Spain's digital nomad visa: what Ley 28/2022 actually requires

Ley 28/2022 — the startup law — says it in its own preamble: the visado para el teletrabajo de carácter internacional permits entry and residence in Spain for a maximum of one year while its holders work for themselves or for employers anywhere in the world. Those already lawfully in Spain apply instead for the autorización de residencia, for a maximum of three years, renewable for two — with permanent residence available at five. Article 74 quater confirms the visa's one-year ceiling (shorter if the work period is shorter).

Source: Ley 28/2022 (BOE consolidated text), preámbulo and art. 74 quater, read 10 September 2026.

The law limits the route to profesionales cualificados: graduates or postgraduates of recognised universities, vocational training (FP) or business schools — or a minimum professional experience of three years. Article 74 ter then lists what the file must prove on top of the general requirements:

• a real and continuous activity for at least one year in the company or group the applicant works with;
• documentation that the work can be performed remotely;
• for employees: an employment relationship with the non-Spanish company for at least the last three months before applying, plus the employer's authorisation for remote work;
• for the self-employed: a commercial relationship with one or more non-Spanish companies for at least the last three months, with documented terms for the remote activity.

Source: Ley 28/2022, artículos 74 bis-ter — BOE consolidated text, read 10 September 2026.

The income test is the most-confused fact about this visa: it runs on 200% of the monthly SMI — not an IPREM multiple like the non-lucrative visa. At the 2026 SMI that is €2,442 per month (€29,304 a year), per the derivation in our income-thresholds dataset. And like every Spanish residence file, the application travels with proof of health cover — the insurance side of this exact visa, and what consulates accept for it, is covered in our Spain DN insurance guide — and what your consulate accepts is confirmed on your quote call before you rely on it.

Source: Ley 28/2022 — BOE; income normalisation per our routes dataset (200% SMI 2026), read 10 September 2026.

The insurance line on this route is not consulate folklore; it sits in the statute. Article 62.3(e) of Ley 14/2013, in its consolidated text, requires un seguro público o un seguro privado de enfermedad concertado con una Entidad aseguradora autorizada para operar en España — public or private health cover arranged with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain — and Article 74 ter applies those general conditions to the international-teleworking route alongside its own requirements. The test is about the issuing insurer's authorisation, not the generosity of the policy, which is the distinction that catches applicants holding strong international plans. Confirm how your file will be assessed on your quote call before you rely on any policy for the application.

Source: BOE — Ley 14/2013, texto consolidado, arts. 62.3(e) y 74 ter, read 15 September 2026.