Spain Non-Lucrative visa
Understand nonworking residence, financial evidence and the documents for your Spanish consulate. Plan the application for your whole household before ordering certificates or arranging travel.
Discuss your finances and plans
Your legal provider reviews the financial evidence, household circumstances and intended activities. Tell us about any ongoing work or business responsibilities so we can identify questions requiring review.
Prepare for your consulate
Requirements and practical arrangements depend on the relevant consulate. Your individual checklist identifies the evidence to collect, what needs legalisation or translation, and what you must take to your appointment.
Your responsibilities
Obtain the required evidence, review the prepared documents, sign and attend personally where required. Insurance, medical evidence, legalisation, travel and government charges can add to the service fee.
Moving with family
We identify the documents needed for each standard additional family applicant. Your household quote separates professional fees from external costs. Appointments can be on different dates or at different stations.
Support after approval
The agreed service includes finding and booking fingerprint appointments for each applicant and guidance through residence-card collection. Appointment supply and processing times are controlled by the authorities.
A defined engagement
Your engagement letter names the legal provider and sets out the preparation work, one formal information-request response and exclusions. Appeals, renewals and tax or registration services need a separate agreement.
Non-Lucrative visa requirements: plan a nonworking residence
This route is for living in Spain without work or professional activity. Start by checking that your intended activities and financial evidence fit that plan.
- Financial resources supporting the requested nonworking residence and household.
- Health-insurance evidence appropriate to the application.
- Your intended activities, including any continuing employment or business responsibilities.
- Identity, criminal-record and any medical evidence required by the procedure.
- Relationship documents and circumstances for each family applicant.
- Your country of legal residence and the competent consular office.
Start with the free route check, then discuss any unresolved points before paid work starts.
Which documents should you prepare?
Prepare an inventory of application forms, identity evidence, financial records, insurance, any required criminal-record and medical documents, and family records. Confirm the relevant consulate's checklist, issue-date rules, legalisation and translations before ordering certificates. A list from a different consular district may not describe your procedure.
How should you plan the timeline?
Your timetable depends on obtaining evidence, the consular process, appointments and the decision. Plan travel around confirmed instructions rather than an assumed approval date. Later residence-card appointments are a separate part of the move.
Questions before you apply
Can I keep working remotely on a Non-Lucrative visa?
The Non-Lucrative route does not permit work or professional activity, including remote work according to official consular guidance. If you intend to keep working, discuss the Digital Nomad route instead.
Can savings or a pension support the application?
The route requires sufficient financial resources for the intended residence and family. Your provider reviews the type, ownership, availability and evidence of your resources; a single account balance does not settle the whole application.
Can I make the ordinary initial application from Spain?
The ordinary initial Non-Lucrative visa application is through the competent Spanish consular office. Confirm the correct consular district before arranging appointments or travel.
Does each family member need documents?
Yes. Plan identity and relationship evidence for each person, together with any other applicable requirements. Family circumstances and financial evidence need review rather than assuming the main applicant's checklist covers everyone.
Official sources and useful checks
Updated . General planning information; your legal provider confirms the individual application plan.
- BOE: Non-Lucrative residence rules, articles 61–64
- Spanish Consulate in Washington: Non-Lucrative visa
- Spanish consular services directory
Consular arrangements and evidence requirements can change. Check the relevant authority’s current instructions before ordering time-sensitive documents.
If you plan to work remotely, explore the Digital Nomad route and discuss suitability with your legal provider.
Keep planning your move
Retiring in Spain
Plan retirement in Spain through the Non-Lucrative route: savings, pensions, healthcare, consular preparation and a clear household service price.
NLV savings and pension evidence
Organise savings, pension and passive-income evidence for Spain’s Non-Lucrative visa. Understand household calculations, account ownership and consular checks.
Remote work and the Non-Lucrative visa
Spain’s Non-Lucrative route is for living without work or professional activity. Learn what to disclose if you have an online job, clients or an active business.
Moving to Spain with family
Plan a family move to Spain: compare Digital Nomad and Non-Lucrative routes, organise each applicant’s evidence and calculate transparent family service fees.
Know your cost before you commit
€1,190 for the main applicant and €250 per standard additional family member, including VAT. Two equal payments. Government fees and translations are separate.