Does buying property in Spain get you residency?

Key rules

• Property and status: Owning property gives you no residence permit or immigration status.
• Golden visa: The property-based golden visa no longer exists, so any offer of it is a red flag.
• Other routes: No residence route counts property ownership as a qualifying criterion.
• Indirect use: A property can at most serve as evidence of housing or means within another route.

No, a property purchase gives you no residency

Owning property in Spain gives you no residence permit and no immigration status. It is not a qualifying criterion in any route. The old golden visa, which offered residence for property investment, was repealed in 2025. If someone tells you a purchase will get you papers, they are wrong.

This applies to non-EU nationals. EU citizens have free movement rights and do not need a permit to live in Spain.

What you can do as an owner without a permit

You can own a home and visit it. But you stay as any other visitor would. A non-EU property owner without a residence permit may stay as a visitor up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period, because owning property gives no extra time.

Do not plan to live in the home for longer than that. Staying past the limit can cause you problems with immigration rules.

How property fits into other routes

Property is not a requirement in the non-lucrative, work, entrepreneur or family routes. Arraigo (a route based on roots in Spain) depends on continuous presence, plus work, social or family ties. Owning a home does not replace any of those.

A property can help only indirectly. For example, it may serve as evidence that you have housing or means. It never decides the application on its own.

What to do before you buy

• Choose your residence route first, then decide whether to buy. Do not buy in the hope that the purchase will open a route.
• Treat any agent or adviser who still advertises a golden visa with suspicion.
• Check any claim about a visa with the official immigration authorities before you pay anyone.

The warning below lists the investor visa claims to distrust.

Investor visa claims to distrust

• Promises of residence for a property purchase: Be wary of any ad that says buying a 500,000 euro property gives you a Spanish golden visa or residence. This route is closed to new applications, so the claim is outdated or false. Ask the seller to show the current official rule in writing. Do not pay a deposit or reservation fee based on a residence promise.

• Residence for funds or deposits: Be wary of offers that say moving money into Spain, or leaving a deposit, gives you residence. Funds alone give you no immigration status today. Walk away from anyone who links a payment to a visa.

• Guaranteed or fast visas: Be wary of a visa described as guaranteed, quick or available on request. No such product exists for new applicants. Ask which exact permit is being offered and check it with a Spanish consulate.

• Living in Spain beyond the visitor limit: Be wary of claims that owning a home lets you live in Spain for longer than 90 days in any 180-day period. Owning property gives you no extra time. Plan your stays around the visitor limit unless you hold a residence permit.

• Agents still advertising the golden visa: Agents may only mention it as history, or for applications made before the repeal and their renewals. Advertising a product that no longer exists can breach consumer protection rules. Report misleading ads to your town hall's consumer office.

• How to check a claim officially: Check the current rules in the Boletín Oficial del Estado, Spain's official state gazette. The ministry in charge of immigration publishes guidance on residence permits, and Spanish consulates handle visa applications abroad. Ask the consulate or the ministry's immigration office to confirm any offer before you pay.