Following in the footsteps of neighboring Portugal, the Spanish government announced last week a new Digital Nomad Visa. As a part of the Start-Up law, passed by the Spanish parliament on Thursday, the visa program aims to attract international talent from outside the European Union into the country´s workforce.
The main requirement for the Spain Digital Nomad Visa program is that applicants must be foreigners who are remote workers, self-employed, or are employed by a non-Spanish company that is operating outside of Spain. The remote worker must also meet the government's minimum income requirement to qualify for the Nomad Visa, which will most likely be twice the national minimum wage in Spain. As the current minimum monthly wage is €1,050, digital nomads must prove that they earn at least €2,100 – if not €3,000 – per month to be considered for the visa.
Details regarding the application process for the Digital Nomad Visa in Spain are yet to be clarified as the legislation has recently been approved by the lower house of the Spanish Parliament. Other requirements will be clear once the program is ratified in January 2023.
Patricia Casaburi, Managing Director at Global Citizen Solutions, reflects on the Digital Nomad Visa and how European countries are working on frameworks to regulate remote workers:
“Many European countries have already launched their Digital Nomad Visa programs to attract international talent into their economies. Countries including Georgia, Norway, Malta, Portugal, and Greece have announced their own Digital Nomad Visa programs. With significant global interest continuously on the rise and the proven success of these programs, other nations have been urged to create their own. Spain has long been a destination of choice to non-EU remote workers, and we are looking forward to seeing the unfolding of the Digital Nomad Visa program there.”
Those who acquire the Spanish Nomad Visa are permitted visa-free travel across the European Union's Schengen Area, which consists of 26 EU member states – for as long as their permit is valid.
