The Spanish Golden Visa

What has changed

The Golden Visa, formally the Residency Visa for Investors, was introduced in 2013 to encourage investment into Spain. It was repealed by Organic Law 1/2025 and stopped accepting new applications on 3 April 2025.

Buying property in Spain remains entirely open to foreign nationals. It simply no longer carries an entitlement to residency, so the two are now separate questions and we are happy to advise on both.

If you already hold one

Existing holders are protected by the transitional provisions. If your authorisation was granted, or your application filed, before the cut off date, your position continues and renewal remains available while the original conditions are still met.

If you are thinking of selling the property your visa was based upon, or you are approaching ten years of legal residency, do speak to us first. There are usually more options than people expect, and they are easier to arrange in advance.

The routes that remain

Each carries its own requirements and its own tax consequences. Which one suits you depends on how you earn and how much of the year you intend to spend in Spain, and that is a conversation worth having early.

• Non lucrative residency, for those with sufficient means who will not work at all, including remotely
• Digital nomad visa, for those working remotely for companies outside Spain
• Self employment and entrepreneur routes, where there is a genuine business project
• EU Blue Card, for highly qualified employment
• Family reunification with a relative already resident here
• Free movement, for EU and EEA nationals and their families

A word on tax

Residency and tax residency are separate matters. Spending more than 183 days a year in Spain will generally make you tax resident here on your worldwide income, whichever permit you hold. It is much easier to plan for that in advance than to address it afterwards.