Moving to Spain from the US: What are your options?
Spain has long been popular with Americans looking for a different way of life. Maybe you are dreaming of retiring somewhere with more sunshine and a slower pace. Perhaps you want to swap your American commute for a laptop and a terrace. Maybe you have been offered a job in Spain, want to start a business, or simply fancy spending more than a few weeks a year here.
The good news is that there is no single “move to Spain” visa. The slightly less good news is that you cannot simply arrive, buy a house, unpack your suitcase and announce that you live here now.
For US citizens, Spain offers several different routes to legal residence, depending on what you actually intend to do once you arrive. Choosing the right one matters.
The visa you need if you are retiring is very different from the one you need if you intend to work remotely for a US company. Buying a property does not, by itself, give you residency. And the fact that you can visit Spain without a visa does not mean you can live here indefinitely.
So, if you are sitting in the United States wondering, “Which Spanish visa would I need?”, here is the perfect place to start.
First, visiting Spain from the US is not the same as moving to Spain from the US
US passport holders can currently visit Spain and the wider Schengen Area and many can access this beautiful country without obtaining a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. That is useful for holidays, scouting out possible places to live and generally making sure you actually like Spain before selling the house and shipping your belongings across the Atlantic.
It is not a residence permit.
If your intention is to make Spain your home, you need to look at the appropriate residence route before treating your 90 days as the beginning of permanent Spanish life. There is another important distinction here too.
Your immigration status and your tax residence are not necessarily the same thing. Spanish tax residence can arise, among other circumstances, when you spend more than 183 days in Spain during the calendar year, or when Spain becomes the main centre of your economic interests.
For Americans, that can become particularly important because you may have continuing US tax obligations as well. Cross-border tax planning should therefore be considered before you move, not after your first Spanish tax return lands on the doormat.
So which route might suit you?
Before getting lost in Spanish immigration terminology, start with the simple question: what are you actually going to be doing in Spain?
If your answer is:
“I’m retired and I will live from my pension, savings or other passive income.” – Look at the Non-Lucrative Visa.
“I work remotely for a US company and want to keep doing that from Spain.” Look at the Digital Nomad or Telework Visa.
“I’m self-employed and want to continue my business from Spain.” – The Digital Nomad Visa may be relevant, depending on where your clients are and how your business is structured. A self-employed work route may also be relevant in other circumstances.
“I have been offered a job by a Spanish company.” – You will need an appropriate Spanish employment route.
“I’m a highly qualified professional and have a job opportunity in Spain.” – The Highly Qualified Worker route may be worth investigating.
“I want to start an innovative business in Spain.” – There is an Entrepreneur Visa route.
“I want to study in Spain.” – A Study Visa may be appropriate.
“My spouse or close family member is Spanish or an EU citizen.” – There may be a family-member residence route instead.
“I just want to buy a house.” – Buying a property and obtaining Spanish residency are two different things.
That last one is worth repeating. Buying a €500,000 villa with a swimming pool does not automatically come with a Spanish residence permit.
The Non-Lucrative Visa
The Non-Lucrative Visa, often abbreviated to NLV, is one of the best-known options for Americans who want to move to Spain without working.
It is aimed at people who have sufficient financial means to support themselves without carrying out gainful employment or professional activity in Spain.
That makes it particularly relevant to retirees, people living from pensions or investments, and others with sufficient savings or passive income.
Just Law describes it as an option for people who have sufficient savings or passive income and do not intend to work in Spain.
There is one very important point for Americans who work online.
The NLV does not allow you to work remotely from Spain.
The Spanish Embassy in Washington specifically states that the Non-Lucrative Visa does not permit gainful work or professional activity, including remote or online work. If you intend to work online, the Embassy directs applicants towards the Telework Visa instead.
So, for example:
Retired American living from a pension? Potentially NLV.
American investor living from investments and not working? Potentially NLV.
American novelist who plans to continue working from a laptop in a Spanish finca? Stop there and investigate the appropriate working route instead.
For 2026, the Spanish Embassy in Washington states that the financial requirement for the main applicant is €28,800 per year, based on 400% of IPREM, with an additional €7,200 per year for each dependent family member.
The exact evidence required to demonstrate financial means can be extensive, including bank statements and supporting bank documentation.
This is one of the areas where professional advice can be particularly useful, because having enough money and being able to demonstrate that you have enough money in the precise way the authorities require are not always the same thing.
Official Spanish Embassy information on the Non-Lucrative Visa
The Digital Nomad Visa
If your plan is to live in Spain while continuing to work remotely, the Digital Nomad Visa, officially called the Telework Visa, is one of the routes you should investigate.
This is particularly interesting for Americans because it is designed for people whose professional activity can be carried out remotely using computers and telecommunications.
For employees, the Spanish Embassy states that the work must be for companies located outside Spain.
Self-employed applicants can also work for Spanish companies, but the Spanish work must not exceed 20% of their total professional activity.
There are also professional qualification or experience requirements. Applicants need either an appropriate university or postgraduate qualification from a recognised institution, business school or similar establishment, or at least three years of relevant professional experience.
The applicant must also demonstrate an established professional relationship with the relevant company or companies outside Spain. The Embassy currently states that this relationship must have existed for at least three months before applying and must continue for at least one year. However, you can apply for this during your 90 days as a tourist in Spain in many circumstances.
For 2026, the Spanish Embassy in Washington currently gives the minimum financial requirement for the main applicant as €2,442 per month. An additional €916 per month is required for the first accompanying family member and €306 per month for each additional family member.
This is an excellent example of why you should check the official government information rather than relying on a random blog written two years ago.
And yes, there are plenty of those.
The Telework Visa is also unusual in that people who are already legally in Spain may be able to apply in Spain for the corresponding residence authorisation. The Embassy specifically gives US passport holders who are legally in Spain as an example.
Please note: We have been advised that the minimum financial requirement for the DNV may change in January 2027.
Official Spanish Embassy information on the Telework/Digital Nomad Visa
Working for a Spanish employer
If you want to move to Spain because you have been offered a job by a Spanish employer, you will need an employment-based route.
The standard Employee Visa is for people who intend to work as employees in Spain under an employment contract. The employer generally has to obtain the relevant initial residence and employment authorisation before the visa application can proceed.
This is therefore rather different from the Digital Nomad Visa.
The question isn’t simply “Do I work?”
It is “Who am I working for, and where is that business based?”
That distinction can completely change the immigration route.
Working for yourself
If you intend to establish yourself as a self-employed worker in Spain, there is a specific Self-Employed Work Visa.
The Spanish Embassy describes this as a visa for people over 18 intending to carry out self-employed activity in Spain. The application involves the relevant initial residence and self-employed work authorisation as well as the visa itself.
This route can be relevant if your business is genuinely being established and operated as a Spanish self-employed activity.
However, someone who already operates an overseas business and simply wants to work remotely from Spain may have a very different set of circumstances.
That is why “I’m self-employed” isn’t quite enough information to determine which visa you need.
You need to look at where your business is based, who your clients are, how your income is generated and what you intend to do once you are living in Spain.
Official Spanish Embassy information on the Self-Employed Work Visa
Highly qualified workers
There is also a specific route for highly qualified professionals.
The Spanish Embassy describes this as covering employees working in Spain as highly qualified professionals, certain senior management positions, and graduates or postgraduates of prestigious universities or business schools who meet the applicable requirements. An initial residence authorisation for highly qualified workers from Spain’s Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit, known as UGECE, is required.
There is also a related route for intra-company transfers if you are being transferred to Spain within the same company or corporate group.
This can be particularly relevant to Americans working for multinational businesses.
Official Spanish Embassy information on Highly Qualified Workers and Intra-Company Transfers
Starting a business in Spain
If your plan is not simply to work for yourself but to establish an innovative business of particular economic interest to Spain, the Entrepreneur Visa may be another possibility.
This is a specialist route rather than a general “I fancy opening a bar” visa.
The Spanish authorities describe it as being for foreigners moving to Spain to develop an innovative entrepreneurial activity of particular economic interest to Spain.
So if your grand plan is to create the next Spanish tech unicorn, this is worth investigating.
If your grand plan is to open a café called The Tipsy Flamingo, you may need to look at other options.
Official Spanish Embassy information on the Entrepreneur Visa
Studying in Spain
Spain is also an option for Americans wanting to study.
The Study Visa covers stays of more than 90 days for qualifying higher education and certain other educational, training, mobility and volunteering activities.
There have also been recent changes to the rules. For example, the Washington Embassy now states that from August 2026, doctoral students will no longer apply under the Study Visa route but will instead be treated as researchers and apply under the relevant researcher residence provisions.
That is another reminder that old articles can become outdated surprisingly quickly.
If you are considering studying in Spain, check the current official requirements before applying.
Family may change everything
If you have a Spanish or EU/EEA/Swiss family connection, don’t automatically assume you need one of the standard work or non-working visas.
Family members of EU/EEA/Swiss citizens can have preferential routes, depending on their circumstances. The Spanish authorities specifically recognise spouses, registered partners, certain dependent children, dependent parents and other qualifying family members.
There is also a separate residence route for family members of Spanish citizens, with a considerably broader list of qualifying relationships under the current rules.
This can make a significant difference to the process.
If you are moving with a Spanish spouse, for example, don’t start filling out a Non-Lucrative Visa application simply because Google told you to.
Start with the family route.
Official Spanish Embassy information for family members of EU/EEA/Swiss citizens
Official Spanish Embassy information for family members of Spanish citizens
What about buying a property?
This is where a surprisingly large amount of misinformation circulates. Buying a property in Spain and obtaining Spanish residency are separate matters.
Spain’s former Golden Visa allowed qualifying investors to obtain residence through certain investments, including property. That route is no longer available for new applications based on investment. The Spanish legislation now records the investor visa provisions as having been removed with effect from 3 April 2025.
So if you have seen an article saying: “Buy a €500,000 property in Spain and get residency.”
Check the date!! That information is now out of date for new applications.
You can still buy property in Spain as an American. You simply need another appropriate basis for residence if you intend to live here. And this is where the NIE comes in.
NIE and TIE: two letters that cause a ridiculous amount of confusion
Just Law’s guidance makes an important distinction between the NIE and TIE. They are not the same thing.
- The NIE, or Número de Identidad de Extranjero, is your foreigner’s identification number. It is used when foreigners need to identify themselves for various economic, professional or social dealings in Spain. The Spanish government describes the NIE as a unique number assigned to foreigners who have economic, professional or social interests connected with Spain. Importantly, having an NIE does not itself give you the right to live in Spain.
- The TIE, or Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero, is the physical foreigner’s identity card used to document legal residence in Spain. The Spanish Embassy makes the distinction very clearly: the NIE is a number; the TIE is a residence card.
In other words:
- NIE = identification number.
- TIE = physical card proving your authorised residence, where one is required.
They often appear together, which is why the two are frequently confused. Don’t even get us started on the world and their neighbour on Social Media confusing the two – just because someone lives here in Spain does not make them an expert. I mean, we’ve been here for 20 years and would still always point people to a professional (see Just Law below).
And then there is Spanish tax
Moving to Spain is not just an immigration decision. It can also be a tax decision.
Spain generally considers an individual tax resident where they spend more than 183 days in Spain during the calendar year. Tax residence can also arise where Spain becomes the main centre or base of the person’s economic activities or interests.
For Americans, this deserves particular attention because moving to Spain does not automatically make your US tax responsibilities disappear. The Spanish Tax Agency even provides specific information for Spanish tax residents with income from the United States and points to the Spain-US tax treaty where applicable.
If you have pensions, investments, rental properties, a US business, shares, retirement accounts or other financial interests in the United States, professional cross-border tax advice should be part of your relocation planning.
Do not leave this until after you’ve moved!!
Where do you actually apply?
This is another area where Americans need to be careful.
Spain has several consulates in the United States, and you must apply according to the Spanish consular jurisdiction in which you legally reside.
The Washington Embassy, for example, handles applicants resident in Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. It explicitly states that applications from outside its jurisdiction cannot be accepted there.
The Spanish Embassy’s visa pages are therefore a useful starting point, but you should always find the Spanish consulate responsible for your own state before beginning the application process.
Official Spanish Embassy in Washington consular services and visa information
The rules changed in 2025
If you have been researching Spanish visas for a while, you may find conflicting information. There is a reason for that.
Spain’s new Immigration Regulation, Royal Decree 1155/2024, came into effect on 20 May 2025 and introduced significant changes to immigration and visa procedures. The Spanish Embassy itself warns applicants that its web pages are guidance and that the regulations in force when an application is submitted are the ones that apply.
That makes one of the biggest pieces of advice in this article surprisingly simple:
Check the date!!
A blog post from 2022 may be beautifully written, highly ranked on Google and yet is completely useless for your 2026 application. Even information published in 2025 may need checking.
So which Spanish visa is right for you?
Here is the simplified version.
| Your situation | Route worth investigating |
|---|---|
| Retired and living from pension/savings/passive income | Non-Lucrative Visa |
| Remote employee working for a US/overseas company | Digital Nomad Visa /Telework Visa |
| Overseas freelancer or business owner working remotely | Digital Nomad/Telework Visa may be relevant |
| Setting up self-employed activity in Spain | Self-Employed Work Visa |
| Job with a Spanish employer | Employee Work Visa |
| Highly qualified professional with qualifying Spanish employment | Highly Qualified Worker route |
| Transfer within a multinational company | Intra-Company Transfer |
| Innovative business with particular economic interest to Spain | Entrepreneur Visa |
| Studying in Spain | Study Visa |
| Qualifying family relationship with EU/EEA/Swiss citizen | EU family-member route |
| Qualifying family relationship with Spanish citizen | Family member of Spanish citizen route |
| Buying a Spanish property | Property purchase does not itself provide new residency |
| Wanting to visit for holidays or scouting trips | US citizens can generally visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180 (see above for caveats) |
This is deliberately a starting point, not a legal eligibility test.
Your age, nationality, family circumstances, employment situation, qualifications, income, business structure, financial history and intended activities in Spain can all affect which route is appropriate.
Moving to Spain is much easier when you plan backwards
One of the easiest mistakes is to start with the question: “Which visa should I apply for?”
A better question is: “What do I want my life in Spain to look like?”
- If you are retiring, start there.
- If you will continue working remotely, start there.
- If you want to work for a Spanish employer, start there.
- If you want to run a business, start there.
- If you have Spanish or European family connections, start there.
Then work backwards to the immigration route that fits those circumstances. That approach can prevent a great deal of wasted time, paperwork and, potentially, money. And don’t forget the other pieces of the puzzle. Immigration status is only one part of relocating. You may also need to consider tax residence, healthcare, banking, accommodation, property purchases, NIE/TIE requirements, document legalisation and translations.
If you are buying a property, legal due diligence is another major consideration. Potential issues include outstanding charges, registration problems, planning matters, unpaid community fees and unexpected liabilities. But most, if not all, can be overcome.
In other words, the Spanish dream is entirely possible. It just works considerably better when you know which bit of Spanish bureaucracy is responsible for making it legal.
The short answer:
There is no single “American visa for Spain”.
- For many retirees, the Non-Lucrative Visa may be the obvious place to start.
- For remote workers, the Digital Nomad Visa could be more appropriate.
- For people taking employment in Spain, working as a self-employed professional, setting up an eligible business or moving through a family connection, there are other routes.
- And for some people, the answer may be a combination of issues that cannot sensibly be resolved by reading a generic visa checklist online.
That is why getting the right advice before you commit to a particular route can save considerable time and potentially a lot of money.
Spain is still welcoming Americans who want to make the move.
You just need to make sure you arrive as a legal resident rather than an extremely optimistic tourist with a removal van and your two Maine Coon Cats. That method is almost certainly going to end in tears – yours (and maybe the cats’).
Ready to take the next step?
We know that life can get complicated, and that everyone’s circumstances are different. When you’re thinking about moving your entire life to another country, having someone who understands the Spanish legal system and can look at your particular situation can make a huge difference.
If you’re considering a move to Spain and would like some accurate, professional legal and financial guidance, we’d recommend having a chat with our friends at Just Law Solicitors.
We’ve had the pleasure of dealing with the team ourselves (huge shout out to Belén!!) and have always found them extremely professional, helpful and straightforward. We’ve also heard from various friends who have used their services and described their experience as “spectacular”, “exceptional” and “magnificent”. That’s quite a collection of compliments, so we were more than happy to put their name in front of you.
The form below sends your enquiry directly to Just Law Solicitors. Spain Buddy does not receive or store the personal information you submit through the form. Once Just Law receives your enquiry, you can take the next step with them and arrange a video consultation to discuss your particular circumstances. This video consultation will cost a nominal fee but is worth every cent in our opinion. It will save you so much money and heartache in the long run.
If you do contact them, we’d really appreciate you mentioning that you found them through Spain Buddy. It helps Just Law know that we’re up here on our little mountain singing their praises. Okay… shouting rather than singing – you really don’t want to hear Elle sing!
And finally, if you do make the move, we’d genuinely love to hear from you. Spain is a big country, there are a lot of different ways to make a life here, and we’re always delighted to hear the stories of people who took the plunge. You can contact us any time.
Good luck with your Spanish adventure. We hope to see you on this side of the Atlantic.
You can fill out the form below, or use either of the contact buttons to send an email or WhatsApp.
A note about the information in this article
Immigration, residency, tax and other legal requirements can change, and the rules that apply to one person’s circumstances may not apply to another. This article is intended as general information and should not be taken as legal or financial advice.
We have asked the team at Just Law Solicitors to review this article before publication to help ensure that the legal information reflects the position at the time of publication. We will revisit the article annually and add the date of the latest review at the top of the article when that time comes. However, rules and requirements can change between times, so always, always, always check the current position with a suitably qualified professional before making decisions about your move to Spain.
Elle, along with Alan, is the owner of Spain Buddy and the busy web design business – Spain Web Design by Gandy-Draper.
Born a “Norverner”, she then spent most of her life “Dann Saff” before moving to Spain in 2006. Elle’s loves are Alan, the internet, dogs, good food, and dry white wine – although not necessarily in that order.
Disclaimer
Some of the links on this website may contain an affiliate link. It costs you no more to use one of these links, but we may receive a small payment for you doing so.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Information correct at time of publication.
