Who this visa is for
For people who can support themselves and any dependents without working in Spain — pensioners, investors living on portfolio income, or anyone with enough savings to bridge the gap before another route becomes viable.
It does not authorize employment or freelance work of any kind, whether inside Spain or remotely for clients abroad. That's the defining restriction, and the one most self-filed applications trip over at renewal.
Spain Non-Lucrative Visa requirements
- Proof of sufficient recurring income or savings, commonly benchmarked as a multiple of Spain's IPREM index (which is revised annually) for the main applicant, plus an added percentage per dependent.
- Private health insurance with full coverage in Spain, no co-payments.
- Clean criminal record from every country you've lived in for the last five years.
- Proof of accommodation in Spain.
- No employment or economic activity of any kind, in Spain or abroad.
The tradeoff with the Digital Nomad Visa
Because the Non-Lucrative Visa forbids all work, movers who plan to keep working remotely should look at the Digital Nomad Visa instead — it exists precisely for that population and comes with the Beckham Law tax regime attached. The Non-Lucrative route suits people who are genuinely not working: retirees, sabbaticals, or a spouse joining under Family Reunification.