Spain digital nomad visa for Americans working for US clients

Spain's international telework visa, widely called the digital nomad visa, is the route for Americans who want to live in Spain while working remotely for companies outside Spain. Unlike the non-lucrative visa, it is built around work: you keep your US job or your foreign clients, and Spain gives you residence. This guide follows the requirements published by the Spanish consulate in Washington and the Spanish Tax Agency's guidance on the special regime for workers who move to Spain.

Who it is for

The consulate describes the visa as intended for foreigners who travel to Spain to carry out remote work or professional activity for companies located outside Spain, using only computer, telematic and telecommunication systems. The rules differ slightly between employees and freelancers:

• Employees may only work for companies located outside Spain.
• Freelancers and contractors may also work for a company located in Spain, as long as that work does not exceed 20% of their total professional activity.

Two limits catch some applicants. You must work for companies or provide services to companies. The consulate states that the visa does not cover work for individuals, international organizations, government agencies, universities, foundations, NGOs or other non-profit entities.

### Qualifications

You qualify as a professional if you hold a degree or postgraduate degree from a recognized university, professional training center or business school, or if you can prove at least three years of professional experience in functions similar to your remote role. Degrees must be apostilled and officially translated.

### Family members

Your spouse or unmarried partner, financially dependent children (including adult children who have not formed their own household) and dependent parents can apply for accompanying family visas.

Visa from the US, or permit from inside Spain

There are two ways in:

1. The visa, applied for at your Spanish consulate in the US. The consulate states it has a maximum validity of one year.
2. The residence permit, applied for from inside Spain to the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE-CE) of the Ministry of Inclusion. The consulate notes that foreigners legally in Spain can apply this way, and that this includes US passport holders within their 90-day visa-free stay. The permit can be valid for up to three years.

If you apply from Spain without a Spanish electronic certificate or Cl@ve login, the consulate notes you can work through an authorized legal representative in Spain who has one.

Step zero: get an NIE

Before applying for the telework visa you need a Foreigner Identity Number (NIE). The consulate in Washington handles NIE applications separately; see our guide to the NIE for the procedure.

The document list

The Washington consulate's list for the visa includes:

• National visa application form and a recent passport photo.
• A passport valid for the whole requested stay, with two blank pages, issued less than 10 years ago.
• Proof that you live in the consulate's district, such as a driver's license or state ID.
• Your NIE assignment certificate.
• A company formation certificate from the state Division of Corporations, showing the company's date of incorporation and activity, and proving real and continuous activity for at least one year. Apostille and official translation required.
• A company letter. For employees: at least three months' seniority, your income and explicit permission to work remotely from Spain. For freelancers: the length of the contract and the terms of remote work. The documents must show a relationship with one or more non-Spanish companies for at least the last three months, and that it will continue for at least a year.
• An FBI background check covering your residence over the past two years, issued within six months, with a Hague Apostille on the FBI signature and a sworn translation. Add a sworn declaration of no criminal record in the countries where you lived in the past five years.
• Health insurance and Social Security proof (below).
• Your degree or proof of three years' experience.

How much income you need

The income test is tied to Spain's minimum wage (SMI). The consulate's figures for 2026, with an SMI of 1,221 euros a month:

• Applicant alone: 200% of SMI, 2,442 euros a month (about $2,900).
• First accompanying family member: add 75%, 916 euros a month.
• Each additional family member: add 25%, 306 euros a month.

A couple with one child needs to show 3,664 euros a month. Contracts and company certificates count as proof.

Health insurance

You need public or private health insurance from an insurer authorized to operate in Spain and listed in the registry of the Directorate General of Insurance and Pension Funds. The policy must cover all risks covered by Spain's public health system for the whole authorization, with no waiting period, no copayment and no coverage limit, including urgent medical transport. Travel insurance is not accepted.

SafetyWing is one provider nomads and remote workers use. SafetyWing's nomad insurance is designed for travel and stays abroad, so check the consulate's conditions before relying on any policy for the visa itself.

Social Security: the US-Spain agreement helps

Spain wants proof that you are covered by Social Security. The consulate accepts one of three documents:

1. Proof that your company is registered with Spanish Social Security.
2. Proof that you registered (or applied to register) as self-employed in Spain's RETA scheme.
3. For employees whose company consents to remote work from Spain (not freelancers), a certificate of coverage from the US Social Security Administration showing you meet the terms of the US-Spain Social Security agreement. In that case you also need private health insurance for the risks the agreement does not cover.

The US Social Security Administration explains that totalization agreements such as this one exist to eliminate dual Social Security taxation, where a worker would otherwise pay into both countries' systems on the same earnings. Applicants also sign a declaration committing to meet Spanish Social Security obligations before starting work.

The tax side: the special regime for workers moving to Spain

Once you live in Spain for most of the year you become a Spanish tax resident and normally pay Spanish income tax on your worldwide income. Remote workers often ask about the special regime for workers moved to Spain (article 93 of the income tax law), commonly called the Beckham law.

The Tax Agency's guidance says:

• The regime lets people who become Spanish tax residents because of their move to Spain choose to pay tax under the non-resident income tax rules, while remaining income taxpayers.
• You must not have been a Spanish tax resident in the five tax years before the move. Since 1 January 2023 that period was cut from ten years to five.
• The move must come from one of the listed causes. One of them is work done remotely using only computer and telecommunication systems, even if the employer did not order the move. The Tax Agency states that employees who hold the international telework visa under Law 14/2013 meet this condition.
• You must not earn income through a permanent establishment in Spain, with exceptions for entrepreneurial and certain highly qualified activities.
• The regime applies in the year you become tax resident and the five following tax years.
• You opt in with form 149, within six months of the start of the activity shown in your Social Security registration or in the document that keeps you under your home country's system. You need a Spanish tax ID and must be on the tax census first.
• Taxpayers under the regime file a special return, form 151.

The regime has detailed conditions, and freelancers fall under different rules from employees. Read the Tax Agency's pages in full or get advice from a Spanish tax adviser before choosing.

Your US taxes do not stop

As a US citizen you still file a US return on your worldwide income. The IRS explains that if you meet the tax home and bona fide residence or physical presence tests, you may be able to exclude a set amount of foreign earned income with the foreign earned income exclusion. Our guide to US taxes while living in Spain covers FBAR, FEIE and foreign tax credits.

Before you apply

1. Get your NIE.
2. Ask your employer for the remote work letter, and order the state incorporation certificate with apostille.
3. Order your FBI check early; the apostille and translation take time.
4. Ask SSA about a certificate of coverage if you are an employee.
5. Buy a Spanish health policy that meets the no-copay, no-limit rule.
6. Decide whether to apply at the consulate or inside Spain for the longer three-year permit.

Common questions

Can I work for Spanish clients on the digital nomad visa? Employees may only work for companies outside Spain. Freelancers may work for Spanish companies as long as that work does not exceed 20% of their total professional activity, according to the Spanish consulate in Washington.

How much income do I need for Spain's telework visa in 2026? The consulate sets it at 200% of the minimum wage: 2,442 euros a month for the applicant, plus 916 euros for the first family member and 306 euros for each additional one.

Is the telework visa or the in-country permit better? The consulate states the visa has a maximum validity of one year, while the residence permit requested inside Spain from the UGE-CE can last up to three years.

Can digital nomads use Spain's special tax regime? The Tax Agency states that employees holding the international telework visa meet the move condition of the special regime, provided they were not Spanish tax residents in the previous five years and meet the other conditions. You opt in with form 149.