The investor Golden Visa in Spain closed on 3 April 2025 — buying property no longer grants a residence permit. But that does not close the door to Spain. Workable alternatives remain: the Digital Nomad Visa, the Non-Lucrative Visa, the Beckham Law tax regime and others. Below is what will replace the Golden Visa, whether Brits can still get residency, and how to choose the route for your situation.
What happened to the Golden Visa
From 2013, buying property worth €500,000+ granted an investor residence permit. The programme was scrapped over pressure on the housing market: from 3 April 2025, no new applications are accepted under the investment route. Previously issued visas remain valid for their terms, but buying a home is no longer a path to residency.
Note: a non-resident can still own property without restriction (see the non-resident buyer guide). It is only that the purchase no longer converts into residency automatically.
There is no single replacement — there are several routes
Spain did not introduce a "Golden Visa 2.0". Instead, several long-standing visas do the job, and the choice depends on your lifestyle and source of income.
| Visa / regime | Who it is for | Key requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Nomad Visa | remote workers, freelancers | income from foreign employers/clients, ~200%+ of minimum wage |
| Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV) | retirees, the passively-funded | passive income/savings, no working in Spain |
| Highly Qualified Professional | employment with a Spanish/international firm | job offer and qualification |
| Entrepreneur / business | founders, business investors | approved business plan |
| Ownership without residency | investors | own without a permit, non-resident taxes |
Digital Nomad Visa
The most popular "replacement" route for the Golden Visa. It suits people who work remotely for foreign clients or a foreign employer. It grants the right to live in Spain, brings family members, and often pairs with a favourable tax regime (see the Beckham Law below).
Income threshold: you must earn around 200% of the Spanish minimum wage — roughly €2,650–2,760 a month (about €31,000+ a year) for a single applicant, with uplifts for dependants (+75% of the minimum wage for the first family member, +25% for each additional). Requirements in brief:
- Employment or freelance activity that is at least one year old with the client/employer.
- No more than ~20% of income from Spanish companies.
- Private health insurance with full Spanish cover.
- A clean criminal record (apostilled) for the last five years.
- A degree or three years' relevant experience.
You can apply from your home country (consulate, three-year visa) or from inside Spain on a tourist stamp (one-year permit, then renew). The residence it grants counts toward permanent residency and citizenship.
Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV)
For those with passive income or savings who do not plan to work in Spain (retirees, the financially independent, early retirees). You must prove income of roughly 400% of the IPREM — about €2,400 a month / €28,800 a year — plus ~€7,200 per dependant, or the equivalent in savings. Full private health insurance and an apostilled clean criminal record are mandatory.
The catch: the NLV does not permit work, including remote work, so digital earners generally choose the nomad visa instead. It is the classic route for coastal villa buyers living off pensions or investments. Days spent in Spain make you a tax resident on worldwide income, so plan the tax side before you commit.
The Beckham Law
This is not a visa but a special tax regime for new tax residents who move to Spain for work (it explicitly now covers Digital Nomad Visa holders). Its benefits:
- A flat 24% on Spanish-source employment income up to €600,000 (47% above that) instead of the progressive scale that reaches ~45–47%.
- Foreign income is largely untaxed in Spain for the duration.
- Applies for the year of arrival plus the following five years (six in total).
You must not have been a Spanish tax resident in the previous five years and must apply within six months of registering with social security. It can save high earners tens of thousands a year — worth modelling against your property costs in the taxes and mortgage guide.
EU vs non-EU applicants
The route you need depends first on your passport. EU/EEA and Swiss citizens do not need a visa at all — they simply register as residents (obtaining a green NIE certificate) after proving income and health cover, and enjoy full free movement. Non-EU nationals — Americans, post-Brexit Britons, and others — need one of the visas above. This is the single biggest fork in the road, so establish it before comparing programmes.
Can Brits still get Spanish residency?
Yes. Since Brexit, UK citizens are third-country nationals, but they can still obtain residency through the Non-Lucrative Visa, the Digital Nomad Visa, work or highly-qualified-professional permits, family reunification, or study routes. The Golden Visa closing removed only the pure investment route — the others still work.
The 90/180 rule for Brits
As a tourist, a Briton may stay in the Schengen area for 90 days in any 180. To stay longer, they need a residence visa (NLV or Digital Nomad). The forthcoming ETIAS authorisation is a light-touch travel permit — it does not change the 90/180 limit.
Step-by-step: applying for the Digital Nomad Visa
The most common route in practice runs like this:
- Confirm eligibility — remote income above the threshold, a job or clients at least a year old, a degree or three years' experience.
- Gather documents — passport, proof of the working relationship, income evidence, criminal-record certificate (apostilled and sworn-translated), private health insurance, and proof of qualifications.
- Choose where to apply — the Spanish consulate in your country (three-year visa) or the UGE unit from inside Spain on a tourist stamp (one-year permit).
- Submit and pay the fee, then wait for a decision (often 20–45 days via the in-country route).
- On approval, obtain your TIE card and register with social security or file under the applicable tax regime.
- Renew before expiry; time accrued counts toward long-term residency.
How Spain compares with other countries
With Spain's programme ended, the lowest-cost investment residency in Europe is often cited as Latvia (from around €50,000). Portugal kept its Golden Visa but removed property as a qualifying asset (funds and other routes remain). Greece still offers property-based residency, at higher and rising thresholds (€400,000–800,000 by area). Italy and others run their own schemes.
| Country | Route | Indicative entry |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | Digital Nomad / Non-Lucrative (no investment GV) | income-based, no lump sum |
| Portugal | Golden Visa (funds, not property) | from €500,000 |
| Greece | Golden Visa (property) | €400,000–800,000 |
| Latvia | Investment residency | from ~€50,000 |
If your goal is specifically Spain, focus on the Digital Nomad or Non-Lucrative visa rather than an investment scheme — you can still buy a home freely (see the non-resident buyer guide), it simply no longer buys you a permit.
How to choose your route
- Work remotely → Digital Nomad Visa (+ possibly the Beckham Law).
- Have passive income / retired → Non-Lucrative Visa.
- Have a Spanish job offer → Highly Qualified Professional.
- Only want to invest, no relocation → own without residency; pay non-resident taxes and, if you wish, let it (see the rental rules).
Property and residency are now separate decisions
The key mindset shift after April 2025: stop treating the purchase as a visa. You choose a residency route based on your income and lifestyle, and you choose a property based on budget, yield and location — two independent decisions that used to be welded together by the Golden Visa. That is actually good news for buyers: you are no longer pushed toward a €500,000 threshold you did not need, and can buy a €200,000 apartment for pure investment while qualifying for residency through the Digital Nomad route on your remote salary. Model the numbers in our ROI calculator and shortlist stock in new-builds independently of your visa timeline.
Timing your move
If you plan both to relocate and to buy, start the visa application first — it has the longer lead time and fixed document requirements — while your agent runs the property search in parallel. Getting the NIE early serves both processes: you need it for the purchase and it smooths the residency paperwork. Aligning the two means you can complete the home purchase around the time your permit is granted, rather than waiting months for one before starting the other.
What happens next
Define your goal — income, relocation or both. Property and residency are now decoupled, so pick your visa route first and shortlist a property in parallel. Browse new-builds and regions, and for your specific situation send a request — a specialist will advise how to combine the purchase with your immigration route.