Applied or invested before the repeal, how the transition rules work

Key rules

• What counts: Only a filed application counts; a purchase or investment alone does not.
• Existing holders: You keep your permit and renew it by showing the qualifying investment is still held.
• Selling: Selling the property can jeopardise renewal unless you reinvest, so ask before you sell.
• Later investments: Investments made without an application filed before the cutoff do not qualify.

The short answer

Only a filed application protects you. If your application was filed before 3 April 2025, it continues under the old rules. If you already hold the permit, you keep it and can renew it under conditions. An investment made after the route closed does not qualify.

If you applied before the repeal

Your pending application is processed under the old rules. What counts is the filing, not the money. A signed purchase contract, a property deed or an investment made without a filed application does not put you in the old route.

Proof is the official filing receipt showing a date before 3 April 2025. It comes from the electronic submission platform or carries a registry stamp. Keep the acknowledgement of your application, the registry entry number and, if you filed through a consulate, the appointment or submission confirmation. Deeds and payment receipts do not prove a filing. The documents list below gives the full set.

If you invested but never applied

You generally cannot rely on the old route. Speak to a lawyer before you count on it. If you have signed a purchase and are unsure where you stand, see the "what if" section below.

If you already hold the permit

You keep your residence. You can renew under the old rules: the first permit lasts 2 years, and each renewal lasts 5 years.

• Keep the investment. At renewal you must show the qualifying investment is still held. For real estate, the minimum was 500,000 euros. You generally need to keep the property.
• Be careful before selling. A sale can jeopardise renewal unless you reinvest. Ask the immigration office or a lawyer first.
• Long-term residence. After 5 years of legal residence you can apply for long-term residence if the general conditions are met.
• Nationality. You can seek Spanish nationality after 10 years of residence, or 2 years for certain nationalities.

What to do now

Work through the checklist below. Start by finding your filing receipt, since everything else depends on it.

Timeline and deadlines

How the transition runs

• Your pending application is processed under the old rules: after filing, until a decision is made

• Receive the initial residence permit, valid for 2 years: when your application is approved

• Renew the permit for 5 years, showing the qualifying investment is still held: before the initial 2-year permit ends

Documents you need

Documents that prove you filed before the cutoff

• Official filing receipt of your application, from the electronic submission platform or with a registry stamp, showing a date before 3 April 2025.

• Acknowledgement of your application, issued by the office that received it.

• Registry entry number of your application.

• Consulate appointment or submission confirmation, if you filed through a consulate.

Check with the immigration office that handles golden visa files, or a lawyer, which proof of filing it accepts for your application.

Checklist

Check where you stand

• Confirm that your application was filed before 3 April 2025, because an investment made without a filed application does not qualify.

• Do not rely on the property deed or payment receipts alone, as they do not prove a filed application.

• If you invested but never applied, ask a lawyer before counting on the old route, since later investments do not qualify.

• If you already hold the permit, keep the qualifying investment, which for real estate was a minimum of 500,000 euros in 2025, so you can renew.

• Ask the immigration office or a lawyer before selling the property, because a sale can jeopardise renewal unless you reinvest.

• Plan to renew under the old rules, with 2 years for the initial permit and 5 years for each renewal.

• Check whether you can apply for long-term residence once you reach 5 years of legal residence.

What if you already signed a property purchase for the golden visa?

Signing a purchase contract for the golden visa does not, by itself, keep the visa route open. What counts is whether you filed a visa application before the route closed.

Check whether the old rules still cover you

The investor residence route stopped accepting new applications on 3 April 2025. Only applications filed before that date continue under the old rules.

• You filed an application before that date: it continues under the old rules. Ask the lawyer or agent who filed it to confirm its status with the immigration office.
• You signed or paid but never filed: you generally cannot rely on the old route. A signed contract or a completed investment without a filed application does not count.

If your case sits at the edge, for example a filing that was started but not registered, get a Spanish immigration lawyer to look at your exact dates before you decide anything.

If the old route is closed to you

You have no automatic right to cancel because the visa is gone. What you can do depends on what your contract says. Have a Spanish lawyer read it before you act, and look for these:

1. A condition tying the sale to the visa. If the contract makes the purchase depend on getting the visa, you may be able to step away.
2. A deposit clause that allows withdrawal. Some contracts let either side walk away by giving up the deposit (the buyer loses it, or the seller returns double). You lose money, but you are out of the purchase.
3. A claim that you were mistaken or that the purpose of the deal has failed. Courts accept this only rarely, so do not plan around it.
4. Negotiation. Talking to the seller about a delayed completion, a lower price or a release is often the most practical step.

Do not stop paying or miss a completion date before you have taken advice. That can leave you in breach of the contract.

If you complete the purchase anyway

You can keep the property and sell it later, or rent it out. Long-term rental is simpler. Tourist rental needs a licence in many regions, and some regions are not issuing new ones, so check with the regional authority before you count on that income.

Other routes to residence

Buying property no longer gives you a visa, but other routes may fit. Which one suits you depends on your situation:

• Non-lucrative visa: for living on savings or passive income without working in Spain.
• Digital nomad visa: for remote work for clients outside Spain.
• Entrepreneur visa: for starting an innovative business.
• Family routes: if a close relative is a Spanish or EU citizen or a legal resident.

These apply to non-EU nationals applying from abroad. EU citizens only need to register their residence. Check the current requirements for your chosen route with the Spanish consulate in your country.

Golden visa end, quick answers

Does property I bought before the repeal keep the golden visa route open?

No, buying property before the repeal does not keep the route open unless you also filed an application before 3 April 2025. The filed application is what counts, not a signed contract or a completed purchase. If you invested but never applied, you generally cannot rely on the old route.

Can I get residence by buying shares in a Spanish company?

No, buying shares or investing in a Spanish company does not give you residence any more. The old route that needed 1 million euros in shares has gone. An investor needs another route, such as the entrepreneur visa, which requires an innovative project you actively manage.

How long can I stay in Spain as a visitor if I own a property but have no residence permit?

You can stay up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period, and owning property adds nothing to that. The days count across all Schengen countries, not only Spain. Some nationalities also need a short-stay visa, and visa-exempt travellers still go through Schengen entry registration.

What happens to my family members on an existing golden visa?

Family members authorised with the investor keep their residence, because it is tied to the main holder's permit. They renew alongside the main holder, who must keep the investment. Adult children must show they still depend on you, and children who reach adulthood may need to move to another permit.