Spain's non-lucrative visa: how much money you need in 2026

In short

• The rule: 400% of the IPREM per month for you, and 100% for each family member.
• In 2026 that means €2,400 a month for you (€28,800 a year) and €600 a month more per family member (€7,200 a year).
• Savings, pensions and regular passive income, such as rent or investments, all count. Income from work does not.
• You prove it with an original bank certificate: the 31 December balance, the average balance over the last year and recent statements.
• At renewal you prove your funds again, this time for the two-year renewal period.

The 2026 figures by family size

Spain's immigration regulation (article 62 of Real Decreto 1155/2024) sets the amounts as a percentage of the IPREM, a public income index used by the Spanish authorities. In 2026 it is still €600 a month, because the 2023 state budget has been rolled over.

You need 400% of the IPREM for yourself and 100% for each family member who comes with you. These are minimums, not guidelines.

For example, if you move with your partner and two children, that is you plus three family members: €4,200 a month, or €50,400 a year.

For this permit, family means your spouse or partner, your unmarried children under 18, and adult children with a disability who need support.

The two-year column is our own calculation for covering the renewal with savings alone. If you have regular income, what matters is that it arrives every month and reaches the monthly figure.

What counts as funds

The rules accept any form of proof. You can show enough money for the period, a regular source of income, or a mix of both. Consulates such as London and Chicago put it this way: funds for the first year, or a regular income.

• Savings: current accounts, savings accounts and deposits in your name.
• Pensions: state or private pensions and life annuities. They must keep coming: Washington asks you to confirm you will keep receiving the income for at least the next 12 months.
• Investments: brokerage or fund accounts. Washington asks for statements from all your accounts, investment accounts included.
• Rent, dividends and interest: these are regular income. Prove them with contracts, statements showing each payment and your latest tax return.
• Shares in companies based in Spain: these count, but you need a certificate that you do not work for the company and a sworn statement.
• Property deeds, certified cheques or credit cards: the official information sheet mentions them, with credit cards backed by a bank certificate of the available credit. Treat them as support, not as your main proof.

What does not count is money that depends on working. This permit requires you to live without any work or professional activity, and consulates rule out remote work too. If you work remotely, the digital nomad visa is your route.

If you are of working age, be ready to show that you have stopped working. Los Angeles, for example, asks for a letter from your employer confirming you no longer work there. If you were self-employed, it asks for a sworn statement before a notary that you will not work in Spain.

How to prove your funds to the consulate

These documents let the consulate check that the money exists, that it is yours and that it did not appear overnight. You will typically need:

• An original, stamped bank certificate showing the bank's name and address, full details of each account and the date it was opened.
• The balance on 31 December of the previous year and the average balance over the last year. London, Los Angeles and Washington, among others, ask for both.
• Recent statements for all your accounts. Washington and Los Angeles ask for the last three months. Other consulates may ask for more.
• Pension letters or income certificates showing the amount and how often it is paid.
• Your latest tax return, which Washington and Los Angeles, for example, request.

Currency and exchange rates

The figure is set in euros, but your money can be in another currency. What counts is its value in euros. Washington, for example, quotes about $32,000 a year for one applicant in 2026. Leave a margin: if the exchange rate moves before the decision, you could fall short.

Joint accounts

The consulate pages we reviewed say nothing specific about joint accounts. If you share the account with a partner who is applying with you, ask the bank for a certificate listing all account holders. Include it in both applications. If the other holder is not moving with you, check first: you may be asked for more proof that you can use that money.

Translations

Foreign public documents need an apostille or legalisation, and most need a sworn translation into Spanish. Bank paperwork varies from one consulate to another. In Washington, for example, statements and tax returns need no translation, but the bank certificate and pension letters do.

At renewal, the money counts again

The first permit lasts one year and each renewal lasts two. According to the official information sheet, to renew you must have enough funds for the whole renewal period.

Using the same percentages, covering it with savings alone means €57,600 for you and €14,400 more per family member. If you receive a pension or rental income, show that it arrives every month and reaches the monthly figure.

Besides the money, to renew you need to:

• Have kept your health insurance the whole time, and keep it going.
• Have lived in Spain for more than 183 days in the calendar year.
• Have your children of compulsory school age enrolled in school.
• Apply in the two months before your permit expires, online through Mercurio, the government's e-filing platform.
• Pay the 790-052 renewal fee (€16.40) and then the fee for your new TIE, the foreigner ID card (€19.30).

Plan the money for your first three years from day one: one year on the visa and two on the renewal. Spending your savings in year one without thinking about renewal is a serious risk.

Common mistakes with proof of funds

• Forgetting family members. Each person who comes with you adds €600 a month.
• Cutting it fine. A bank fee or a currency swing can push you below the line.
• A large, recent, unexplained deposit. The consulate looks at your 31 December balance and your average balance. Be ready to show where the money came from, such as a property sale or an inheritance.
• Unstamped online printouts. Several consulates ask for original documents stamped by the bank.
• A pension letter that does not show continuity. It should make clear how much you receive and that payments will continue.
• Counting on a salary. Income from work, even remote work, does not count for this permit.
• Not reading your consulate's checklist. Some add their own requirements. Los Angeles, for example, states that applicants cannot have loans or mortgages in the United States when they apply.

For the other requirements (insurance, criminal records, timelines), see our non-lucrative visa page. If you want us to check your numbers before your appointment, book a free call. To go through your documents one by one, there is our €50 personalised advice session.