Spanish Digital Nomad Visa — FAQ

Yes — it’s designed for UK employees too. The Startups Law (Ley 28/2022) explicitly covers employees of foreign companies who continue working remotely from Spain. You need bona fide UK employment, an employer letter authorising remote work from Spain, and an A1 certificate from HMRC for social security continuity. The freelance / autónomo path is also possible but more administratively complex.

For 2026, with the SMI prorrogado under Real Decreto 87/2025 at €1,184/month over 14 payments (€16,576/year), the DNV threshold is 200% of SMI: €2,763/month gross or €33,156/year for a single applicant. Add 75% per spouse (€1,036/month) and 25% per dependent child (€345/month). Lawyers consistently recommend a 10% FX buffer because UGE-CE converts GBP to EUR at a recent ECB or Banco de España reference rate, not the rate on your payslip. Full breakdown →

Either a degree relevant to the role, or three years of related-industry work experience. You can’t use, say, a Physics degree for a Market Research role — the degree must be substantively related. Degree certificates need a solicitor’s certified true copy first, then FCDO apostille (the FCDO will not apostille a bare degree). If you don’t have a relevant degree, use HMRC’s employment history service at gov.uk/get-proof-of-employment-history to evidence three years.

Your employer must have been incorporated for at least one year, and you must have worked for them continuously for at least three months before submission. Your contract needs to be permanent (indefinido) or, if fixed-term, must clearly extend beyond the visa period — you can’t apply for a 3-year permit on a 1-year contract.

From London or Edinburgh you get a one-year residence visa, low operational risk, and you arrive in Spain with the visa already in your passport. From inside Spain via UGE-CE you get a three-year permit straight away, faster end-to-end, with positive silence at 20 working days. The trade-off: UGE-CE effectively requires a Spanish lawyer (€1,500–€3,500), and you must already be in Spain on the tourist 90-day clock when you apply.

HMRC’s published 10-week processing time is widely missed in 2025/2026 — 15 to 27 weeks is now typical. The CA3821 (employer-side) and CA3822 (employee-side) forms are Government-Gateway-only since December 2024 — the print-and-post route was withdrawn. Apply at least 4–5 months before you need it, and lodge the DNV application with the CA3822 receipt if the A1 is delayed.

For the typical recently-married UK employee, 3–6 months from kickoff to landing in Spain with visa in hand. The binding constraint is HMRC’s A1 wait. See the recommended sequence →

Yes — once you’ve submitted, you’re officially waiting to hear back. Don’t leave the country, but you don’t need to leave just because the 90 days are up.

Usually yes — from about €40,000–€45,000 of gross employment income upward in Madrid (lower in Catalonia or Valencia where regional rates are higher). For an €80,000 earner in Madrid, you save around €7,400/year for six years. Form 149 must be filed within 6 months of registering with Spanish Social Security — miss this window and you forfeit the regime entirely. Full walk-through →

Once you’re Spanish tax resident, no — under Article 14 of the UK-Spain Double Taxation Treaty employment income is taxable where the work is physically performed. File HMRC Form P85 to declare leaving the UK, then Form DT-Spain Individual together with a Spanish certificate of fiscal residence (Form 30 issued by AEAT) to obtain an NT (No Tax) PAYE code so your UK employer stops withholding tax. UK ISAs lose their tax-shielded status in Spain, and UK government service pensions remain UK-taxed under Article 18.2 of the DTC.

Under Beckham — no. Under standard Spanish tax residency — yes, if you have foreign assets above €50,000 in any of three categories (financial accounts, securities/life insurance, real estate). The original confiscatory penalty regime was struck down by the European Court of Justice in 2022; current penalties are typically €20 per omitted item with a €150 minimum.

Yes. Eligible family members include your spouse or registered partner, minor children, financially dependent adult children (unmarried, no employment income), and dependent ascendants (parents over 75 are presumed dependent). You can apply simultaneously with your initial application or reagrupar later through UGE-CE. The income threshold rises by 75% of SMI per spouse and 25% per child.

Marriage certificate (GRO long-form, FCDO-apostilled, sworn-translated), passport, photo, ACRO certificate, separate health insurance, completed application form (MI-F), and the visa fee. A Spanish pareja de hecho registration is sufficient — no need to register again in Spain. For unregistered partners you need 12+ months of cohabitation evidence (joint accounts, joint tenancy, shared bills).

Generally yes, provided your remote-work addendum bakes in the V0066-22 fact pattern: employee-requested relocation, no Spanish premises, no allowance, no contracting authority, no Spanish bank account in the company name. The leading Spanish authority is binding tax ruling V0066-22 (DGT, 18 January 2022). Full PE risk write-up →

File the CA3821 form via the Government Gateway (so HMRC can issue your A1), sign your reference letter with the V0066-22 language, and apply Form P85 / NT PAYE coding once the visa is granted so your salary goes Spanish-tax. Most UK employers don’t need to do anything else in Spain if you have an A1 — no Spanish payroll, no Spanish tax registration unless you opt into Beckham (in which case the employer’s NIF may be needed on Form 149).

Three options: (1) UK employer registers with Spanish Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social as a foreign employer without permanent establishment (~€2,000 setup, then ~37% of gross salary in combined contributions); (2) switch to an Employer of Record like Deel, Remote, Velocity Global or Multiplier (€500–€800/month); (3) leave Spain or transition to autónomo, though autónomo is awkward because the DNV employee track requires bona fide employment. Full A1 lifecycle →

The defective employer letter is the most common rejection trigger, followed by income evidence inconsistencies, non-compliant health insurance, ACRO certificates older than 90 days, missing apostille on the degree, sworn translation by a non-MAEC translator, dormant Companies House status, NIE not obtained before the London Consulate appointment, and family-member documentation gaps. Full ranked list →

Generally no — UGE-CE accepts the employer letter without apostille if it’s on company letterhead and signed by an authorised signatory. Some consulates ask for it on the letter; check before lodging. The Companies House extract, ACRO certificate, marriage certificate, birth certificates, and degree certificate do need an FCDO apostille. ACRO certificates can’t use the digital e-Apostille — they must be paper.

Sworn translations must be by a traductor jurado registered with Spain’s Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (MAEC). UK ‘certified translation’ services that aren’t on the MAEC list are routinely rejected. Translayte and similar MAEC-listed services are fine; check the translator’s MAEC registration before paying.