EuropeSelect the passports you hold to see short-stay access and per-route eligibility for Spain.
Short stays: tourism, transit, business trips, medical, pilgrimage.
Tourist Visa
Electronic travel authorisation for visa-exempt nationals (e.g. US, UK, Canada, Japan). Valid 3 years for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. We apply on your behalf end-to-end. Fees illustrative.
Tourist Visa
Short-stay visa for tourism: up to 90 days within any 180-day period. We prepare your forms and documents; you attend the consulate/VFS appointment to submit biometrics. Government fee EUR 90 (illustrative).
Transit Visa
Required by some nationalities to pass through the international transit area of a Schengen airport without entering. Whether you need one depends on your nationality. Government fee EUR 90 (illustrative).
Business Visitor Visa
Short-stay visa for business trips (meetings, conferences, negotiations): up to 90 days within any 180-day period. We prepare forms and documents; you submit at the consulate/VFS. Government fee EUR 90 (illustrative).
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Universities, language courses, internships and exchanges.
Student Visa
For stays over 90 days to study. Issued under national rules -- apply at the consulate of your destination country. We guide you; submission is in person. Fees and processing times vary by country.
Student Visa
For stays over 90 days to pursue full-time studies, training, mobility programs or volunteering at an accredited Spanish institution; financial requirement is 100% of IPREM (EUR 600/month in 2026) plus 75%/50% IPREM for accompanying family members. If the programme exceeds 6 months the visa is issued for up to 365 days and the student must obtain a TIE within 1 month of arrival; the stay authorisation is renewable for the duration of studies and allows part-time work up to 30 hours/week under the 2022 reform. Standard fee EUR 80 (reciprocity fees for some nationalities).
Language Course Visa
Spanish-language students use the same long-stay study visa: enrolment must be in a full-time course (generally at least 20 hours/week) at an accredited school such as an Instituto Cervantes-accredited academy. Financial requirement 100% IPREM (EUR 600/month in 2026) plus health insurance; visas for courses over 6 months are issued for up to 1 year and renewable while studies continue. Courses under 90 days can be done on a Schengen short stay instead.
Internship / Trainee Visa
For graduates (degree obtained within the last 2 years) or current higher-education students doing internships in Spain, via either an internship agreement (convenio de practicas: 6 months, extendable to 12) or an internship employment contract (contrato en practicas: up to 1 year, extendable to 2). The residence authorisation is issued by UGE-CE before the consular visa is requested. Health insurance is required when interning under a convenio without an employment contract.
Exchange Program Visa
Spain has no standalone au pair permit: non-EU au pairs aged roughly 17-30 apply for a student visa combining enrolment in an accredited Spanish course (about 20 hours/week) with a signed au pair agreement with a host family covering room, board, pocket money and a weekly day off. The visa is issued for the programme duration up to 1 year. Several consulates (e.g. Chicago) publish a dedicated au pair checklist.
Digital nomad, freelance, skilled employment and company transfers.
Digital Nomad Visa
For non-EU remote employees and freelancers working for companies outside Spain, with a degree from a recognised institution or 3+ years professional experience and at least 3 months relationship with a foreign company that has operated 1+ year. Income requirement is 200% of the SMI: approx EUR 2,849/month in 2026 (SMI 2026 = EUR 1,221 x 14, RD 126/2026), plus 75% SMI for the first family member and 25% for each additional one. Consular visa is valid up to 1 year; applicants legally in Spain can instead request a 3-year residence permit from UGE-CE, renewable, counting toward permanent residence at 5 years. Standard visa fee EUR 80; reciprocity fees apply for some nationalities (e.g. US citizens pay USD 190).
Self-Employment Visa
The general-regime route for non-EU citizens who want to run a business or work as autonomo in Spain (unlike the digital nomad visa, clients/activity may be in Spain). Requires a viable business plan, proof of investment capacity and qualifications, plus personal living funds of at least 100% IPREM (EUR 600/month in 2026). Initial authorisation 1 year (must register with Social Security within 3 months of entry), renewable for 2-year periods up to permanent residence at 5 years; approval rates are demanding and processing commonly takes several months.
Startup / Entrepreneur Visa
For founders of innovative, scalable business projects of special economic interest for Spain; the gate is a favourable report from ENISA assessing innovation, scalability and market potential (target 20 business days). No fixed minimum capital, but applicants must show sufficient funds and a solid business plan. Consular visa valid 1 year; the in-country residence authorisation (processed by UGE-CE in 20 business days with positive administrative silence) is granted for 3 years, renewable, leading to permanent residence at 5 years.
Skilled Work Visa
For stays over 90 days to work. Requires employer sponsorship / a work permit before you can apply, so eligibility is conditional. Issued under national rules -- apply at the consulate of your destination country. Fees and processing times vary by country.
Skilled Work Visa
Fast-track national permit for graduates or experienced professionals hired into managerial or highly qualified roles in Spain, processed by UGE-CE in 20 business days with positive administrative silence. 2026 salary floors: approx EUR 54,142/year for executive/managerial positions and EUR 40,077/year for scientific, intellectual and technical professionals, with a reduced threshold of about EUR 30,500 for qualifying professionals under 30. Initial authorisation up to 3 years, renewable; counts toward permanent residence at 5 years; no labour market test.
Skilled Work Visa
EU-wide permit for highly qualified employment with a Spanish employer: requires a contract or binding offer of at least 6 months, a higher-education qualification (3+ years) or at least 5 years of relevant professional experience, and a 2026 gross salary of at least EUR 39,269.92/year (1.4x INE average earnings, Order PJC/44/2026); a reduced threshold of EUR 31,415.94 applies to shortage occupations (CNO groups 1-2) and recent graduates. No labour market test; processed by UGE-CE in 20 business days. Permit valid up to 3 years, renewable, with intra-EU mobility rights and a path to EU long-term residence.
Seasonal Work Visa
Employer-driven scheme for hiring seasonal workers in origin countries (mainly agriculture; about 25,800 workers from 17 countries in 2025), governed by the annual GECCO order. The 2026 order grants 4-year authorisations allowing work in Spain for up to 9 months per year under fijo-discontinuo contracts, with mandatory return to the origin country after each season and guaranteed housing throughout the work period. Workers cannot apply individually; recruitment runs through collective management between Spain and partner states (e.g. Morocco under the WAFIRA programme).
Intra-Company Transfer Visa
For managers, specialists and trainees transferred from a company outside the EU to a Spanish entity of the same group, after at least 3 months of prior employment with the group. Processed by UGE-CE within 20 business days; permit valid for the duration of the transfer up to 3 years for managers/specialists (1 year for trainees), renewable within those EU ICT limits. Family members may accompany the transferee.
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Golden visas, real estate, citizenship by investment, passive income.
Golden Visa (Residence by Investment)
All investor routes (EUR 500k real estate, EUR 2M public debt, EUR 1M shares/funds/deposits, business projects) abolished by Ley Organica 1/2025; no new applications accepted after 3 April 2025. Existing permits remain valid and renewable under the rules in force when granted.
Non-Lucrative / Passive Income Visa
Residence without any gainful activity (on-site or remote work is prohibited), the de facto retirement route for non-EU passive-income holders and retirees. Requires funds of 400% of IPREM, EUR 28,800/year (EUR 2,400/month) in 2026, plus 100% IPREM (EUR 7,200/year) per dependant, full private health insurance and clean criminal record. Initial authorisation 1 year, renewable for two 2-year periods; permanent residence after 5 years. Standard visa fee EUR 80, but reciprocity fees apply (e.g. US citizens USD 140); legal decision period up to 3 months.
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Retirement visas and working holiday schemes.
Working Holiday Visa
Bilateral youth mobility agreements let young citizens of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan and South Korea live and work in Spain for up to 12 months; ages are 18-30 (18-35 for Canada) and quotas apply (e.g. 1,000 places/year for Canada). Applicants need a return ticket or funds to buy one plus subsistence funds for the first months (Canada: CAD 2,637 in 2025) and health insurance. The visa is non-renewable and each person may participate only once.
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Reunification, spouse routes and ancestry-based repatriation.
Family Reunification Visa
Allows a non-EU resident who has lived legally in Spain for 1 year and renewed (or holds long-term residence) to sponsor a spouse/registered partner, minor children and dependent ascendants. The sponsor must show income of 150% IPREM (approx EUR 900/month in 2026) for a 2-person family unit plus 50% IPREM per additional member (reduced thresholds when minors are involved), adequate housing and health coverage. The family member receives a residence authorisation tied to the sponsor's, with work rights, renewable and leading to long-term residence at 5 years.
Spouse / Partner Visa
Non-EU spouses, registered unmarried partners (pareja de hecho) and dependent relatives of EU/EEA citizens (including Spaniards) living in Spain obtain a 5-year residence card with full work rights under the EU free-movement regime (RD 240/2007). Unregistered partners qualify with proof of a stable relationship, generally at least 1 year of cohabitation or a child in common. After 5 years the holder gets a permanent residence card; this route is faster and cheaper than general-regime reunification, and spouses of Spaniards can also seek citizenship after 1 year of legal residence.
Ancestry / Repatriation
The application window for Spanish nationality for descendants of exiles (children and grandchildren) closed definitively on 22 October 2025 after a one-year extension; applications filed before the deadline continue to be processed through 2026, but no new applications are accepted. Over 870,000 applications were filed. The earlier Sephardic citizenship law closed in 2019.
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Talent, religious, humanitarian, media, official and permanent residence.
Long-Term Residence Permit
In-country regularisation for foreigners already living in Spain without status: the new immigration regulation (RD 1155/2024, in force 20 May 2025) cut the required continuous stay to 2 years for most arraigo types and created five tracks - social, sociolaboral (job offer), socioformativo (enrolment in approved training, with work up to 30 hours/week), familiar, and segunda oportunidad. Authorisations last 1 year (renewable; arraigo familiar differs) and convert to ordinary work/residence permits. Applied for at the immigration office in Spain, not at consulates.
Permanent Residence
After 5 years of continuous legal residence in Spain, foreigners qualify for long-term residence (national) or EU long-term residence, granting indefinite residence and work on the same terms as Spaniards; the EU variant additionally requires proof of stable resources and health coverage and eases moving to other EU states. The status is permanent while the TIE card is renewed every 5 years (every 10 after age 30 for the EU card); fee paid via Modelo 790 code 052. Absences from the EU beyond set limits can cause loss of the status.
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