Is the non-lucrative visa right for you?

Key rules

• No work: You cannot work in Spain, as an employee or self-employed, while on the non-lucrative visa.
• Funds: Savings with no pension can qualify, but plan for the renewal test.
• Remote work: Earned remote income does not fit this visa; the digital nomad visa is built for it.
• Family: The money you must show rises with each family member.

The non-lucrative visa is for people who can live in Spain on savings or passive income and will not work there at all. If that is you, it is a good fit. If you may want to work later, retire early with thin savings, or rely on one income for a family, it fits poorly.

Who it fits

• Retirees with a pension. This is the classic profile.
• People with steady passive income, such as rent or dividends.
• People with substantial savings who do not need Spanish income.
• Couples where a partner's income covers the requirement, and neither plans to work in Spain.

The route asks for enough money, private full-cover health insurance with no co-payments, a clean criminal record, and no work in Spain.

Who it fits poorly

• Early retirees with no pension. Savings alone can pass the funds test, with no state pension needed. But you must show the yearly amount for the first year, and consulates often expect more than the minimum to cover renewals. If you would drain savings quickly, this is risky, because your funds are tested again at renewal.
• Single-income couples. The requirement rises for each family member. One income that must also cover a dependant can fall short.
• Anyone who wants to work or run a business in Spain. Work is not allowed, as an employee or self-employed.
• People whose income is earned remote work. That does not count as passive income. The digital nomad visa suits this better.
• People unwilling to pay for private insurance.

Money: what to expect

The main applicant must show 400% of the IPREM, 28,800 euros a year in 2025, plus 100% of the IPREM, 7,200 euros, for each dependant.

Bank statements covering the last 3 to 6 months are expected, and a sudden large deposit before you apply can raise questions; how Spain counts your money has the detail.

If you might want to work later

A non-lucrative holder can apply to change to a permit that allows work, after holding the non-lucrative authorisation for 1 year. The usual routes are the digital nomad permit or a work or self-employment permit. These usually need a job offer or business plan and the right qualifications. Another route is social arraigo, after two years of residence, if you meet its requirements.

Digital nomad visa: the main alternative

The digital nomad visa is the alternative if you work remotely for companies outside Spain.

Other routes

If neither visa fits, look at employee work visas, self-employed or entrepreneur permits, family reunification, student visas, or a residence card as the family member of an EU citizen. People already in Spain for a long time can look at arraigo routes. The golden visa for property purchases ended on 3 April 2025.

If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen

You do not need the non-lucrative visa. Register your residence in Spain instead.

If you are a UK citizen with Withdrawal Agreement rights from living in Spain before 2021, you keep those rights and do not use this visa either.

If you already live in Spain on a short stay

You cannot apply from inside Spain. The non-lucrative visa is applied for at the consulate in your country of legal residence before you travel to Spain.