the procedure for the return of the passport and any other original documentation.  
• Refusal of the visa: Refusals will always be notified in writing, setting forth the grounds on which the decision adopted was based. 
• Appeals: If a visa is refused, the applicant may submit an appeal for reconsideration to this Consular Office within 1 month of the day following the date on which notification of the refusal is received. An application for judicial review may also be filed with the High Court of Justice of Madrid within the 2-month period beginning the day after the date on which the applicant receives notification of the visa refusal or of the dismissal of the reconsideration appeal. 
  
• Validity period of the visa: This visa will be valid for a maximum of 1 year or the same validity as the authorization granted to live and work in Spain.  It is not compulsory to obtain a Residence Permit Card once in Spain, as the visa is proof enough of legal residency. However, it is possible to apply for a Residence Permit Card, voluntarily, at the Foreign Nationals' Office or the corresponding Police Station.