Residency for Digital Nomads – Visas and Permits

There is now the opportunity for digital nomads, or teleworkers, to apply for residency to work and live anywhere in Spain, whilst working remotely for a foreign company not located in the country. A ‘digital nomad’ or a ‘teleworker’ is a person who carries out a professional/working activity exclusively via telematic means.

The visas and permits are specifically aimed at non-EU citizens who wish to live in Spain to develop a working or professional activity using only IT, telematic and telecommunication media and systems.

Depending on where you are located at the time of application, there are two ways to apply for this residency:

If you are outside Spain, you must apply for the Digital Nomad Visa through a Spanish consulate in your home country. *Not yet available to apply for from the consulates in the UK.

If you are in Spain legally, (for a fixed period such as a tourist or student visa for example), you must apply for an international teleworker residence permit.

An important point to note is that where you are undertaking a working activity (as an employee), you may only work for companies located outside of Spain. Where you are undertaking a professional activity (as a self-employed person), you may work for a company located in Spain, provided that the amount of work does not exceed 20% of your total professional activity.

The visa is valid for a period of 1 year, and then can be converted into a residence permit for international teleworkers.

The permit is valid for a period of 3 years. The permit is then renewable for periods of 2 years.

Family members such as spouses or partners and dependent relatives & children, are also eligible to apply for the visa and permit either jointly or at a later stage.

Our International team at Nockolds specialise in visas and can assist with not only guiding you through the entire application process, but also providing you with sworn translations.