Your non-lucrative residence application file

Key rules

• Funds: You need 400% of the yearly IPREM for yourself and one more yearly IPREM for each dependant, shown as recurring income or savings.
• Insurance: Private cover with no copayments, no deductibles and no waiting periods; travel insurance is refused.
• Certificates: Criminal record and medical certificates need an apostille or legalisation, plus a sworn translation if not in Spanish.
• No work: You sign a declaration that you will not work in Spain, and your plan must not suggest otherwise.
• Consulate: Your consulate's own list and form version decide what to bring, so confirm them first.

What this file is

The non-lucrative route is for people who will live in Spain on their own money and will not work there. You apply from abroad, at the Spanish consulate that covers where you live; a visitor already in Spain cannot apply from inside Spain. You fund yourself, so the file is mostly proof: money, health cover, a clean record and a place to live.

Start with the form and the consulate

Use the national visa application form (Solicitud de visado nacional). Some consulates also ask for residence application data in the style of the EX-01 form. Consulates publish their own form versions and document lists, so ask the one that covers your area which version it wants before you fill anything in.

Prove your money

Pension statements, income records and bank statements all count. What matters is that the money looks stable and recurring.

For 2025 the funds test is €28,800 a year for you, and each dependant adds €7,200 a year.

• Money that was only just deposited can look weak.
• Income that is not recurring is a common reason for refusal or return.
• Some consulates also ask for a cover letter explaining your plan. Write one if yours does.

Get the right health insurance

This is the most common gap. The policy must:

• come from a company authorised to operate in Spain;
• give full coverage in Spain;
• have no copayments or deductibles;
• have no waiting periods;
• cover the whole first stay of one year.

The certificate should be issued for the full term and show your name. Travel insurance is not accepted.

Certificates, apostilles and translations

If you are 18 or over, you need two certificates:

• A criminal record certificate covering the last 5 years, from every country you lived in during that time.
• A medical certificate stating you have no diseases that endanger public health.

Both must be apostilled or legalised. If they are not in Spanish, a sworn translator must translate them. Each is valid for 3 months from issue, so order them close to your appointment and lodge within those 3 months.

Accommodation and the no-work declaration

Show a place to live in Spain, such as a lease or a property deed. Sign the declaration that you will not work in Spain. Make sure the rest of your file, including any cover letter, does not suggest a plan to work there.

Fees

Two fees come with the application. You pay the €80 consular visa fee at the consulate when you lodge. You also pay the residence permit fee (Modelo 790 código 038), €73.78, at that stage. After you arrive in Spain you pay the TIE card fee (Modelo 790 código 012), €16.40, within one month of entering Spain and before your fingerprint appointment.

Before you lodge

Compare your file with the consulate's current list. Check that your documents agree with each other, because inconsistencies also cause returns. If the consulate refuses your visa, you can file a recurso de reposición within one month of the refusal notice.

Timeline and deadlines

• Order the criminal record certificate and the medical certificate, then get them apostilled or legalised and translated: Early enough to lodge while both are valid
• Lodge your complete file at the consulate: While both certificates are still valid

If you bring family

Dependants add to the funds you show, and each relationship has its own rule:

• Spouse: counts as a dependant; you prove the marriage with the marriage certificate.
• Registered partner: counts as a dependant when the partnership is entered in a public register; you prove it with the registration certificate.
• Unmarried, unregistered partner: no automatic right to join you; you must prove a durable relationship and the consulate decides case by case.
• Child: a minor child counts as a dependant; you prove the link with the birth certificate.

If you are an EU or UK citizen, or a relative of an EU citizen

• EU citizen: you do not use this visa; you register under EU free movement.
• UK citizen with Withdrawal Agreement rights: your rights come from the agreement and you do not need this visa.
• Spouse, registered partner or relative of an EU citizen: you apply under the family member of an EU citizen route instead.

If you have a chronic condition, a disability or a dependent adult relative

A chronic condition does not bar the visa.

If an adult relative, such as a parent, travels as your dependant, they must prove they depend on you financially. Add documents that show it, such as records of your money transfers to them, and a certificate proving the family link. The consulate decides each case individually, so the relationship is not accepted automatically.

What to watch out for

• Apostilles, translations and certificates out of date: Missing or expired apostilles and translations, or certificates outside their validity dates, are a common reason for returns. Get the apostille and sworn translation done for both certificates, and lodge before they expire.
• No accommodation proof: A file without evidence of where you will live in Spain is often returned.
• Plan that suggests work in Spain: An unclear plan can suggest you intend to work, and documents that contradict each other also cause returns. Sign the no-work declaration, write a clear cover letter if asked, and check that names, dates and addresses match across every document.