A free PDF guide — means from €28,800 a year
A guide to Spanish residence forliving on your own means
A status for people moving to Spain and living on their own money: nothing has to be invested, and the family goes in one pack. We set out the thresholds by family, the requirements on insurance and what is examined at renewal.
- PDF in English
- Free of charge
- Verified on 12.08.2026
- Sent by email, WhatsApp or Telegram
Preliminary information is not a guarantee of approval. The requirements are confirmed on the date of application.
01 / The essentials first
What to know about the status before the calculation
Four things that decide the threshold and the way you will live on the status.
- No investment is required
What is evidenced is income or capital from €28,800 a year for the applicant. The money stays yours: nothing has to be invested or paid over.
- You may not work in Spain
This is a status for living on your own means. Remote work for a foreign employer goes on another ground — the digital nomad visa.
- You have to live there more than half the year
Real residence is required: 183 days a year or more. That is the condition of renewal and, at the same time, the threshold of tax residence.
- The family goes in one pack
A spouse, minor children and dependent parents are included in the application. A fixed sum is added to the threshold for each of them.
02 / The means
How much your family has to evidence
Set out the family: a fixed sum is added to the base threshold for each person.
03 / The family
How the threshold changes with the family
The requirement is counted from the public IPREM index and rises with every member of the family.
The values were checked against the official material on 12.08.2026. Only the rows for which there is no official wording are marked separately.
| Criterion | OneA single applicant | A coupleThe applicant and a spouse | A familyA couple and one child |
|---|---|---|---|
| The means for the year | €28,800 | €36,000 | €43,200 |
| How it is counted | the base sum | plus a fixed addition | plus an addition for each person |
| Work in Spain | prohibited | prohibited to both | prohibited to the parents |
| The card | 1 year | 1 year | 1 year |
| Renewal | for 2 years | for 2 years | for 2 years |
| Residence | 183 days or more | 183 days or more | 183 days or more |
| Permanent residence | after 5 years | after 5 years | after 5 years |
- The means for the year
- €28,800
- €36,000
- How it is counted
- the base sum
- plus a fixed addition
- Work in Spain
- prohibited
- prohibited to both
- The card
- 1 year
- 1 year
- Renewal
- for 2 years
- for 2 years
- Residence
- 183 days or more
- 183 days or more
- Permanent residence
- after 5 years
- after 5 years
The threshold may be met with income or with savings alike: what matters is evidencing where the money came from.
04 / The country
What the country looks like
Briefly about the country and about what sets the terms of the status.
- The essentials firstThe key facts of the programme: what decides the matter.
- A comparisonThe thresholds and the terms of the programme in one table.
- How the work runsThe process step by step — from the check to the documents.
- The analysisWhat is checked before the status is granted.
- The limitsWhat affects the timings, the costs and keeping the status.
- Your teamWho runs the case and what each specialist answers for.
05 / The order of work
How the process runs
The filing is made from the country you live in, and the whole family files at once.
- The means are checked
We look at the sources and at how they can be evidenced: income, savings, assets. What matters is provability, not the sum alone.
- Documents and the apostille
A certificate of no criminal record, a medical certificate, insurance from a Spanish company with no excess.
- Filing at the consulate
The application is filed in person at your place of residence, together with the whole family.
- The decision and the visa
The consulate considers the application and issues the entry visa.
- Entry and the TIE card
Registration at the address, biometrics and the residence card.
- Renewals
The first card runs 1 year, then renewals for 2 years. The whole process takes 2-4 months.
07 / The check
What the consulate examines
The means and where they came from, the insurance, the medical certificate and the absence of a criminal record.
- The means and where they came from
Statements, income certificates, documents on the assets. The consulate looks at the sum and at its origin alike.
- Insurance
A policy from a Spanish company with full cover, no excess and no waiting periods.
- The medical certificate
A statement that you have no illness requiring quarantine under the international rules.
- No criminal record
Certificates from the countries you have lived in over the past five years, apostilled and translated by a sworn translator.
The commonest reason for refusal is the wrong kind of insurance: what is needed is a policy from a Spanish company with no excess.
08 / The limits
What to take into account in advance
Five limits that bear on renewal and on your tax position.
You may not workNeither employment nor business in Spain
There is a separate status for work. A breach is a ground for refusing to renew.
Real residence is required183 days a year or more
Presence is examined at renewal: the status is no good as a spare document.
Tax residenceIt begins automatically
Once you have lived there more than half the year, you declare your worldwide income in Spain. It is planned before the move.
The insurance rules are strictA Spanish company, no excess
Policies from foreign insurers and travel insurance are not accepted.
The first year is shortA card for 1 year
The renewal is filed in good time: missing the date means losing the status and starting again.
09 / Your team
Who runs your case
The work is led by specialists who deal with the Spanish consulates and with renewals on the ground.
The editorial record
The material was prepared and checked by
- First published
- 12 August 2026
- Last updated
- 12 August 2026
The official sources
- The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and MigrationMinisterio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones · checked 12.08.2026The terms of the residencia no lucrativa and the requirements on means and insurance.
- The IPREM indexBoletín Oficial del Estado · checked 12.08.2026The public index the requirement on means is counted from.
- The immigration portal of SpainPortal de Inmigración · checked 12.08.2026The set of documents and the procedure for renewing the status.
10 / Common questions
Questions about Spanish residence on means
How much in means is needed?
€28,800 a year for the applicant, €36,000 for a couple, plus €7,200 for each further member of the family.
Will savings do instead of income?
Yes, the threshold can be met with capital in an account. Regular income strengthens the application but is not required.
May I work?
In Spain, no. For remote work for a foreign employer there is the digital nomad visa.
How long do I have to live in the country?
183 days a year or more. That is also the threshold of tax residence.
What insurance is needed?
A policy from a Spanish insurer with full cover, no excess and no waiting periods.
Who is included in the application?
A spouse, minor children and dependent parents — everyone files at the same time.
When does permanent residence open?
EU long-term residence after 5 years of lawful residence.
How long does the process take?
2-4 months from the filing at the consulate to the TIE card.
Free of charge
Take the guide and a calculation for your family
We will send the PDF with the thresholds and the requirements, and a preliminary calculation for your family.
- The thresholds of means for every member of the family
- The requirements on insurance and on documents
- What is examined at renewal
- The tax consequences of the move