Non-Lucrative Visa for Spain

The non-lucrative visa is how people move to Spain to live on their own means without working here: retirees with a pension, people living on rental or investment income, and anyone with enough savings to support themselves for the year. It is what most people mean when they search for a “retirement visa” or a “passive income visa” for Spain. We prepare the complete file for the Spanish consulate where you live, starting with a case study that checks the one thing consulates look at first: whether your means reach the legal minimum and stay there.

Our fee for the visa file, per applicant. Case study included: if you paid it first, its 100 € + VAT is deducted. Each additional family member: 100 € + VAT. After arrival, the TIE card (120 € + VAT) and the empadronamiento (60 € + VAT) are booked separately. The consular visa fee, apostilles, sworn translations and the TIE fee 790-012 are paid separately.

Who this visa is for, and who it is not for

The permit does not allow any work in Spain, employed or self-employed. That single condition is why the route choice comes before the documents. Our guide to the non-lucrative visa in 2026 explains the route; this page is about how we file yours.

What the consulate asks for

• Means: 400% of IPREM per month for you, plus 100% of IPREM for each family member, available for the whole year. IPREM is the public reference income, updated each year, so the amount changes too.
• Evidence of those means: pension statements, rental contracts with the income they generate, investment or bank statements. Consulates look at stability, not a balance on one day.
• Health insurance, public or private with an insurer authorised in Spain, with full cover. Consulates usually require no co-payments and no waiting periods. See health insurance for residency in Spain.
• Criminal record certificate from the countries you have lived in during the last five years.
• Medical certificate stating you have none of the diseases that can have serious public health consequences.
• Passport valid for the stay, the national visa application form and the visa fee.

Every foreign public document needs an apostille under the 1961 Hague Convention, or consular legalisation, and a sworn translation into Spanish by a traductor jurado.

After the visa: the first year decides the renewal

The visa lets you enter. For a stay of more than six months you then apply for the TIE card within one month of entry, and register your address with the empadronamiento. The initial authorisation lasts one year. Renewals are granted for longer periods, and they look at the time you have actually spent in Spain, so long absences in the first year can cost you the permit.

Living in Spain more than 183 days a year normally makes you tax resident, and Spain then taxes your worldwide income, pensions and investment returns included. That deserves a check before you move, not after the first tax year: our income tax service for foreigners covers it.

How we run your file

1. Case study. Your income sources, savings, family, travel plans and whether you intend to work in any form. If another route fits better, we tell you before you spend anything.
2. Means pack. We decide which evidence shows your means most clearly and how it has to be issued.
3. Insurance check. We read the policy wording against the consulate’s standard before you pay the premium.
4. Foreign documents. Criminal record and medical certificate last, because they expire; apostilles and sworn translations booked in advance.
5. Consulate file. Complete review before your appointment, in the consulate’s own order.
6. Arrival. TIE appointment inside the month, empadronamiento, and a calendar for the first renewal.

Mistakes we see most

• Planning to keep working remotely on this visa.
• Showing a large balance transferred the week before, without the history behind it.
• Buying travel insurance or a policy with co-payments.
• Getting the criminal record certificate months early so it has expired by the appointment.
• Spending most of the first year outside Spain and discovering it at renewal.

Frequently asked questions

Can I work remotely on a non-lucrative visa? No. The permit does not allow work of any kind, and consulates generally treat remote work for foreign employers or clients as work too. If you will keep working, the digital nomad visa is the route designed for that.

Is there a special retirement visa? No. Retirees from outside the EU use the non-lucrative visa, with their pension as the main evidence of means.

Can my spouse and children come? Yes, with you or later. Each person raises the required means by 100% of IPREM.

Can I buy property and live on this visa? Yes. Owning a home in Spain helps show where you will live, but it does not replace the means requirement: the income or savings still have to reach 400% of IPREM, and buying property no longer gives residence on its own.

Do I need a Spanish bank account? Not to apply, since your means are usually held abroad. Once you live here, a Spanish account makes rent, utilities and taxes simpler; see our bank account service.

What if I want to change route later? The permit can be modified into other routes, for example to work, when the conditions are met. Our page on Spanish visas from abroad compares them all.

IPREM, consular fees, renewal periods and document requirements change and differ between consulates, so we confirm the ones in force for your case before you file.