The Spain digital nomad visa (officially the international telework visa) needs income of 200% of the minimum wage (SMI). With the 2026 SMI at €17,094 a year, that works out to about €2,849 a month for a single applicant. If you qualify, the Beckham Law regime can tax your Spanish employment income at a flat 24% up to €600,000 for six tax years. Remote workers have been eligible since the 2022 Startups Act.
Last checked: October 2026
In short:
- Spain’s digital nomad (international telework) visa needs 200% of the minimum wage, about €2,849 a month for a single applicant in 2026, based on an SMI of €17,094 a year.
- A Spanish consulate visa lasts up to 1 year, while applying from inside Spain through the UGE gives a residence authorisation of up to 3 years, renewable for 2 years.
- Under the Beckham Law, eligible telework visa holders can pay a flat 24% on Spanish employment income up to €600,000 for the year they become resident plus the next five tax years.
The income threshold in 2026
Spain’s 2026 SMI was set by Real Decreto 126/2026 of 18 February, backdated to 1 January 2026. It is €1,221 a month in 14 payments, or €17,094 a year.
Spain’s consulates and the UGE (Spain’s large-companies and strategic-groups immigration unit) ask for:
- Main applicant: 200% of SMI
- First family member: +75% of SMI
- Each additional family member: +25% of SMI
Spread over 12 months, 200% of SMI is roughly €2,849 a month, about US$3,235. That is our own arithmetic from the official SMI. Some consulates and older guides quote figures based on the monthly 14-payment amount or on the 2025 SMI, so confirm the exact number your consulate uses before you submit bank statements.
Consulate visa vs applying inside Spain
There are two doors in, and they give you different lengths of stay.
| Visa from a Spanish consulate | Residence authorisation from inside Spain (UGE) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Consulate for your place of residence | Online via the UGE while legally in Spain |
| Initial length | Up to 1 year | Up to 3 years |
| Renewal | Switch to a residence authorisation before expiry | 2 years |
| Decision time | Legal deadline of 10 days from submission (can pause for requests) | Fast-track, with positive silence under the Startups Act rules |
| Fee | Varies by consulate | €73.26 (UGE fee) |
If you’re applying from abroad, the UGE’s own FAQ says to go to the consulate. If you already hold the one-year visa, you can move to a residence authorisation once you’re within 60 days of its expiry.
Many applicants apply from inside Spain while there legally as visa-free visitors. That is how most people get the 3-year permit from the start. The 2024 immigration regulation (RD 1155/2024, in force since May 2025) brought the telework permit into the general rulebook. Immigration lawyers say the in-country route still works, but you must file before your legal stay runs out. After five years of legal residence you can apply for long-term residence.
Employer and client requirements
This is where most applications fail. Per the consular requirements:
- Employees: at least 3 months with the current employer, and a letter authorising you to work remotely from Spain.
- Employer or client company: must have at least 1 year of real, continuous activity.
- Freelancers: contracts showing the length of the relationship with each client.
- The 80/20 rule: freelancers may take Spanish clients, but that work cannot exceed 20% of total professional activity. It must be a professional relationship, never employment.
- Qualifications: a university degree, recognised professional training, or at least 3 years of relevant professional experience.
Once you’re working in Spain, the UGE says Social Security registration is mandatory. Employees usually rely on a certificate of coverage from their home country, if there’s an agreement between the two countries. Freelancers generally register as autónomos. Sort this out before you arrive, not after.
Family
Spouses or registered partners, financially dependent children and dependent relatives can come with you. Budget the higher income threshold for them: +75% of SMI for the first family member, +25% for each after that. Per the UGE FAQ, family members granted residence authorisations can live and work in Spain without restriction.
Beckham Law: the special regime for inbound workers
If you spend more than 183 days a year in Spain, you are generally a Spanish tax resident, taxed on worldwide income at progressive state-plus-regional rates. The top rate is 47% on the standard scale, but each region sets its own rates, and some go higher. The special regime for inbound workers (“Beckham Law”) changes that for the first years:
- Rate: flat 24% on Spanish employment income up to €600,000, and 47% above that.
- Duration: the year you become resident plus the next five tax years.
- Eligibility: you must not have been Spanish tax resident in the previous five years. You must also move for a qualifying reason: an employment contract, a directorship, an entrepreneurial activity, a highly qualified startup role, or remote work under the telework visa. The 2022 Startups Act (Ley 28/2022) added that last one.
- Foreign income: you’re taxed largely as a non-resident, so most foreign dividends, interest and capital gains are not taxed in Spain. Spanish-source investment income still is.
- Deadline: file Modelo 149 within six months of registering with Social Security. There are no extensions. Miss it and you lose the regime for that move.
- Watch out: tax advisers point out that wealth tax exposure can be different under the regime. Model it before you assume the regime saves you money.
Freelancers should get proper advice before relying on Beckham. Ordinary self-employment income generally doesn’t qualify unless it falls under the entrepreneurial or highly qualified professional categories.
See the full list: Digital nomad visa countries: which countries have one (2026 list) · Cost of living in Spain (2026): Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga
Related guides: Visa processing times tracker (2026): real dates from members · Digital Nomad Visa Index 2026: income requirements for 28 open visa routes, ranked · Schengen 90/180 rule (2026): how to count days, EES and ETIAS · Spain calls snap election for 29 November after housing decrees fail · Spain self-employed visa (2026): the autónomo route, cuota and tax
Quick answers
Q: How much income do I need for Spain’s digital nomad visa in 2026?
The main applicant needs 200% of the 2026 minimum wage (SMI), which works out to roughly €2,849 a month, or about US$3,235, spread over 12 months. Add 75% of SMI for the first family member and 25% for each additional one. Some consulates quote different figures, so confirm the exact number with yours.
Q: Can I apply for Spain’s digital nomad visa from inside Spain?
Yes. Many applicants apply online through the UGE while legally in Spain as visa-free visitors, which is how most people get the 3-year permit from the start. The UGE fee is €73.26. Immigration lawyers say the in-country route still works, but you must file before your legal stay runs out.
Q: Do digital nomads qualify for Spain’s Beckham Law?
Remote workers on the telework visa have been eligible since the 2022 Startups Act. You must not have been Spanish tax resident in the previous five years, and you must file Modelo 149 within six months of registering with Social Security. Ordinary self-employment income generally doesn’t qualify unless it falls under the entrepreneurial or highly qualified categories.
Sources
- Cuestiones Laborales: SMI 2026 and Real Decreto 126/2026
- Spanish Embassy Budapest: telework visa requirements
- UGE (Ministerio de Inclusión): digital nomad FAQs
- Legal Today: immigration changes in the Startups Act
- DGGM management criterion 2/2025 on permit durations
- Migratiolex: switching from tourist stay to telework permit
- Costa Luz Lawyers: Beckham Law guide 2026
- IMI Daily: Spain to hold snap election on November 29 after Congress rejects housing decrees
This is general information from the Nomad Forums team, not immigration, tax or legal advice. Rules change; check the official source or a qualified adviser before applying.
Over to you: If you applied through the UGE from inside Spain in 2025 or 2026, how long until the decision, and did you get the full 3 years? And for anyone on Beckham as a remote employee: how did you handle Social Security registration, and did Hacienda accept your Modelo 149 without questions?