If you’re thinking of applying for Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa this year, here’s what you need to know about what’s changing and what’s getting stricter.
Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) first launched in 2023, allowing non-EU remote workers and self-employed individuals to legally be able to work from and live in Spain for the first time.
Three years on, both immigration lawyers and applicants are better informed about how to apply and what proof they need, but the goal posts keep changing and the application process is becoming somewhat stricter.
Earlier this year, the head of the UGE, the body responsible for handling DNV applications, explained via a webinar that they wanted to improve services and speed up processing of the visas, but at the same time ensure that requirements are enforced more strictly.
According to both experts from Remote Work Europe and Remote from Spain, the changes have come about for three reasons:
- The detection of fraudulent documents being submitted such as contracts for companies or roles that don’t exist.
- Applications from those who simply don’t meet the requirements.
- Applicants failing to register with Spanish social security once they’ve been approved and have arrived in Spain.
As a result of this, they confirm documentation is being checked more thoroughly than before and incomplete or applications or those with inconsistent information are more likely to be rejected now instead of responded to and asked to be rectified.
What’s changed?
Income requirements – The income requirements for the DNV change every year in line with Spain’s minimum wage. In 2026, the minimum wage was raised, meaning the financial requirements for the DNV did too.
This means the amount you need to earn to be granted the DNV in 2026 is €2,849 gross per month. If you’re including a partner in your application you’ll need an extra €1,068.37 and for each additional child it’s €356.12 extra per month.
READ ALSO: The new financial requirements for Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa in 2026
Strict remote requirement – Although the DNV was always designed to be a visa for remote workers and the self-employed, the UGE now want to be sure that your work will be carried out exclusively through computer, telematic and telecommunication systems, meaning 100 percent online. UGE president Luis Esteban confirmed that if the applicant’s duties require any physical presence, they will face problems qualifying for this visa. This means that you can’t apply as a freelancer hoping to get clients once in Spain.
“International teleworkers must perform their work entirely digitally and remotely; any requirement for physical presence will jeopardise the visa,” Esteban concluded.
Original rules stated that no more than 20 percent of income can come from within Spain and while that still stands, the UGE has clarified that applicants are expressly prohibited from working for national Spanish companies.
Proof of being self-employed in your home country – While you always had to have been working as a freelance or remote worker for at least three months before you apply, the UGE now want to see more proof of this, such as registration as a self-employed worker in your home country immigration lawyers at Remote from Spain say. Like previously, the company you have been working for must have been in existence for at least one year.
READ ALSO – DNV or NLV: Which visa is easier to get in Spain?
Registering with social security in Spain – If you are self-employed rather than a remote worker for a company back home, then you will be required to register for social security and pay monthly fees, as well as register as a self-employed worker here. Again, this has always been the case, but according to legal experts working at Remote from Spain, the UGE is cracking down on those who don’t register once they’ve been approved. Failure to register could have consequences, particularly when it comes to renewing your DNV application in the future.
Applications for renewals are stricter – For those who want to renew their DNV and stay in Spain longer, Remote Work Europe confirm that it will be necessary to demonstrate that you’ve actually been living in Spain. You must have been here for at least six months of the year and show that your income and work situation haven’t changed and still meet the requirements.
US social security and certificates of coverage – If you’re applying from the United States there are a few additional changes you’ll need to be aware of, mostly regarding social security. Initially, the US Social Security administration did not grant Certificates of Coverage for digital nomads, showing that they’re covered for social security, however, they have now changed their policy.
The US will now issue the certificate if their US employer provides a letter stating they are explicitly sending you to work remotely from Spain, effectively treating it as a “hidden” intra-company transfer.
READ ALSO: How does Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa income requirement compare to others globally?
Health insurance for US applicants – Because the bilateral agreement between the US and Spain does not cover public health insurance, US digital nomads must obtain private medical insurance when they apply for the DNV. The UGE states that the policy from providers like Cigna, Sanitas, or Adeslas must be comprehensive, with no co-payments, no waiting periods, and include coverage for hospitalisation.
Remember, it’s not just US applicants that need private health insurance, if you don’t have social security coverage from your country or your company has not registered for it in Spain, then you will need it as well. This is no different to before.
Applicants from other countries – A1 certificates or equivalent showing you have social security coverage in your home country remain valid, but only for a certain amount of time. When they expire, you’ll have to either get new one (if your country allows) or register with the Spanish social security system and start paying the fees, experts from Remote Work Europe explain.
Greater flexibility for exchanges – The UGE have confirmed that it won’t be so easy any more to exchange the DNV for a different visa. “The ease of modification to the general regime has been curtailed somewhat to try to avoid the fraud that occurred when people would bring in transfers between companies and then in the first year switch to the general regime … that doesn’t really work anymore,” said Esteban.
This means that to prevent fraud, the administration has restricted the ability to easily transition to a different visa like the normal working visa.
The DNV is currently the the most popular visa processed by the UGE. Data reveals that Russians make up the highest number of applicants and that it’s also becoming a lot more popular with Americans. The UGE has processed 475 applications from US citizens, 89 of those opting to move to the Valencia region.
