The Golden Visa Is Gone: 3 Legal Routes to Live in Spain in 2026

In short: Spain's Golden Visa for investments from 500 000 € closed on 3 April 2025. Buying property no longer grants residency — but it does not prevent you from obtaining it another way. Three legal routes remain: the Digital Nomad Visa, the Non-Lucrative Visa, and a business structure.

The first thing worth understanding: ending the Golden Visa did not close Spain to foreigners. It closed one specific route — the one where status was bought along with the square metres. The others never went away; they simply ask for compliance rather than capital.

Route 1. Digital Nomad Visa — for those who work remotely

For people whose income comes from clients or an employer outside Spain.

— Income threshold: from 2 850 € per month for the main applicant (200% of Spain's minimum wage). — Suits IT professionals, entrepreneurs, consultants and freelancers with foreign clients. — Spouse and children can be included. — Leads to long-term legalisation.

The key requirement is proving the work is genuinely unconnected to the Spanish labour market: contracts, statements, payment history.

Route 2. Non-Lucrative Visa — for those with passive income

For people who do not intend to work in Spain at all: those living on investments, early retirees, families living on capital.

— Requires proof of sufficient means to live without employment. — Explicitly prohibits working in Spain — that is its nature, not an oversight. — Popular with families relocating for quality of life, schools and safety.

Route 3. Business structure — for entrepreneurs and senior specialists

A real business project in Spain, or the Highly Qualified Professional visa. There is no fixed investment threshold here — there is a substance requirement: the project must exist rather than be a shell.

What changed for property buyers

A purchase from 500 000 € used to be both an investment and an application for status. Those are now two independent decisions. And, paradoxically, that is more honest: property gets chosen on its own merits — location, price, liquidity — rather than because it clears a threshold.

The practical conclusion: decide your residency route first, then the property. Not the other way round.

Important: immigration law changes, and thresholds and timelines are revised. Verify current requirements with an immigration lawyer before filing — this article is a map of the routes, not legal advice.

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