Blog chevron_right Golden visa
ResidencySpain's golden visa has ended: the routes that remain for foreign buyers and investors
Published 20 October 2026·7 min read·By The Alveo team
Spain stopped granting residence in exchange for investment on 3 April 2025. Buying a property remains open to everyone, and other residence routes suit people who want to live in Spain, work remotely or build a business there.
The end of the golden visa
Ley Orgánica 1/2025, published on 3 January 2025, emptied the investor articles of the 2013 entrepreneurs law with effect from 3 April 2025. The closure covers every investment route, not only property.
Until then, a residence permit could follow a property purchase of at least €500,000, an investment of €2,000,000 in Spanish public debt, €1,000,000 in shares, funds or bank deposits, or a business project of general interest. None of these routes accepts new applications.
If you already hold a golden visa
Permits valid on 3 April 2025 stay valid for their full term. Renewals follow the rules in force when the initial permit was granted, and the immigration office accepts them when the original conditions are still met. Applications filed before 3 April 2025 are decided under the old rules.
The residence right cannot pass to someone else: an inheritance, a gift or a sale after that date does not support a permit, and a signed arras contract does not count as a purchase. Family members who apply after 3 April 2025 go through the general immigration rules.
Buying property in Spain without a visa
You do not need a residence permit to buy a home in Spain. You need an NIE, the foreigner's tax identification number, issued by the police in Spain or through a Spanish consulate abroad, usually within five days. The land registry records a purchase only with the tax numbers of everyone signing.
British and American citizens may stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. Since 10 April 2026, the Entry/Exit System records those stays electronically, and the ETIAS travel authorisation is planned to follow.
Alveo Search helps you find your home in Spain and guides you through to the signing, whatever your residence plans.
Living in Spain without working: the non-lucrative visa
The non-lucrative residence permit lets you and your family live in Spain without working, remote work included. You show resources of 400% of the IPREM index, which consulates put at €2,400 a month in 2026 for the main applicant, plus €600 a month for each dependant, over the length of the permit.
You also need health insurance with an insurer authorised in Spain. Several consulates require a policy without co-payments or waiting periods. Alveo Seguros, the group's insurance agency and exclusive agent of Caser, can answer your questions on cover in Spain.
You apply at the Spanish consulate for your area. The first permit lasts one year, then renews for two years, provided you have lived in Spain for more than 183 days in the year.
Working remotely: the digital nomad visa
The international remote work visa suits people who work online for companies based outside Spain. A self-employed holder may earn up to 20% of their activity from Spanish clients. You need a degree or three years of experience, a client or employer active for at least a year and a working relationship of at least three months.
Consulates set the minimum income at 200% of the Spanish minimum wage, €2,442 a month in 2026, plus €916 for the first family member and €306 for each additional one. The visa lasts up to a year, followed by a residence permit of up to three years, renewable for two.
Employees on this visa can opt for the Beckham law, taxed at 24% on employment income up to €600,000.
Investing through a business: the entrepreneur route
The entrepreneur residence permit remains open for an innovative activity or one of particular economic interest to Spain. ENISA, the public innovation agency, reviews the business plan and replies within ten working days. The law sets no minimum investment.
The permit lasts three years and renews for two, with access to long-term residence after five years.
Spanish nationality follows residence
Spain grants nationality through legal, continuous residence: ten years as a general rule, two years for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal. British and American applicants renounce their previous nationality. No law links Spanish nationality to an investment.
Legal references
A property project in Spain?
Talk to an Alveo adviser: reply within two business hours, in your language.
One team for your whole project
- checkSearch & purchase
- checkFinancing
- checkSelling
- checkRental management
- checkInsurance
Let’s talk about your project
Leave us your details and an adviser from your area will call you back.
Reply within 2 working hours · Monday to Friday, 9am-7pm