Spain's non-lucrative visa: 2026 requirements and steps

Is it for you?

The residencia no lucrativa (non-lucrative residence) lets you live in Spain without working. It fits if you live off savings, a pension or passive income such as rent or investments.

It is popular with retirees, people of independent means and families planning a long stay in Spain. Your family can come with you.

It does not let you work: no Spanish job, no self-employment and no remote work. If you work remotely, look at the digital nomad visa.

It is only for nationals of countries outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland.

Requirements

The rules are in Spain's immigration regulation, the Reglamento de Extranjería (Real Decreto 1155/2024, articles 60 to 64). The main ones:

• Financial means: 400% of the IPREM (Spain's public income index) per month for you, and 100% for each family member. In 2026 that is €2,400 a month (€28,800 a year), plus €600 a month per family member. See how much money you need.
• Health insurance, public or private, with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain. Several consulates require no co-payments or waiting periods, and reject travel insurance.
• No criminal record in Spain or in the countries where you have lived in the last five years.
• A medical certificate showing you have no disease with serious public health implications.
• A passport valid for at least one more year.
• Not being in Spain irregularly, and paying the fees.

Family means your spouse or partner, your unmarried children under 18, and adult children with a disability who need support.

Documents

Each consulate publishes its own checklist: follow it to the letter. You will typically need:

• The national visa application and the EX-01 form, both signed.
• A passport valid for at least a year, a copy and a recent photo.
• Proof of funds: bank certificates, statements, pension letters or proof of other income.
• Your health insurance certificate.
• Criminal record certificates for the last five years, usually issued within six months (an FBI check in the US, an ACRO certificate in the UK).
• A medical certificate from the last 90 days or three months, depending on the consulate.
• Proof that you live in the consulate's district, and proof that you paid the fees.
• For family members: birth, marriage or partnership certificates.

Foreign public documents need a Hague apostille or legalisation and, as a rule, a sworn translation into Spanish by a traductor jurado (sworn translator). There are exceptions: Washington does not ask for bank statements to be translated.

Step by step

1. Check your consulate. You can only apply at the one for your area or its visa centre (BLS in London or Los Angeles, for example).
2. Gather your documents. Allow several weeks for apostilles and translations. Make sure nothing expires before your appointment.
3. Apply in person. You pay the visa fee and the 790-052 fee.
4. Wait for the decision. The immigration authorities in Spain have one month to decide on the permit once the consulate forwards your file. No answer counts as a refusal. Consulates quote an overall legal period of two months (London) or three (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington).
5. Collect your visa in person within one month of being notified.
6. Travel to Spain while your visa is valid. Your one-year permit starts that day.
7. Apply for your TIE (foreigner ID card) in person within one month of arriving, at the immigration office or police station for your address.

Costs and fees

These are the official fees. Spanish government fees (tasas) are paid with form modelo 790.

The visa fee depends on your nationality, is paid in local currency and is not refunded if you are refused. Add sworn translations, apostilles and insurance.

Amounts checked in October 2026 against Orden PJC/617/2025 (BOE), the Policía Nacional and consulate websites. Check them again before you pay.

Common mistakes

• The wrong insurance: travel cover, or a policy with co-payments, waiting periods or caps. Several consulates reject it.
• Tight or poorly documented funds: the bare minimum with no margin, or unstamped printouts. Our money guide covers this.
• Documents that expire before your appointment, such as a criminal record check over six months old.
• Missing apostilles or sworn translations.
• Assuming you can work remotely. Consulates are clear: you cannot.
• Missing the one-month TIE deadline.
• Spending too long abroad: to renew, you need more than 183 days in Spain in the calendar year.

Renewal

The first permit lasts one year. After that it is renewed for two years, according to the Ministry's official information sheet for the new regulation.

• When: in the two months before it expires. You can apply up to three months after expiry, but you risk a penalty procedure.
• Where: online, through Mercurio, the government's e-filing platform.
• Funds: enough for the whole renewal period.
• Also: health insurance kept up throughout, and children of compulsory school age enrolled in school.
• Real residence: more than 183 days in Spain in the calendar year.
• Decision: within three months. If you hear nothing, it counts as granted.
• Afterwards: apply for your new TIE within one month of being notified.

After five years of legal, continuous residence you can apply for long-term residence. If you are from a Latin American country, also look at Spanish citizenship.

Living in Spain for more than 183 days a year can make you a Spanish tax resident. Check with a tax adviser (asesor fiscal) before you move.

How we help

• On a free call, we check whether this visa fits your plans or another route suits you better.
• We work out the funds your family needs and how to prove them.
• We give you your consulate's checklist and review every document before your appointment.
• In a €50 personalised advice session, we answer your specific questions with your documents in front of us.
• We plan your arrival with you: TIE, empadronamiento (municipal registration) and your renewal calendar.
• When a filing needs a licensed professional, we work with collaborating professionals.