Table of Contents
Essential Documents and Paperwork for US citizens
Understanding the Basics
As per the legal stipulations in Spain, an international digital nomad or teleworker is identified as an individual performing remote employment or professional operations solely through digital avenues for corporations stationed outside Spain.
If you fit this description and possess a degree or relevant professional expertise, you can opt for a visa from your current location or a residential permit if you are already a legal resident of Spain.
This visa or permit grants you the right to work and reside anywhere within the bounds of Spain. The privilege can also extend to include family members, subject to their compliance with age-related regulations in employment laws.
Critical Note
If your pursuits involve a working activity, remember, your employer must be located outside Spain.
In instances where you are engaged in a professional activity (self-employed), the exception allows you to work for a Spanish company, under the condition that such work constitutes no more than 20% of your total professional activity.
The visa application process involves meeting specific requirements related to residency, work, and documentation. By adhering to the process accurately, UK citizens can embark on a new chapter of their remote work journey in Spain.
To Whom Does it Apply?
This provision is particularly tailored to non-EU citizens aspiring to reside in Spain with the intention of pursuing a work or professional undertaking exclusively utilizing IT, telematic, and telecommunication systems and mediums.
Clarifying Your Current Status
It is necessary to comprehend that your current location during the time of application (either outside Spain or legally within Spain) influences the type of permit you need to requisition in order to telework from Spain.
If you happen to be abroad, the requisition should be for the international teleworking visa.
Conversely, if you are currently within the territorial bounds of Spain and your presence accords with the legal stipulations, you ought to apply for a residence permit specifically designed for international teleworkers.
Eligibility Criteria for Digital Nomads
The application for the visa and the residence permit must be initiated and undertaken directly by the individual intending to perform remote work in Spain—commonly referred to as the digital nomad or teleworker. However, there are specific stipulations to this process pertaining to both the personal and professional prerequisites of the teleworker and the foreign entity they are providing services for or are employed by.
Teleworker’s Eligibility Conditions
Sufficient financial means for yourself and your family members is a pre-requisite, as per the following criteria:
- Visa and residence permit holders: A monthly income amounting to 200% of the Spanish minimum inter-professional salary (for the year 2023, this stands at €1,080 a month).
- In case of family units comprising the holder and the reunified individual, at least 75% of the minimum inter-professional salary is needed. An additional 25% of the minimum inter-professional salary is needed for every other member of the family beyond the aforementioned two individuals.
- You must not be residing illegally in Spain.
- The legal age for applying is 18 years or above.
- Applicants must not possess a criminal record in Spain or in any other country of their residence in the preceding five years before the application.
- It is mandatory not to be barred from entering Spain or to appear on a list of persons liable for refusal of entry in any of the regions with which Spain holds a signed agreement pertaining to this matter.
- A prior and continuous professional relationship or employment spanning a period of at least three months with one or more organizations in the group you intend to telecommute for is a requirement.
- You must have a health insurance policy sponsored by an authorized insurance agency operating in Spain. This is not necessary where your country of origin doesn’t have a bilateral agreement with Spain, in which case you’ll need to enroll yourself with the Spanish Social Security system.
- An obligatory fee has to be paid for the processing of the visa or the permit.
Requirements for the Employer
- Substantiate that the overseas enterprise or organization, where the worker currently holds a professional or working relationship, has been in sustained and authentic operation for a minimum duration of a year.
- Provide a formal authorization that confirms the employee’s ability to execute remote work from Spain, with a detailed breakdown of the job description, terms, and other conditions that govern the overseas professional activity.
- Ascertain the coverage of social security, inclusive of health benefits for the worker (if applicable), either by offering a coverage certificate (provided a social security agreement exists between Spain and your country) or by furnishing evidence of the company’s registration with the Spanish Social Security and commitment to register the worker.
Payment: The visa fee should be made in the local currency and is subject to regular changes. This fee covers the processing of your visa application.
Health Insurance: It is mandatory to provide proof of health insurance coverage when applying for the visa. This can be a certificate from a public or private insurance provider authorized in Spain.
Ensuring compliance with the visa fee and health insurance requirements is crucial to a successful application process. By adhering to these regulations, you can enhance your chances of obtaining the digital nomad visa in Spain and enjoy the flexibility of working remotely in this vibrant country.
Validity Duration
Your visa will be valid for a time span of 1 year, during which you can carry out your work obligations directly from Spain until the date of expiration.
Should you find interest in prolonging your residential status in Spain, within a period of (60) calendar days prior to the expiration of the visa, it will be possible for you to apply for a residence permit for international teleworkers. You need not apply for a new visa or meet any requirements related to a previous period of residence.
The permit extends for a duration of 3 years, given that a shorter span of time is not requested.
The permit is renewable in 2-year freezes, assuming that the conditions that originally granted the right persist.
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Is it possible to bring along my family members?
Indeed, it is.
You have the provision to bring along your family members during your stint as a digital nomad. They can opt for a joint permit or visa application with you or may choose to do so at a later stage. This norm is applicable to:
- Your legally wedded spouse or de facto partner
- Permit holder’s children, or those of the spouse or de facto partner who are below legal age, or those who are of legal age yet financially dependant on the permit holder or his/her spouse or de facto partner and have not started their own family unit
- Relatives in the first degree in the direct ascending line who are dependent on the permit holder or his/her spouse or de facto partner
What steps are necessary?
- Visa Procedure: Acquiring a visa necessitates your physical presence at Spain’s diplomatic missions and consular offices in your resident country. Ascertain the specifics at the relevant diplomatic mission or consulate office before embarking on your application journey.
- Permit Procedure: If your stay in Spain is legitimate, you can accomplish the permit procedure online via the online portal of the Large Company and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE-CE).
The Application Procedure Explained
IN PERSON: THE VISA APPLICATION PROCESS
Step 1: Initiate your application process by downloading and accurately filling out the national visa application form, ensuring every question is properly addressed relating to your travel reasons. If the journey involves family members, an individual national visa application form must be duly filled and signed for every family member that is travelling with you, and these applications should be submitted simultaneously.
Step 2: Follow this procedure by bookending an appointment with the diplomatic mission or consular office relevant to your home country. Remember, the necessity for the application to be done in person is non-negotiable. Exceptional circumstances, however, may allow for the submission of the application through an appropriately validated representative, but these occurrences are rare and must be supremely justified.
Step 3: This stage requires you to settle the appropriate fee which covers the expenses for processing your international teleworker residence visa. The exact fee rate can be found below.
Step 4: Now, you will need to present the necessary documentation pertinent to your visa application to the diplomatic mission or consular office in your home country for official assessment.
Step 5: After your documentation has been reviewed and approved, the fee has been paid in full, and all previously stated requirements have been thoroughly met, the decision regarding your application for the international teleworker residence visa (digital nomad visa) will be finalized.
The diplomatic mission or consular office will inform you of the status of your visa application via email. Depending on the stipulations of your home country, the delivery of your visa may be made to your home, or you may be required to pick it up in person at the diplomatic or consular office.
If unfortunately, your visa application has been rejected, you will also be informed immediately.
PROCEDURE FOR ONLINE PERMIT APPLICATION
Step 1. Completion of the Application Form
- Your initial task is to download and fill out the permit application form, designated as MI-T. Once this form is filled out, it should be attached to your application. Bear in mind that the official form is exclusively in Spanish. With the aim of aiding your completion process, translations have been generated in diverse languages, purely for informational use:
- An unofficially translated MI-T form in English
- If your travel plans include family members, you are required to download, complete, and sign the respective application form for dependents, known as MI-F, for each accompanying member as part of the collective permit application. Note that the official form is available solely in Spanish. The form has been translated into various languages solely for your informational usage:
- An unofficially translated MI-F form in English
- Prior to the start of your application period, it is advisable that you review and assemble the required documentation.
- Ahead of submitting your application, you are required to remit the stipulated fee.
- To facilitate the payment of the appropriate fee (identified as fee 038 related to standard form 790), you need to complete the form’s required fields (specifying the payment mode) and download the completed form.
- The form 790 for fee 038, allows you to make the payment in cash (by way of a deposit at a bank into a Public Treasury account), or through a direct debit setup with your checking account (where you will need to input your account number).
- For this purpose, you will need to authenticate yourself either using the digital certificate FNMT-RCM, or through the Cl@ve PIN (PIN code) or Cl@ve Permanente (Permanent code) system.
Step 3. Initiate the application, submit the essential documents, and affix your signature.
- After completing the form and executing the payment, you are expected to visit the online portal “Submission of applications for residence permits for international mobility according to Law 14/2013″, operated by the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE-CE).
- Click on the choice labeled “Alta de solicitud” to kickstart the process and register your application.
- For this, you will need to authenticate your identity through an approved digital certificate or via the Cl@ve PIN or Cl@ve Permanente systems. Remember to allow the signature applet to run in order to progress with your application.
- Upon successful authentication, you will be redirected to a page where you need to choose your application type. In this case, select initial application. This page would also require you to enter necessary details like your country, address, postcode, and phone number at the top.
- Further below, you will find the list of the compulsory documents you need to upload (further detailed ahead). You’re advised to attach any additional documents that you deem relevant.
- Verify the information provided, check the box for data handling consent, and click the button labeled “Sign”.
- Upon successful application registration, you will be provided with an application submission number. Additionally, you will be able to download a file that contains both your signed application and receipt acknowledgment. It is vital to safely store this number for future application status checks.
Step 4. Await decision notification
- A verdict on your residence permit application will be reached within the stipulated timeframe.
- The notification of this decision will be emailed to the address that you provided during application submission.
Required Documents
AN URGENT NOTE
Bear in mind that all papers must be rendered in Spanish through a certified translation and must be appropriately legalized. However, EU multilingual standard forms are exempt from this requirement.
Legalization procedures will vary depending on whether the country that issued the document is part of the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961:
If the country that issued the public document is a party to the convention, the document should feature the Hague Apostille stamp to be accepted. The certificate is usually processed within the issuing country.
If the country that issued a public document is not a party to the convention, the document must be legalized through diplomatic channels.
For further understanding of document legalisation and translation, follow this link.
DOCUMENTS NECESSARY FOR VISA AND PERMIT APPLICATIONS:
issued by the country or countries where you resided during the past 5 years. In addition, submit an affidavit attesting that you have not been involved in any criminal activities during the past five years. However, if you hold a permit that authorises residence or a stay in Spain for more than 6 months, you are exempted from this requirement as it’s presumed to have been furnished during the permit obtainment process.
VISA-SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS:
Ordinarily, both the original and a clone of each requisite document must be provided.
Note that the following list of documents is essential but not exhaustive. It exists mainly for illustrative purposes and to provide a base level understanding of the required documentations. Further documentation may be stipulated by your residing country. The diplomatic mission or consular office may necessitate additional paperwork at its discretion for the purpose of the visa decision. Nonetheless, the fundamental documentation you are required to supply includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- The National visa application form designed for long stays.
- An acceptable form of identity such as a passport.
- Confirmation of visa fee payment.
DETAILS SPECIFIC TO THE PERMIT APPLICATION:
- A completed and signed permit application form is mandatory.
- A comprehensive photocopy of your current passport or an alternate travel document (all pages must be included).
- Proof of payment of the application fee.
What is the Processing Time?
The processing period for the visa application is around 10 days.
Allow for a processing period of up to 20 days for the permit application.
What are the Fees Involved?
The visa application fee is €60 (standard rate). Please note that these fees might differ from country to country, as could the acceptable methods of payment.
The application fee for a permit is €73.26. Note that in certain circumstances, fee reductions or exemptions may apply. It is crucial to keep in mind that the fee is non-refundable in case of application rejection.
Looking for More Information?
Authorities Responsible for this Process
- Visa: The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Spanish Government) is in charge.
- Permit: The Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE-CE)(Spanish Government) is responsible.
Additional Information Sources
More detailed information can be found at the Spanish Government Immigration Portal (Spanish language only) and the webpage of the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE-CE).
Essential Secondary Procedures
The following are examples of procedures that must be completed following your application:
IMPORTANT ADVISORY
Procedures are frequently updated and evolved. As such, only the regulations that are in effect at the time of your application process will govern your procedure. Therefore, always ensure to keep yourself informed about the current rules and regulations.
