Spain digital nomad visa from the United States
The international teleworking visa —what everyone calls the digital nomad visa— lets you live in Spain while working remotely for companies abroad. It is one of the few Spanish visas designed for people who keep getting paid in dollars, which is why it is the second most searched from the United States.
The difference from the non-lucrative visa is that this one does allow you to work, with a caveat that decides many files: as an employee, only for companies located outside Spain; as a freelancer, Spanish clients too, but no more than 20 % of your activity.
The three requirements that filter people out
The first is qualification: a degree or postgraduate qualification from a university, vocational training center or business school of recognized standing, or proof of three years of professional experience.
The second is seniority: the company you work for must have existed for at least a year, and your relationship with it must be at least three months old. You prove it with a commercial registry certificate or equivalent and a company letter expressly authorizing remote work.
The third is money: 200 % of the Spanish minimum wage per month for you, 75 % for the first family member and 25 % for each additional one. An employment contract, firm job offer or commercial contract works, and you must prove the funds are yours and available.
Social security is where files get stuck
You must show the company's registration and your affiliation with Spanish social security, or RETA registration if you are self-employed. There is an alternative: the certificate of applicable legislation under a bilateral agreement, which lets you keep contributing in your own country.
The ministry's own warning is that only some countries issue that certificate for teleworkers. Check before building your file on that basis.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Main applicant funds | 200 % of the monthly minimum wage |
| First family member | 75 % of the minimum wage |
| Each further member | 25 % of the minimum wage |
| Company age | at least 1 year |
| Employment relationship | at least 3 months |
| Spanish clients | self-employed only, up to 20 % |
- University or vocational qualification, or three years’ experience
- Company letter authorizing remote work
- Commercial registry certificate showing the incorporation date
- Proof of income: 200 % of the minimum wage
- Social security registration or certificate of applicable legislation
- FBI record for the last two years, apostilled
- NIE application, which travels in the same file
The NIE goes in the same package
This visa requires you to apply for the NIE at the same time. It is not a later step: it goes in with the visa, which is why the file includes the relevant form.
The criminal record certificate here covers the last two years of residence, not five as with the non-lucrative visa, together with a sworn statement about the previous five. It is still the FBI one, apostilled.
Who else can come
Your spouse or registered partner, minor children and adult children who depend on you financially and have not formed their own household, and dependent parents. Each files their own application with the general documents plus proof of the relationship.
One limit worth reading twice
The teleworking visa is not granted where the conditions match those of the intra-company transfer visa. If your employer is posting you to its Spanish subsidiary, that is the route, not this one.
Only some countries issue the certificate of applicable legislation for teleworkers.Details verified on 8 September 2026.
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The information comes from official sources that sometimes disagree with one another, and is reviewed regularly. Confirm before you travel.