Based on the Immigration Regulations in force (Royal Decree 1155/2024) and the information sheets of the Ministry of Inclusion. Sources at the end. The official texts are in Spanish.

In short: non-lucrative residence lets you live in Spain without working, with your own means. You need 400% of the IPREM per month (the public income indicator: €2,400 a month with the latest amount set by law, about €28,800 for the first year), 100% more for each family member, health insurance and no criminal record. You apply at the Spanish consulate in your country, not from Spain. It lasts one year and is then renewed for two years, as long as you spend more than 183 days a year here.

What it allows, and what it does not

It lets you live in Spain on savings, a pension or income from rents or investments. It does not let you work: not with a contract, not as a freelancer and not remotely for companies or clients abroad. If you want to keep working remotely from Spain, the route is the digital nomad visa, which has different requirements.

Applying for the wrong one is a common and expensive mistake. If you are not sure which fits, tell us about your case.

How much money you need

The amount is multiplied by the months of the permit. With the latest IPREM set by law (€600 a month):

  • One person: €2,400 a month, €28,800 for the first year.
  • A couple: €3,000 a month, €36,000 for the first year.
  • Each additional child or relative: €7,200 a year.

If your accounts are abroad, the bank certificate must identify the bank and the accounts and show the balance at 31 December and the average balance of the last year. Certificates that miss this are a frequent reason for a request to fix the file.

Other requirements

  • Health insurance with an insurer authorised in Spain, for the whole permit. Many consulates ask for no co-payments or waiting periods.
  • No criminal record in Spain or in the countries where you have lived in the last five years.
  • A medical certificate and a passport valid for at least one year.

Foreign documents must be apostilled or legalised and translated into Spanish by a sworn translator. Each consulate also publishes its own list: check it before you book your appointment.

How it works

  1. Work out the money you need for you and your family and gather the proof.
  2. Get the insurance, the criminal record certificates and the medical certificate, apostilled and translated.
  3. Apply in person at the Spanish consulate (or visa centre) in the country where you live. The visa and the permit are requested together.
  4. The Immigration Office decides within one month. If it does not reply, the application is treated as refused.
  5. Collect the visa within a month and enter Spain while it is valid.
  6. Apply for the residence card (TIE) in person within a month of arriving. In Bilbao, at the National Police on calle Gordóniz, 8.

It cannot be requested from Spain: if you are here as a tourist, you would have to go back to your country to apply. Talk to us before you travel.

Renewal and next steps

  • Renewal: apply in the two months before it expires. You must still have the money and the insurance and have really lived in Spain more than 183 days that year. Renewals are for two years.
  • Long-term residence: after five years of legal, continuous residence you can apply for it.
  • If you later want to work: after at least one year you can change to residence and work without leaving Spain.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Working remotely with this permit: it is not allowed.
  • Calculating the money per month and not for the whole year, or forgetting the family.
  • Insurance with co-payments or from an insurer not authorised in Spain.
  • Incomplete bank certificates, documents not apostilled or not translated.
  • Spending more than half the year outside Spain: it can block the renewal.

How we help

We check that your income and insurance meet the requirements, prepare the file with you, guide you through the consulate application and follow the permit through to the residence card and the renewal. We help you in English and Spanish, at our office in the centre of Bilbao (calle Colón de Larreátegui, 15), or by video call and phone from anywhere. Ask for a free first call.

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Sources