Spain Digital Nomad Visa

The Spanish passport ranks 3rd in the world in 2026, giving you access to 186 countries without a visa — including the USA, UK, Japan, Australia, and all of Latin America. But the biggest perk is closer to home: you can live and work in any of the 27 EU countries permanently, with no special permits needed. For global mobility, it's one of the best passports you can hold.

Spain's Golden Visa — which gave residency in exchange for a €500,000 real estate investment — was permanently closed in April 2025. The government shut it down because it was driving up housing prices for locals. No new applications are accepted. If you already had one, you can still renew it. Important to know: even when active, the Golden Visa never led directly to citizenship — you still needed 10 years of residency.

Three options stand out. Portugal still offers investor residency via a €500,000 fund, with citizenship possible in 5 years. Greece is the most affordable EU option — from €250,000 in real estate. Italy starts at €250,000 with a passport as strong as Spain's. If you're open to Spain without investment, the Non-Lucrative Visa (passive income) or Entrepreneur Visa (business owners) are still active pathways to residency.

It depends on your situation. Fastest routes: citizenship by descent (1–2 years, no residency needed), marriage to a Spanish citizen (2–3 years), or Latin American nationality (3–5 years with just 2 years of residency). Standard route for most other nationalities: 10 years of continuous legal residency, plus processing time — roughly 11–13 years in total. There is no investment shortcut.

Yes — significantly faster. Citizens of 20 Latin American countries only need 2 years of residency in Spain before applying for citizenship, compared to 10 years for most other nationalities. The total timeline is around 3–5 years. Even better: you get to keep your original passport — Spain allows full dual citizenship with all Latin American countries. Native Spanish speakers are also exempt from the language exam.

It depends on your nationality. Spain has dual citizenship agreements with 25 countries — all of Latin America, plus the Philippines, Portugal, Andorra, Equatorial Guinea, and France. Citizens of these countries keep both passports. For Americans and Britons, Spain technically requires renunciation — but doesn't enforce it in practice. Many US and UK citizens quietly hold both passports. The safest route to guaranteed dual citizenship is through descent or a treaty-country nationality.

Technically, Spain asks you to give up your US passport when becoming Spanish. In practice, almost no one does — and there are no known consequences. Spain doesn't notify US authorities, and the US doesn't revoke citizenship for obtaining a foreign passport voluntarily. Thousands of Americans hold both passports without issues. If you want a fully clean legal situation, the safest path is Spanish citizenship through descent from a Spanish parent, where renunciation isn't required.

The Beckham Law lets foreigners who move to Spain for work pay a flat 24% income tax for 6 years, instead of the standard rate that can reach 47%. Named after David Beckham, who used it when joining Real Madrid. You qualify if you're moving to Spain for the first time (or after a 5-year gap) with a Spanish employment contract or as a business owner. For high earners, this can mean savings of €200,000 or more over the six-year period.