Self-Employed Visa for Spain

If you are not an EU citizen and you want to run your own business or work as a freelancer from Barcelona for clients here, you need the self-employed visa: the initial residence and self-employment authorisation, known in Spain as cuenta propia. It is judged on the business, not only on you. We build that business case, get the viability report, file through the consulate and, once you arrive, register you as autónomo. A case study at the start makes sure this is the right route and not the digital nomad or entrepreneur visa.

Our fee for the visa file, per applicant. Case study included: if you paid it first, its 100 € + VAT is deducted. After arrival, the TIE card (120 € + VAT) and the empadronamiento (60 € + VAT) are booked separately. Consular visa fees, apostilles, sworn translations, the viability report where it is charged and official fees in Spain are paid separately.

Freelancer, entrepreneur or digital nomad?

“Freelance visa Spain” searches lead to three different routes, and filing the wrong one is the most expensive mistake in this area:

A freelance designer whose clients are in London and New York is a digital nomad case. The same designer opening a studio for Barcelona clients is a self-employed case. Someone launching a scalable tech product is looking at the entrepreneur route.

What the file has to prove

• The activity is legal and you can carry it out. Every licence, registration or opening permit the activity requires in Barcelona, and the professional qualification or membership of a professional body where the profession is regulated.
• A business plan that holds together. What you will do, where, the investment, the expected income and the jobs it may create.
• Enough investment and means. Funds to set up the business and to live on while it grows, shown with bank evidence you can explain.
• A favourable viability report. Issued by a recognised body, such as a self-employed association (ATA, UPTA or CEAT) or the professional body for your field. The consulate will not decide without it.
• Personal requirements. A passport valid for the process, criminal record certificates for the previous five years, apostilled or legalised and translated by a sworn translator, and not being in Spain irregularly.

How we run your file

1. Case study. The activity, the clients, your money and your plans. We confirm the route or tell you which one fits better.
2. Licences first. We check which permits the activity needs in Barcelona. A premises licence can shape the whole plan, so it is not left for later.
3. Business plan. We write it with you, in the form the viability report and the consulate expect: realistic figures, not a pitch deck.
4. Viability report. We submit the plan to the reporting body and answer its questions.
5. Consulate file. The authorisation is requested through the Spanish consulate for your place of residence, together with the visa. We review the complete set before your appointment.
6. Arrival. We register you with Hacienda and in RETA through our autónomo registration, then handle the TIE card within one month of entry and your empadronamiento.

Mistakes we see most

• A business plan copied from a template, with income that does not match the investment or the market.
• Choosing a premises before checking whether it can be licensed for the activity.
• Filing as self-employed when most clients are abroad, which is what the digital nomad route is for.
• Funds that appear in an account shortly before the application with no explanation of where they came from.
• Entering Spain and then delaying the autónomo registration, when the authorisation depends on starting the activity.

The first months after the visa

The visa is where the business starts, not where the paperwork ends. After you enter, the authorisation depends on actually starting the activity you described. That means registering in the Hacienda census with modelo 036 or 037 under the IAE epígrafe that matches the plan, and registering in RETA with the Social Security. Invoicing under a different activity from the one the report assessed causes problems at renewal. When the first authorisation ends, the renewal looks at whether the business is still running and whether you are up to date with taxes and contributions. That is why we set up your quarterly obligations from day one, including VAT returns and income tax instalments, and not the week before the renewal. You will also need a Spanish bank account for contributions and client payments, so we plan it alongside the registrations.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply from inside Spain? The standard self-employed authorisation is requested from abroad, through the consulate. If you are already in Spain legally under another status, a modification may be possible instead. That is part of the case study.

Can I set up a company instead of being autónomo? Yes. Many people later incorporate an SL, and for some activities it makes sense from the start. See setting up an SL in Barcelona.

What about taxes once I am here? As a resident you will file quarterly and yearly returns. Our income tax service for foreigners covers it.

Is there a visa for hiring employees instead? If you will be employed by someone else, the route is the work visa, which the employer starts. To compare every route, see Spanish visas from abroad.

Visa fees, the investment and means the consulate expects, licence rules and reporting bodies change and differ by activity and consulate, so we confirm the ones in force for your case before you file.