How your passport changes whether Spain is the right choice

Terms used

• TIE — The TIE is the foreigner identity card issued to non-EU residents after they arrive in Spain.
• IPREM — The IPREM is a public index in euros that Spain uses to set income thresholds.
• Arraigo — Arraigo is a route to residence for people already in Spain who have built roots there.
• Certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión — The certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión is the registration certificate EU citizens get for stays over three months.

Key rules

• EU, EEA and Swiss: You register within three months of arrival and need no visa.
• UK citizens: Arriving before 1 January 2021 gives protected status; later arrivals need a visa for stays over 90 days.
• Non-EU citizens: You can stay 90 days in any 180 without a visa, but settling needs a visa or authorisation.
• Citizenship: It generally takes 10 years of legal residence, but 2 years for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal.

Why your passport comes first

Advice written for another passport can mislead you. An EU citizen registers and stays. A US citizen needs a visa or residence authorisation. A UK citizen's position depends on whether they lived in Spain before 1 January 2021. Find your group below and ignore the rest.

EU, EEA and Swiss passports

You can live and work in Spain without a visa or work permit. For up to three months, a valid ID or passport is enough.

For a longer stay, register and get your certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión within three months of arrival. You must show that you are working or self-employed, or have enough resources and health insurance, or are a student. Permanent residence follows after five years.

Family members who are not EU citizens can get a residence card for family of an EU citizen.

UK passports

Your date of arrival matters most.

• Living in Spain before 1 January 2021: You are protected by the Withdrawal Agreement. Your green A-format certificate or biometric TIE-WA card confirms your rights to residence, work and healthcare. Permanent residence comes after five years. If you hold permanent status, you can be away for up to five years before losing it.
• Arriving after that date: You are treated like any other non-EU citizen. You can stay 90 days in any 180 without a visa. Longer stays need a visa and residence permit, with the conditions of the route you choose.

US and other non-EU passports

You can visit as a tourist for up to 90 days in any 180 days. To settle, you need a national visa or an authorisation from the immigration authorities. After you arrive, you apply for the TIE.

The main routes are:

• non-lucrative residence, which does not let you work
• digital nomad residence for remote workers
• highly qualified professional or EU Blue Card
• work for an employer, or self-employment
• study
• family reunification
• arraigo, for people already in Spain

The golden visa investment route ended in April 2025. The arraigo rules were reformed in May 2025. The decision block below helps you pick a route.

Each route has money conditions. Non-lucrative residence needs passive income or savings of 400% of the IPREM per year, plus 100% for each dependant. For 2025 that meant about 28,800 euros a year, plus about 7,200 for the first dependant. The digital nomad route needs income of at least 200% of the minimum wage, plus 75% for the first family member and 25% for each extra one. These figures are reset each year, so ask the consulate handling your application for the current amounts.

Latin American passports

If you come from an Ibero-American country, you get a real shortcut on citizenship, not on entry. Check whether your country needs a visa for short stays. For residence you still need a route, as for other non-EU nationals.

Citizenship generally takes 10 years of legal residence, but only 2 years for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal. You must also pass the CCSE test and the DELE A2 language test, though people from Spanish-speaking countries skip the language test.

Ancestry routes

Two options for descendants have closed. The Sephardic route ended in October 2019. The option for descendants of Spanish exiles and emigrants ran to 22 October 2025. Family members of Spaniards still have a favourable family residence route.

Questions that adjust any comparison

Ask these about your own passport, for Spain and for each alternative:

• Does your passport need a visa for short stays, and for how long can you stay without one?
• Is there a residence route for your nationality, and does it let you work?
• How long until permanent residence and citizenship? Can you keep your old nationality?
• Does your country have a double-tax treaty with the destination? Does it tax citizens on worldwide income, as the US does?
• Are there social security agreements, pension portability, and recognition of your qualifications or driving licence?

The checklist, timeline and FAQ below go through these steps in order.

Choosing between options

Which residence route fits you if you hold a non-EU passport, or a UK passport and arrive after 2020?

• Non-lucrative residence: You live on passive income or savings and do not need to work. You need 400% of the IPREM, Spain's public benchmark income, per year, plus 100% for each dependant. In 2025 that was about 2,400 euros a month (28,800 a year), plus about 7,200 a year for the first dependant.

• Digital nomad residence: You work remotely for clients or employers abroad.

• Work, highly qualified or EU Blue Card route: You have a Spanish employer or will be self-employed, or you are a highly qualified professional.

• Family route: You are a family member of a Spaniard or of an EU citizen, which gives you a more favourable residence route.

• Arraigo (settlement through roots): You are already living in Spain and want to settle there.

If you need to work locally, rule out non-lucrative residence. If you earn remotely, compare your income with the digital nomad threshold. If you have a family link to a Spaniard or an EU citizen, check the family route first.

Timeline and deadlines

• EU/EEA or Swiss citizens enter Spain with only a valid ID or passport: for stays of up to three months

• EU/EEA or Swiss citizens can apply for permanent residence: after five years in Spain

• Non-EU citizens, including US citizens and new UK arrivals, stay in Spain without a visa as tourists: up to 90 days in any 180 days

• Non-EU citizens, including new UK arrivals, get a national visa or residence authorisation: before any stay longer than 90 days

• Descendants of Spanish exiles and emigrants could claim nationality; this option has now closed: until 22 October 2025

Documents you need

• A valid passport or national ID card, which is all an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen needs for a stay of up to three months.

• The registration certificate for EU citizens (certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión), issued by the Oficina de Extranjería or a police station, for EU/EEA and Swiss citizens staying longer than three months.

• Proof that you are working or self-employed, have enough resources and health insurance, or are a student, to support that registration.

• The green A-format certificate or the biometric TIE-WA card, which proves residence rights for UK citizens who were legally resident in Spain before 1 January 2021.

• The foreigner identity card (TIE), which non-EU citizens apply for after arrival once they hold a visa or residence authorisation.

• The residence card for family of an EU citizen, for family members who are not EU citizens themselves.

Checklist

• Identify which group your passport falls into: EU/EEA or Swiss, UK, or non-EU (such as US), and read only the advice written for that group.

• If you hold an EU/EEA or Swiss passport and will stay longer than three months, register and get your registration certificate within three months of arrival.

• If you are a UK citizen who lived in Spain before 1 January 2021, confirm you hold the green certificate or TIE-WA card.

• If you are a UK citizen arriving later or any other non-EU citizen, plan a visa for any stay beyond 90 days in any 180.

• Choose the residence route that matches how you will earn your living, and check whether it allows you to work.

• Compare your income or savings with the threshold for the route you are considering before you commit to it.

• Check how long citizenship would take for your nationality: 10 years of legal residence, or 2 years for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal.

• Ask the Spanish consulate or immigration office whether your family members qualify for a residence card as relatives of an EU citizen or of a Spaniard.

Frequently asked questions

Can my non-EU family members live in Spain if I am an EU citizen?

Yes, family members of an EU citizen who are not EU citizens themselves receive a residence card for family of an EU citizen. Their rights come from your free movement rights, so they follow your situation in Spain.

Do I lose my UK Withdrawal Agreement status if I leave Spain?

Not straight away: if you hold permanent residence under the Withdrawal Agreement, you can be away from Spain for up to five years before losing that status. Protection applies only to UK citizens who were legally resident before 1 January 2021.

Can I still claim Spanish nationality through Spanish exiles or Sephardic ancestry?

No, both routes have closed: the Sephardic window ended in October 2019, and the option for descendants of Spanish exiles and emigrants ran to 22 October 2025.

Can a US citizen work in Spain on a non-lucrative residence permit?

No, the non-lucrative route does not allow work. If you want to work, look at the digital nomad route, an employer-sponsored permit or another work route instead.