2024 Visas and Residency requirements for buying property in Spain
Since Brexit UK citizens can no longer visit Spain for more than 90 days in every 180 days without obtaining a visa. The type of Visa you will need will depend on how long to intend to live in Spain and whether you plan to work or not.
The Visa will also depend on your personal circumstance. If you have a Irish relative (or any other EU country) eg: grandmother then you can apply for a residence permit which give you and your spouse the right to live and work in Spain. If this does not apply to you or your wife and therefore you have the alternatives below:
If you plan to retire to Spain and not work at all then the Visa you need will be:
- Non Lucrative Visa (NLV)
For this you have to provide various documents and it can take some time to process. If you want to start living in Spain without conducting any kind of economic or professional activity, this card is for you.
The non-lucrative visa will allow you to live in Spain for a period longer than 90 days, lasting 1 year from the moment it is granted.
This type of residence permit can be renewed only if you have lived in Spain for at least a period of 183 days (hence becoming a resident). Once you have spent this time in the country, you will be eligible to apply for the renewal.
The second concession of this residence card will allow you to stay for 2 more years.
To apply for this visa, you will have to do it at the Diplomatic Consulate of Spain in your origin country. This means that you cannot be inside Spain for the application to be successful.
Once you get your visa, you will get it stamped on your passport, and then have 1 month to enter Spain and receive your physical residence card.
Main requirements for the non-lucrative visa
It is really important to take a step back and carefully understand the main requirements for the non-lucrative visa. Because, even though there are just 2 main requirements, those are what will allow for a successful application.
- First of all, you will need to prove that you have more than 28,800€ in a bank account. This represents a 400% of the IPREM, the measurement used in this situations. You can have the money split into different accounts.
- Then, a private health insurance contract. It is really important that this contract is hired with a Spanish company that just operates in Spain, and that offers full coverage in the whole country. You can find more about medical insurance contracts for foreigners here.
You must take into consideration that the specific requirements we have just seen may change depending on the consulate or embassy your are formalizing your application at. For example, the minimum monetary amount to be demonstrated may be higher, and you may even be required to have a rental contract in Spain.
I know some people go for the above NLV but work undercover so to speak.
Some of the visas take several months so you have to be careful you do not use up your allowed 90 days in every 180 days in Spain which you get without a visa. I can advise better when I know your circumstances.
However if you need to have a Visa which allows you to work the options are as follows:
- Employment Visa
This is where you have an employment contract which requires you to live in Spain
- Self-Employment Work Visa
This is for a non EEA national who plans to work on Spain for yourself or set up your own business. This type of visa has a lot of paperwork including detailed business plan, proof of qualifications, proof of sufficient funds, medical insurance, certificate of criminal record, medical certificate etc
- Entrepreneur Visa
This for those entrepreneurs who have a business project that they wish to invest in and set up in Spain. You have to prove the project and an application requires all of the above Self-employment visa paperwork and more.
- Visa for digital nomad and remote workers
All the information is here:
https://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/londres/en/ServiciosConsulares/Paginas/Consular/Digital-Nomad-Visa.aspx
required, the institution in charge of approving it is not as rigid as in the prior case.
6. The Golden Visa
This visa is now being phased out in Spain
