Spain's non-lucrative residence visa: living in Spain without working

Non-lucrative temporary residence (residencia no lucrativa) lets you live in Spain without working if you show sufficient means of your own and health insurance. You apply from your home country, with a visa from the Spanish consulate, and it is the usual route for retirees and people living on pensions, rental income or savings.

It is governed by articles 61 to 64 of the Immigration Regulation (Royal Decree 1155/2024). What follows helps whether you are applying for the first time or renewing.

What it allows and what it does not

• It allows you and your family to live in Spain, to study, and to travel in the Schengen area for short stays.
• It does not allow employment or professional activity in Spain. If you want to work later, you will have to modify the permit.
• It counts as legal residence for long-term residence and nationality.

Requirements

Those specific to article 61:

• Sufficient financial means to support yourself and your family for the whole period, without needing to work.
• Health insurance.
• Not being a threat to public order, security or health.
• Not being within a commitment not to return to Spain.
• Processing fee.

And the general residence visa requirements (article 38):

• Not being in Spain irregularly.
• A passport valid for at least one year.
• No criminal record in the countries where you lived in the last five years.
• A medical certificate showing you have no disease with serious public health implications.

How much money you must show

Article 62 sets minimum amounts by reference to the IPREM, Spain's public income index:

• For you: a monthly amount equal to 400% of the IPREM.
• For each dependent relative: a further 100% of the IPREM per month.

The total is the monthly figure multiplied by the validity of the permit requested. The IPREM is set each year in the budget: use the figure in force when you apply.

You can prove it with a regular source of income — pension, rental income, dividends — or with available assets. The rule accepts any means of evidence: bank certificates, title deeds, certified cheques or credit cards with a bank certificate of the available credit.

What does not count: income from work you intend to do in Spain.

How to apply

1. Gather documents in your country: criminal record and medical certificate, legalised or apostilled and translated; financial evidence; insurance policy.
2. Apply for the visa at the Spanish consulate for your area, in person.
3. The consulate forwards the file and the Immigration Office of the province where you will live assesses the requirements. It has one month to decide on the permit from receiving the communication; with no answer it is deemed refused.
4. With the permit granted, the consulate issues the visa.
5. Enter Spain within the visa's validity.
6. Within one month of entry, apply for the card (TIE) at the Police.

If you already live legally in Spain on another permit, the path is different: it is examined as a modification.

Renewal: this time from Spain

Renewal is requested in the two months before expiry (or, with a possible fine, the three after) and can only be filed electronically. You must show:

• That you still have financial means at article 62 levels for the new period.
• That you kept health insurance throughout and still have it.
• That your children of compulsory school age are in school.
• That you actually lived in Spain for more than one hundred and eighty-three days in the calendar year.

That last requirement causes most surprises: non-lucrative residence is not a holiday permit. If you spend most of the year abroad, it is not renewed.

Note too that living in Spain for more than one hundred and eighty-three days a year usually makes you tax resident; consult a tax adviser before you come.

And afterwards

After five years of legal, continuous residence you can apply for long-term residence, which does allow work. Before that, if a job offer comes up or you want to start a business, modification to residence and work is possible after one year of residence.

Common mistakes

• Applying while already in Spain as a tourist. The visa is processed at the consulate and requires you not to be here irregularly.
• Presenting remote-work income as if it were passive income without first checking whether it fits; other permits exist for remote work.
• Insurance with waiting periods or co-payments that does not give full cover.
• Calculating with another year's IPREM.
• Spending more than half the year abroad and discovering it at renewal.
• Starting to work in Spain on this permit.

Frequently asked questions

Can I work remotely for a foreign company on the non-lucrative permit?

The permit is granted to live here without carrying out employment or professional activity. If your plan is to work remotely from Spain, first check which permit applies to you.

Does money in an account outside Spain count?

The rule accepts any means of proving availability. In practice, the clearer and more traceable the bank documents — and their translation — the fewer the problems.

Can my spouse and children come with me?

Yes, by showing a further 100% of the IPREM per month for each dependent relative, plus their health insurance.

What insurance is required?

Health insurance with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain. Check it covers the whole period of the permit.

How long does it last?

The initial permit is for one year. Renewals are granted for longer periods if you keep meeting the requirements.

Your next step

The free test checks whether your income is enough for you and your family and which documents to request at home. For questions about the consulate or insurance, ask Resi.