What 'ready' means for status, money, work, health and housing

Terms used

• IPREM — The IPREM is Spain's yearly public reference income figure, used to set minimum income for visas.
• NIE — The NIE is the foreigner identification number you need for contracts, taxes and most paperwork in Spain.
• Empadronamiento — The empadronamiento is your registration on the local town hall register as living at an address.
• Tarjeta sanitaria — The tarjeta sanitaria is the health card that gives you access to public healthcare.
• Fianza — The fianza is the deposit, one month's rent, held as security for a housing lease.
• Homologación — The homologación is official recognition in Spain of a foreign qualification, needed for regulated professions.
• Aval bancario — The aval bancario is a bank guarantee that covers your rent if you do not pay.
• Convenio especial — The convenio especial is a monthly fee paid to Social Security for public healthcare if you do not otherwise qualify.

Key rules

• Entering as a tourist: For most nationalities, residence must be obtained from abroad, so arriving as a tourist and sorting it out later does not work.
• Health insurance: Non-lucrative and digital nomad visas need private cover with no copayments and no waiting periods.
• Digital nomad income: No more than 20% of your income may come from Spanish clients.
• Housing guarantees: Extra guarantees on a long-term lease cannot exceed two months' rent.

The short answer

You are ready when each of five areas has a clear answer: a legal route to live in Spain, proof of money, a way to earn or a plan for work, health cover, and a home you can rent. Most gaps can be closed before you leave. A few cannot, and it is better to find those out first.

Status: your legal right to live in Spain

Ready means you have a visa route you qualify for and you apply from abroad. Entering as a tourist and sorting out residence afterwards does not work for most nationalities.

Two common routes for non-EU applicants:

• Non-lucrative residence. You live on passive income or savings, with no work in Spain. You also need private health insurance, a criminal record certificate and a medical certificate.
• Digital nomad visa. You work remotely for companies outside Spain. You need a university degree or three years of professional experience. You also need a work relationship of at least 3 months with your foreign company, health insurance and a clean criminal record.

Which route fits depends on your nationality, so check your consulate's list of required documents before you start collecting papers.

Money: proof you can support yourself

Ready means your income or savings meet the route's threshold, and you can show it on paper. Both thresholds are tied to IPREM, a yearly reference figure that Spain sets in its budget.

• Non-lucrative: passive income or savings of at least 400% of the yearly IPREM for the main applicant, plus 100% for each dependent. Bank statements, pension or investment documents are the proof.
• Digital nomad: monthly income of at least 200% of IPREM for the main applicant, plus 75% for the first dependent and 25% for each additional one. No more than 20% of your income may come from Spanish clients.

For scale, the 2025 IPREM was 600 euros a month, or 7,200 euros a year. That put the non-lucrative minimum near 28,800 euros a year. Look up the current IPREM before you calculate your own figure.

Saving the required funds is fixable. Income that is permanently too low for every route is a blocker.

Work: what you can do once you arrive

Ready means you know whether you will work for a foreign employer, work in Spain, or not work at all. This decides your visa.

• Non-lucrative residence does not allow local work. The digital nomad route covers remote work for foreign companies.
• If you plan to look for a job in Spain, you need work authorisation. For non-EU citizens, lacking it is a blocker.
• Spanish matters a lot. Roles in tech, startups, multinationals, English teaching and tourism often work with little Spanish. Most other employers expect B1–B2. Customer-facing, healthcare, legal, education and public-sector jobs usually expect B2–C1. In Catalonia, the Basque Country, Galicia and Valencia, the regional language can count too.
• English-only jobs exist, mainly in Madrid and Barcelona, but they are fewer and competitive.
• Construction, agriculture, cleaning and care work usually need basic Spanish.
• Regulated professions need your foreign qualification recognised in Spain (homologación). Start this early, as it can take time.

Not speaking Spanish is not a blocker for most visa routes. It is a gap you can narrow before you move by studying.

Health: cover from day one

Ready means you have the cover your visa requires. Non-lucrative, digital nomad and similar visas need private insurance with full cover in Spain, no copayments and no waiting periods. Buy a policy that says so in writing.

Public healthcare works differently:

• If you work or are self-employed and pay into Social Security, you get access to the public system.
• You then register at your local health centre (centro de salud) with your empadronamiento certificate to get your tarjeta sanitaria.
• If you have no Social Security entitlement, universal coverage may apply, but some regions ask you to prove a period of residence first. Ask your region's health service.
• EU pensioners use the S1 form. Short-stay visitors from the EU may use an EHIC.
• If you do not qualify for anything else, you can pay a monthly fee to Social Security for public care (the convenio especial).

Housing: being a tenant landlords will accept

Ready means you can show landlords you can pay. Without a Spanish work history, you may be asked for more.

• Expect to show ID or passport, NIE, your last three payslips and your employment contract. Self-employed people may show a bank statement or tax return.
• Many landlords want rent at no more than about a third of your net income.
• Newcomers may be asked for a bank guarantee (aval bancario), a guarantor in Spain, payment insurance or rent in advance.
• For long-term housing leases, the fianza is one month's rent. Extra guarantees cannot exceed two months' rent.
• The landlord pays any agency fees on housing leases, not you.

Ask landlords what guarantee they want before you commit. You can close this gap from abroad.

Fixable versus blockers

You can fix before moving:

• Your Spanish level
• Collecting and apostilling documents, including the criminal record and medical certificates, and getting certified translations
• Buying the right health insurance
• Saving the required funds
• Arranging a remote work contract or letter
• Lining up a housing guarantee
• Planning your taxes

These can stop the move:

• No legal basis for residence, such as income too low or no eligible visa route
• A criminal record
• Not having the required degree or experience for a specific route
• For non-EU citizens, no work authorisation when you want a local job

If one of these applies, change your route or your plan before you spend money on flights or a lease. The checklist, documents list and timeline below cover the steps to take next.

Timeline and deadlines

• Show a work relationship of at least 3 months with your foreign company, for the digital nomad visa: before you apply

• Show your last three payslips to a landlord: when you apply for a rental

• Register at the local health centre with your empadronamiento certificate to get your health card: after you arrive and register your address

• Prove residence in Spain where your region asks for it before universal health coverage: after 90 days of residence in some regions

Documents you need

• Bank statements, pension or investment documents showing passive income or savings of at least 400% of the yearly IPREM (the official Spanish income benchmark) for the main applicant, plus 100% for each dependent. For non-lucrative residence.

• A work contract or letter showing at least 3 months of working with a foreign company, for the digital nomad visa. No more than 20% of your income may come from Spanish clients.

• Proof of a university degree or three years of professional experience, for the digital nomad visa.

• Private health insurance policy with full cover in Spain, no copayments and no waiting periods.

• Criminal record certificate, apostilled and with a certified translation.

• Medical certificate, for non-lucrative residence, with a certified translation.

• Empadronamiento certificate (proof of your address on the local register), needed to get your health card at the local health centre.

• Recent payslips (usually the last three) and an employment contract, or a bank statement or tax return if self-employed, for landlords.

Checklist

• Check that your passive income or savings meet 400% of the yearly IPREM for the main applicant, plus 100% for each dependent, if you apply for non-lucrative residence.

• Check that your monthly remote income reaches 200% of IPREM, with at most 20% from Spanish clients, if you apply for the digital nomad visa.

• Ask your landlord what guarantee they want, such as a bank guarantee, a guarantor in Spain or extra rent in advance.

• Collect your last three payslips and your employment contract to show landlords.

Frequently asked questions

Can I fix a housing gap before I move?

Yes, you can fix a missing local work history before moving by arranging a guarantee. Landlords may accept a bank guarantee (aval bancario), a guarantor in Spain, payment insurance or rent paid in advance.

Can I get public healthcare if I have no job in Spain?

Yes, you may get public healthcare without a job if you register and have no other entitlement or enough resources. Some regions ask for proof of 90 days of residence first. If you do not qualify, you can pay a monthly fee under the convenio especial, a special agreement with Social Security.

Is it a problem if I do not speak Spanish yet?

It depends on the job, but most employers outside tech, startups, tourism and English teaching expect at least B1–B2 Spanish.

Can I enter Spain as a tourist and sort out residence afterwards?

No, for most nationalities this does not work, because residence usually has to be obtained from abroad. Gather your documents and apply before you travel.