Non Lucrative Visa Spain 2024: Ultimate Guide
Looking to obtain Spanish residency without the need for a Golden Visa investment in 2024? Then the Non Lucrative Spanish Visa program may be just the option for you. While the program is ideally suited to foreign retirees seeking to settle in Spain, it can also be a compelling option for a variety of other individuals and families.
Find out more about the benefits of the Non Lucrative residency program for non-EEA nationals, or contact us now below to request a free consultation with an expert Spanish immigration consultant.
Spain’s Non-Lucrative Visa Program is very similar to the Portuguese D7 Visa – neither have any mandatory investment requirements, both can lead to permanent residency and/or citizenship, and both work well for retirees. A key difference between the two, however, is that the Portuguese authorities will approve remote workers, at their discretion, whereas this is generally not the norm for the Non-Lucrative residency.
Before Brexit, as former EEA nationals, Britons were able to live and work in Spain. Yet given the country’s decision to exit the EU, UK nationals now need to apply for Spanish visitor visas, as any regular non-EEA national is required to.
The Spanish Golden Visa Program and the Non Lucrative Visa Program both enable British citizens to obtain Spanish residency, and both offer a path to eventual Spanish citizenship after 10 years.
While you can obtain Spanish residency by means of buying a €500,000+ property under the Spanish Golden Visa program, this is not a requirement in order to apply for the Non Lucrative Visa in Spain.
If you opt for the Non Lucrative Residency, however, you will have to stay in Spain for 6 months per year (183+ days) or longer in order to keep your residency renewable.
While you can apply for the Non Lucrative Visa without professional assistance, this is not recommended – especially if you don’t speak Spanish.
As of 2021, the key Non-Lucrative Visa requirements are as follows:
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You’ll have to prove that you have sufficient economic means to support yourself and any dependents while living in Spain.
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Even though you don’t have to buy a property in Spain in order to qualify, you will be required to have a fixed address in the country.
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You’ll have to prove that you have a clean criminal record, both in your country of origin and country of current residence, if this is not the same place.
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You’ll have to obtain comprehensive Spanish health insurance, without any holding periods or co-payments
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You are not allowed to be in Spain illegally at the time of application.
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You are not allowed to apply if you’ve previously been banned from entry into the Schengen Area.
Simply complete the below contact form to request a consultation with an expert Spanish immigration professional.
The current IPREM for Spain (2024) is €600 per month, or €7,200 per year (12 months). The amount remains unchanged from 2023 until the new 2024 budget is passed by the Spanish Government.
The Non Lucrative Residency Program at a glance
The Spanish Non Lucrative Residency is a very popular – and far more affordable – alternative to the Spanish Golden Visa. The trade-off is that you are expected to spend more than 183 days per year in-country, making the Non Lucrative route ill-suited as a back-up plan.
The program is increasingly becoming popular as a path to EU settlement, given that sufficient accessible savings can be used as the basis on which to apply. By means of family reunification protocols, you can bring your spouse, dependent children and even your financially dependent elderly parents to Spain.
While you aren’t expected to buy a home or property in Spain in order to qualify, you will be expected to have long term accommodation in the country.
After maintaining your Non Lucrative residence for a period of 5 years, you can become eligible to apply for Spanish permanent residence at 5 years.
You can also potentially apply for Spanish citizenship after 10 years, however applying for naturalization in Spain can be more challenging than in Portugal, for example.
Who is the Non Lucrative Residency Visa for?
The Non Lucrative Residency program is ideally suited to the following prospective applicants:
- Those seeking to retire in Spain, and able to support themselves financially in doing so, and without the need to revert to support by the Spanish state.
- Non-EEA nationals seeking to work remotely from Spain, as well as long term digital nomads (IMPORTANT: During the first year of your residency, you won’t be able to legally work in Spain, either remotely or locally. The slated Spanish Digital Nomad Visa Program should be more suitable to those wishing to work remotely from day one.)
- Individuals and families seeking to spend a year in Spain without working while discovering the country, but then wish to seek professional, salaried employment in Spain thereafter.
- Depending on how Brexit unfolds, the program may also become a viable visa option for UK nationals seeking Spanish settlement for the first time during or beyond 2023.
Key program benefits
The Spanish financially independent person visa, formally known as the “Visado de Residencia no Lucrativa” in Spanish, has recently started increasing in popularity among North Americans, South Africans, Iranians, expats from Kuwait, Ukrainians, Lebanese nationals, Russians, Chinese nationals, and Middle Easterners in general. The Spain NLV is thus often also searched for online using the below search terms:
Russian: Виза на жительство для некоммерческих организаций
Arabic: تأشيرة إقامة غير هادفة للربح
Ukrainian: Некомерційна віза для проживання
Chinese: 非营利居留签证
Nepali: गैर-लाभदायक निवास भिसा
Portuguese: Visto de residência sem fins lucrativos
French: Visa de résidence à but non lucratif.
The Spanish Non Lucrative Residency program is fast gaining in popularity among foreign nationals, and with good reason. Discover some of the key program benefits below:
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- QUALITY OF LIFE: Spain is world renowned for its varied, majestic scenery, sunny climate and relaxed lifestyle. In addition, it is one of the safest countries in the world. Combined with a strategic location and state of the art public and business infrastructure, Spain is an excellent place to build a new life in Europe.
- NO MINIMUM INVESTMENT: Unlike with the Spanish Golden Visa, no minimum investment is required to obtain a Non Lucrative Visa – though you will be expected to have a fixed address in Spain.
- BRING YOUR FAMILY: Your spouse, minor children and even dependent elderly parents can be brought to Spain on the basis of family reunification laws.
- SETTLE ANYWHERE IN SPAIN: You can choose where to settle in Spain. Unlike with residency programs such as those offered in Canada, there are no restrictions on where you and your family can settle.
- APPLY FOR A WORK PERMIT AFTER 1 YEAR: Once you’ve completed your first year of Non Lucrative Residency in Spain, you’ll be eligible to apply for a Spanish work permit and seek local employment.
- PATH TO PERMANENT RESIDENCY: Once you’ve maintained your legal residency in Spain for a period of 5 years, you’ll be eligible to apply for Spanish permanent residency – subject to you still meeting the program’s self-sufficiency requirements.
- PATH TO SPANISH CITIZENSHIP: While naturalization in Spain is a lengthy and challenging process, the country’s immigrations laws do offer you a path to eventual Spanish citizenship.
- QUALITY OF LIFE: Spain is world renowned for its varied, majestic scenery, sunny climate and relaxed lifestyle. In addition, it is one of the safest countries in the world. Combined with a strategic location and state of the art public and business infrastructure, Spain is an excellent place to build a new life in Europe.
Are there alternatives to the Non Lucrative Visa in other EU countries?
The Non Lucrative Visa program competes directly with the Portuguese D7 Visa and the Italian Elective Residency program. While there are pros and cons to all of these programs, the Spanish Non Lucrative residency program typically sees applicants approved based on their savings, rather than on their ongoing, stable passive income.
While the Portugal D7 does consider savings in lieu of stable, long term passive income, the Italian Elective Residency program tends to be more stringent in terms of the application of the passive income requirement.
Under all of these programs, the passive income sources that are broadly considered valid include pension, fixed-rate interest payments, endowments, retirement annuities, royalties as well as dividend payments, provided that you’re no longer actively involved in the management of the company.
What are the financial requirements for the Non Lucrative Residency Visa?
A key requirement of the Spanish Non Lucrative program is that you’ll be expected to have 4 times the annual IPREM index’s income rate in accessible savings. For a single applicant, the 2023 IPREM is €600 per month, or €7,200 per year.
At 4x the IPREM rate, you’ll therefore have to prove having a minimum of d€28,800 in accessible savings.
For a spouse, and every other dependent member being brought to Spain, the minimum provable savings amount goes up by another year’s minimum earnings at the IPREM rate, i.e. you need an additional €7,200 per year in savings for additional applicants. The savings requirement for a family are outlined below:
Compared with the Portuguese D7 program, this is relatively expensive, and the savings requirement can become a barrier to entry for families with several children. The Portuguese authorities favour steady, long term, ongoing passive income as the basis for D7 Visa applications, however assuming that your local consulate will approve your application based on accessible savings only, the financial requirement would be far lower.
| Non Lucrative Visa: Financial Requirements 2023 – SAVINGS | D7 Visa: Passive Income Requirements 2023 |
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| Primary Applicant: (€7,200 x 4) = €28,800 p.a | Primary Applicant: €760 p.m. (€9,120 p.a.) |
| Spouse: €7,200 p.a. | Married couple: €1,140 p.m. (€13,680 p.a.) |
| Child 1: €7,200 p.a. | Child 1: €228 p.m. (€2,539 p.a.) |
| Child 2: €7,200 p.a. | Child 2: €228 p.m. (€2,539 p.a.) |
| Family of 4 (Total): €59,400 | Family of 4: €1,596 p.m. (€19,152 p.a.) |
So, to summarise:
- The Spanish Non Lucrative (Savings) Visa requires you to have 4 x the minimum annual Spanish wage in accessible savings (4 x €6,948.24 per primary applicant), plus an additional 1 x €6,948.24 – the minimum annual wage as per IPREM 2022 – per dependent family member.
- The Portuguese D7 Visa (Passive Income) requires you to have stable long-term non-salaried income exceeding the value of a year’s worth of Portuguese minimum wages (€705 per month, or €8,460 per year), plus approximately half that amount per dependent applicant (€3,816 per year).
PLEASE NOTE: The above amounts should be treated as the bare minimum requirement. Depending on which consulate you apply through, the requirement may be up to double the indicated amounts.
Additional requirements and documents required
The below list includes most of the essential documents required to apply for the Spanish Non Lucrative Visa in 2023:
- Completed visa application form
- A valid passport
- Proof of savings or sufficient income
- Two identical passport photographs
- Comprehensive medical insurance cover
- Clean police record
- Medical clearance certificate
- NIE number (Foreigners’ Identity Number)
- Marriage / birth certificates (if applicable).
Obtain Spanish Non Lucrative Residency in under 4 months. Contact us today for a free consultation.
PRIMARY APPLICANT:
Fees from €2,500
ADDITIONAL ADULT DEPENDENTS:
Fees from: €1,250
ADDITIONAL MINORS:
Fees from €750.
Simply complete the below form and one of our expert consultants will get back to you. We look forward to being of service and helping you make your Spanish residency dreams a reality in 2025.
Spain Non Lucrative Visa overview for 2024 compiled by…
