How to get Spanish residency: first steps

Why people put off applying for residency

90% of people put the decision off for years before they even start applying for Spanish residency. Usually it's because of false beliefs or the feeling that it's complicated and, in their particular case, impossible

Freelancers say:

"We have to earn a lot to get approved." But that's actually not true. There are Spanish residence permits that require you to prove an income of less than €3,000 a month, as is the case with the Digital Nomad

Entrepreneurs say:

"We need to buy expensive property to get access to residency, or invest a lot of money." That's not true either, because Spain has a residence permit that only requires you to hold a certain amount in an account at any bank (other than banks in Belarus and Russia) plus a business plan

Families say:

"We want a European education for our children, but we think relocating the whole family at once is almost unrealistic." That's not true either, because you can, in fact, easily add family members to your chosen residence permit

That's exactly why it's so important to understand all the nuances, so you don't make the wrong choice of residency — a choice that depends on your income, the number of applicants, your goal and your current place of residence

Let's talk in more detail about what Spanish residency gives you:

• The right to live in the country year-round and travel freely across the Schengen area (up to 90 days per half-year in each country)
• Free education for children in public schools and access to universities
• The ability to start a business, buy property or take out a mortgage on terms similar to those available to local residents
• Access to European healthcare and insurance
• The right to renew Spanish residency for 2 years, obtain permanent residency after 5 years and EU citizenship after 10 — and residency makes this the easiest route

Spanish residency is one of the most accessible options for CIS citizens among all EU countries

The statistics confirm it: in 2025 alone, more than 30,000 residence permits were approved for Russian citizens. As a result, because of the large number of applications heavily overloading the immigration centres, important changes took place:

• Document requirements became stricter;
• Income and savings requirements went up;
• Some residence permits can no longer be renewed, and others only if you live in the country more than 183 days a year

Despite these changes, Spain remains the most accessible country for obtaining EU residency. The main task is to do it without losing time, money and nerves. A mistake in choosing the type of residency can cost you thousands of euros or even several years — which is exactly why people come to us, because they know we'll get them to that coveted card no matter what

One of our recent cases — stand-up comedian Garik Oganesyan

He came to us because of visa problems — the French dragged him through a ton of paperwork for a talent visa and ended up refusing him. So he decided to try Spain

At the consultation we selected the Digital Nomad residence permit for him and began preparing the application. We gathered all the documents, including the criminal record certificate. He applied on 11 July, made it to a MUSE concert right before submitting, and on 7 August received approval

So let's look at exactly which types of Spanish residency exist today, along with their pros, cons and pitfalls:

01/First — No lucrativa, otherwise known as the "residence permit for the financially independent"

Conditions:

• Available to anyone with passive income of €28,800/year for the applicant + €7,200/year for each family member
• Stable income or savings, an insurance policy, no criminal record

Pros:

You live peacefully in Spain, travel, and your children study for free

The main difficulty:

You cannot work in Spain, and your income must come from abroad. On top of that, since May 2025 this type of residence permit can only be renewed if you actually live in the country at least 183 days a year — and in that case you have to pay tax on your income

Additionally:

• Documents for the No lucrativa can only be submitted through the consulate of your home country, and processing takes about 4 months
• A common mistake that leads to refusal on this permit is showing one-off income instead of regular income. People still run into this today
• This is a residency for those who have stable passive income outside Spain and can prove their financial independence

02/Entrepreneur residence permit (StartUp)

Conditions:

• An account in a foreign bank (other than banks in Russia and Belarus) holding at least €33,152 for the applicant plus another €12,000 per adult family member
• A business plan with innovative value, plus funds available to launch the project

Pros:

- With a Startup visa you can work in Spain or build a business. You can also add your family, who will likewise gain the right to work
- And through renewing the residency you can reach permanent residency in 5 years. You are also not required to live in the country 183 days a year,
unlike the No Lucrativa

The main difficulty:

It's the business plan with an innovative component. The most common reason for refusal of a Spanish startup residence permit is when the business plan doesn't offer a product or service that is unique to the Spanish market or significantly superior to what already exists. At ReloSpain we know how to write a business plan that will definitely pass approval, which is why we handle the entire residence-permit process from start to finish

Here's an example from our practice: our client Anastasia was looking for a chance to work on Spanish television, obtained a startup residence permit through us, and some time later not only worked on Spanish TV but fulfilled a long-held dream — she performed on the show "The Voice"

03/The Digital Nomad Visa for remote specialists or freelancers — one of the most frequently approved Spanish residence permits according to our statistics

Conditions:

Income of at least €2,849/month from abroad (lower than in other countries — Greece or Portugal, for example), and a remote work format

To apply you need:

• An employment contract with a foreign company, signed at least a year ago and still valid at the time of application. It's worth noting that companies from Russia meet this condition
• Bank statements showing regular salary deposits are also required

Among the pros:

• No business plan needed, you can work remotely and live legally in Spain for at least 3 years
• You can also add your family, and in some cases the residence permit can be used as a direct replacement for Schengen
• And, as with the Startup — you don't need to live in Spain 183 days a year

Among the cons:

Follow-up requests, which have become more frequent since late 2024. Most often they arise because the consulate asks to confirm the applicant's professional qualifications. But in reality the reasons for follow-up requests vary. Whereas before they only affected clients whose contracts seemed insufficiently "long-standing," they now reach almost half of all applicants

But we've learned to handle even the most unpleasant follow-up requests:
over 7 months we received 46 follow-up requests, out of which we obtained 46 approvals.
That's a 100% approval record

For example, Marina's story:

She chose to apply for Spanish residency on the advice of friends — faster to process and simpler to arrange. At the free consultation we helped her decide on the type of residency — we chose the employed Digital Nomad permit for her.

On 25 Nov we uploaded the documents, and on 2 Dec received a follow-up request to confirm her experience. We provided a contract from her previous job and on 11 Dec received approval. The whole process took just 18 days

04/The Digital Nomad autónomo residence permit

You might ask — what about freelancers and the self-employed who don't have an employment contract?
In that case there's the option of the Digital Nomad autónomo residence permit

• Autónomo is a popular form of employment for freelancers and small business owners
• Autónomo status is usually taken up by digital nomads who have suitable income for a Digital Nomad permit but work as sole traders or self-employed
• If you register as an autónomo, you'll have to enrol in the social security fund, report your income and file tax returns

05/Student residence permit (Visado de Estudios)

Technically this isn't a residence permit, but a long-term visa for staying in Spain more than 90 days for the purpose of study

This Spanish visa is obtained by students officially studying in the country — language or a degree, it doesn't matter. A student resident may have the right to work, but no more than 20 hours a week

Main requirements:

• Studying on a paid basis. Moreover, the institution must be accredited by Spain's Ministry of Education to issue study invitations for foreigners
• Such a visa is issued for the duration of study, no more and no less

Among the cons:

• A drawback of this type of visa is the need to pay for tuition, which can add up to a significant sum down the line, plus the fact that time spent living in Spain under this permit does not count toward permanent residency
• However, after the changes that took effect on 20 May 2025, more and more nuances have appeared when applying for this type of permit

What changed:

• Applications are now accepted exclusively through consulates in the country of origin. You can no longer arrive on a tourist visa and arrange residency inside Spain
• Minors can no longer submit documents on their own
• The permit will be issued for the entire duration of study
• If you study on language courses, you can no longer extend a study permit. You either have to enrol at a university or change your type of residency

Overall it's a decent choice if you want to get an education in Spain yourself or give one to your children. However, this type of Spanish residency isn't suitable for those planning to move and settle in Spain permanently

06/Residency by roots (arraigo) in Spain

Residency by roots is essentially legalisation for those who have been in Spain for a long time without a visa.
It's a kind of reward for already having spent a long time in the country without resident status

So what about the conditions?

Since 20 May 2025 Spain has introduced new types of residency by roots. As of today, Spanish law distinguishes 5 types of arraigo that allow foreigners to legalise their situation within the country. Let's briefly go over each one

@1 Arraigo familiar | Family roots | Available to parents, children or spouses of Spanish or EU citizens who live together with them

@2 Arraigo social | Social roots | For those who are actively integrating into Spanish society and have social ties

@3 Arraigo sociolaboral | Socio-labour roots | Issued where there is employment of at least 20 hours a week

@4 Arraigo socioformativo | Socio-educational roots | For those undergoing professional retraining or studying at institutions or on courses organised by the employment service

@5 Arraigo de segunda oportunidad | Second-chance roots | Intended for former residents who lost their previous status for reasons beyond their control

At the same time, each type of arraigo has its own common requirements:

• Continuous residence in Spain for at least two years before applying
• No threat to public safety, public health or public order
• No criminal record over the past five years
• Payment of the prescribed fee

The main difficulty:

• It's the need to provide an employment contract. You have to prove that you have the intention and the ability to work at a Spanish company. That's not so easy, because most employers aren't willing to offer even a preliminary contract to someone without residency
• You also need to prove a stay in the country of 2 to 3 years, and you won't be able to leave before obtaining Spanish residency

These are all the residency types currently available on a first application, if you previously had no legal documents allowing you to stay in Spain (not counting a visa)

How best to choose a residency strategy for your situation

• Applying on your own can lead not just to a follow-up request or refusal, but to a loss of money and time: from a month to several years
• Recovering after a refusal is extremely costly: new visas, new insurance and translations, new apostilles — the whole circle again. And if your visa expired while you were waiting for an answer inside Spain, you become "illegal"
• A mistake in choosing the type of Spanish residency can be expensive in terms of maintaining and renewing it too. It's important to assess the situation, goals and income structure as a whole and optimise the tax burden

That's why we recommend turning to our specialists and coming to a strategy session with an immigration expert. You'll find the link at the end of the article

• In 30 minutes, based on your case, we'll select a Spanish residence permit that will definitely pass approval, and go over all the documents, requirements, risks and stages of the process
• We develop a strategy for each client, rather than simply processing documents

To get the most out of the meeting, it's important to prepare properly.
There's a detailed guide that will help with this

What should you do? Answer the key questions that will help you prepare to analyse your case and choose a Spanish residence permit with us or on your own:

• What's the rough timeframe for applying? Ideally within 6-8 months, since immigration rules are constantly changing, and if the timeframe is longer we can't guarantee everything will stay the same
• Do you want to move to Spain and live in the country, use the permit instead of Schengen, or open a company? This matters, because your choice of the right permit depends directly on your goal
• Who is applying? On your own or with family?
• Where and how long have you been living, and do you have an open Schengen visa?
• Are you employed, a freelancer or an entrepreneur?

And now let's talk about an important nuance of any relocation — taxes. What is the tax system in Spain?

You become a Spanish tax resident if at least one of these criteria is met:

• You stay in Spain more than 183 days in a calendar year;
• Your centre of vital or economic interests is in Spain (family, work, business, banking ties);
• If your spouse and minor children live in Spain.

Tax status is determined on the basis of the full calendar year. If you move before the 183 days accrue, residency is usually counted from the start of the year; if later — from 1 January of the following year.

To officially end non-resident tax status or, conversely, register as a resident, you need to file the Modelo 030 form through your personal account on the Agencia Tributaria website.

We hope that after getting all this information you're not thinking, "Well, I'll apply in a year, no big deal." In fact that's a mistake many people make. For instance, those who decided last year to postpone their Spanish residency application to this year unexpectedly ran into the new changes, and also found that moving had become more expensive.

Let's show in plain numbers why you definitely shouldn't drag your feet: in 2026 the cost of living and rent in Spain is rising

According to experts, housing and living costs rise by an average of 8-12% a year:

• However, long-term contracts let you lock in the current price. So it's more advantageous not to postpone the move.

• For example, over a year the cost of rent in popular destinations can rise by at least €100-150 a month, which adds up to as much as €1,800 a year in overpayment on housing alone. Compared with last year and this one, that's exactly what happened.

Moving belongings and processing documents are also getting more expensive:

• Right now a move to Spain for one person is €8,000 to €15,000

• A year from now, budget at least +10% on top of these costs.

At the same time, the requirements for Spanish residency get stricter every year:

For example, the financial requirements for the Digital Nomad permit rose from €2,763/month in 2025 to €2,849 in 2026.

So the later you move, the harder it is to get established and the more money you have to spend. Plus the emotional burnout of living "out of a suitcase" and constantly waiting for better times.