Staying longer than a vacation
Every year more Americans decide that two weeks in Spain is not enough: a winter in Málaga or the Canaries, retirement in Valencia on a pension, remote work from Madrid. Spain makes this possible, but only with the right visa, applied for in the right order, with paperwork that takes months.
The visa decision comes first, and almost everything else follows from it: whether you can work, how much money you must show, what insurance you need and whether you end up paying Spanish tax. Rules changed a lot in 2025, when a new immigration regulation took effect and the golden visa closed. Treat this page as a map, confirm details with the Spanish consulate that serves your state, and for taxes or a business, pay for an hour with a qualified advisor on each side of the Atlantic.
The 90-day limit
As a US passport holder you can spend up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period in the Schengen area without a visa. That limit covers all the Schengen countries together, so time in France, Portugal or Italy uses up the same days. You cannot extend a tourist stay from inside Spain.
A "visa run" to Morocco, the UK or Gibraltar does not reset the clock; days you already used stay in the 180-day window until they roll out of it. Since the EU's Entry/Exit System became fully operational in April 2026, every entry and exit is logged with your fingerprints and face, and overstays are flagged automatically when you leave. An overstay can mean a fine and a ban that complicates any future visa. Our entry rules page has a worked example of the day count.
Different from home
US entry rules work per visit. Schengen counts every day across every trip and every member country, so a snowbird who spends February and March in Spain and September and October in Italy can run out of days without noticing. More than about three months a year in Europe means a national visa from one country.
Choosing a visa
Spain's long-stay visas are national visas, issued by a Spanish consulate in the US before you travel. Each one leads to a residence permit and a physical card once you arrive. Here are the routes Americans use most.
| Route | Best for | Can you work? | Money to show (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-lucrative residence visa | Retirees, people living on savings, pensions or investments | No, including remote work for US clients | €28,800 a year (about $32,300) plus €7,200 (about $8,100) per dependent |
| Digital nomad visa (international teleworker) | Remote employees and freelancers working for non-Spanish companies | Yes, remotely, with up to 20% of income from Spanish clients | About €2,849 a month (about $3,190) for one person |
| Student visa | Degree programs, language schools, study abroad | Part-time work within limits | Proof of funds for the course period |
| Language assistant program | College graduates who want a school year teaching English | Only the assistant job itself | Monthly stipend covers the basics |
| Work or highly qualified professional permits | People with a Spanish job offer or a transfer | Yes, for that employer | Set by the job and salary |
| Family of a Spanish or EU citizen | Spouses and registered partners of EU citizens living in Spain | Yes | Varies |
The two that matter for most readers are the non-lucrative visa and the digital nomad visa. If you plan to keep working for a US company from Spain, the non-lucrative visa is the wrong tool, however tempting its simpler paperwork looks; consulates now ask working-age applicants to prove they will not work, and lying about it puts your renewal at risk.
For younger movers, the Spanish Ministry of Education's language assistant program (auxiliares de conversación) places American college graduates in public schools for a school year to help teach English, with a monthly stipend. Applications open in the winter for the following school year. A student visa is a good start too, though student time counts for less when you later apply for long-term residence.
The non-lucrative visa
The visado de residencia no lucrativa (non-lucrative residence visa) is the classic retiree route. You show that you can support yourself without working, buy Spanish private health insurance and agree not to work in Spain. In exchange you get the right to live here, and after five years you can apply for long-term residence.
How much money you need
The requirement is pegged to the IPREM, a government index for benefit thresholds: 400% of the annual IPREM for the main applicant and 100% more per family member. With the IPREM held at €600 a month, that is €28,800 a year (about $32,300) for one person and €36,000 (about $40,300) for a couple. A pension, other regular income or savings covering at least the first year all count; bring bank statements and Social Security or pension letters.
Insider tip
The legal minimum and what a consulate is comfortable approving are two different things. Many applicants show comfortably more than the minimum, ideally in accounts they have held for months, rather than a lump of money that arrived the week before the appointment. Large unexplained transfers invite questions.
The documents
- Passport valid for at least a year, with two blank pages, issued within the last 10 years, plus the national visa form and form EX-01.
- FBI background check, issued within six months, with a federal apostille from the US State Department (a state apostille is refused), plus records from any country you lived in during the past five years.
- Medical certificate, issued within 90 days, signed and stamped by a doctor, stating you have no disease posing a serious public health risk under the International Health Regulations.
- Spanish health insurance from an insurer authorized in Spain, for a full year, with no deductibles, copays, waiting periods or limits. Travel insurance is refused.
- Proof of funds and, if you are of working age, proof you will not work, such as a retirement letter or a notarized statement.
- Proof you live in the consulate's area and translations by a traductor jurado (sworn translator).
Fees, timing and how long it lasts
At the Los Angeles consulate the visa fee for US citizens is $140, plus $13 for the residence authorization form, and other consulates charge similar amounts. Spain has consulates in Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, San Juan and Washington, D.C., and you must apply at the one that covers your state, in person, by appointment. Several of them outsource document intake to BLS International. The legal deadline for a decision is three months, and the visa you collect is valid for 90 days, during which you must enter Spain.
The first residence permit lasts one year. Renewals follow in longer blocks (the regulation that took effect in May 2025 changed several renewal periods, so confirm the current length when you file), and you need to show you lived in Spain for more than half of each year and still meet the income test. After five years of legal residence you can apply for residencia de larga duración (long-term residence).
Watch out
The FBI check, apostille, translation and medical certificate all have expiry windows, and consulate appointments can be weeks out. Work backward: book the appointment first, then time the background check and the medical so everything is still fresh on the day. Getting this order wrong is the most common reason people pay for a second round of documents.
The digital nomad visa
Spain's international teleworker visa, created by the 2022 Startup Law, is for people who work remotely for companies or clients outside Spain. It is the right choice if you keep a US job or run a freelance business with mostly foreign clients.
The requirements
- Income: 200% of Spain's monthly minimum wage. With the 2026 minimum wage set at €1,221 a month in 14 payments (approved by royal decree in February 2026), the threshold is about €2,849 a month (about $3,190). Add about €1,068 (about $1,200) for a spouse or partner and about €356 (about $400) for each child.
- Who you work for: your employer or clients must be outside Spain. Freelancers can take up to 20% of their income from Spanish clients.
- Track record: the company must have been operating for at least a year, and you must have worked with it for at least three months.
- Qualifications: a university degree, or at least three years of professional experience in your field.
- Social security: employees of a US company usually get a certificate of coverage from the US Social Security Administration under the US-Spain totalization agreement, or the employer registers with Spanish social security. Freelancers generally register as autónomos (self-employed) in Spain and pay monthly contributions.
- The same clean FBI record and health insurance rules apply as for other residence permits.
Consulate or inside Spain
You can apply at a consulate in the US for a visa valid for up to one year, or enter as a tourist and apply from inside Spain to the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE), which can grant up to three years. Renewals are for two years at a time. Applying from inside Spain is popular but must happen within your 90 tourist days, so have documents ready before you fly.
Save money
Remote employees on this visa can often opt into Spain's special regime for people who move here to work, usually called the Beckham Law. It taxes Spanish-source employment income at a flat 24% up to €600,000 (about $672,000) for the year you arrive plus five more, and most foreign income is left out. You must elect it within a few months of registering with Spanish social security, and self-employed people generally cannot use it. Get advice before you arrive, because the deadline passes quickly.
The golden visa has ended
For a decade, buying Spanish real estate worth €500,000 (about $560,000) or more got you a residence permit with no requirement to live here. Spain abolished that route by law, citing pressure on housing prices, and it closed to new applicants on April 3, 2025. Existing holders can renew under the old terms, but buying property now gives you no residence right. If an agent is still selling a Spanish golden visa, walk away.
The paperwork after you land
Spanish bureaucracy runs on appointments, stamps and a few acronyms. Here is your first month.
- Register at the town hall. The empadronamiento (registration on the municipal roll, usually called the padrón) proves where you live; bring your lease. You need it for healthcare, schools and renewals.
- Apply for your TIE. Within one month of entering on a long-stay visa, apply for the tarjeta de identidad de extranjero (foreigner identity card) through a cita previa (online appointment) at a Policía Nacional office, for fingerprints, a photo and a small fee.
- Collect the card a few weeks later. Your NIE (foreigner identity number) is printed on it, and you will use it for everything from a phone contract to a gym.
- Register for tax with the Agencia Tributaria once you become tax resident, and with social security if you work.
Watch out
Police appointments in Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga and Alicante can be hard to find, and unofficial resellers have taken advantage of that. Check the official appointment site early in the morning and on different days, and ask a gestor (a licensed administrative agent, a very Spanish profession) or an immigration lawyer if you get stuck. Never pay a stranger for an appointment slot.
Different from home
Spaniards carry a national ID card, and you will be asked for your identity number constantly: at the pharmacy, for a package or to sign up for internet. Until your TIE arrives, your passport and the NIE on your visa do the job.
Renting a home
Rent for a few months before deciding where to settle. The market is tight in the big cities and on the coasts, and sharp rent rises set off large housing protests in 2024 and 2025.
How renting works
- Where to look: the big portals are idealista and Fotocasa, plus local agencies. Many listings are in Spanish only; the Spanish phrases page helps.
- Long-term leases: a lease for your main home (vivienda habitual) can be extended at the tenant's option to five years, or seven if the landlord is a company. After the first six months you can usually leave with 30 days' notice.
- Deposit: the legal fianza (deposit) is one month's rent for an unfurnished home, and extra guarantees on top of that are capped. Under the 2023 housing law, agency fees on residential rentals are paid by the landlord, though some still try to pass them on.
- Mid-term and furnished: many foreigners start with a contrato de temporada (seasonal or temporary lease) for one to 11 months. Regulators have tightened these too, because some landlords used them to dodge long-term rules.
Short-term rentals are being squeezed
If you plan to bounce between vacation rentals, know that the rules are getting stricter. Spain introduced a national registration number for short-term and seasonal rentals in July 2025, but the Supreme Court struck it down in May 2026; what still counts is the regional tourist license, and platforms have removed thousands of unlicensed listings. Barcelona plans not to renew any of its roughly 10,000 tourist-apartment licenses, so they would end by November 2028 (the plan faces legal challenges), and other cities have frozen new ones. That makes a three-month furnished apartment harder to find and more expensive than it used to be. Our where to stay page covers the rules from a visitor's point of view.
Insider tip
Landlords prefer tenants with a Spanish payroll, and an American on a non-lucrative visa has none. Bring proof of income or savings, a reference letter from a previous landlord and your visa. Offering several months of rent in advance can win you a lease, but pay through a traceable method, get every payment in writing and never wire money for a flat you have not seen in person or by live video.
Where Americans settle
Madrid suits people who want a big international city and an easy airport. Barcelona has the beach, with Catalan in schools and daily life. Valencia draws remote workers and retirees with lower rents and a long city beach. The Costa del Sol has the biggest English-speaking communities, and the Canary Islands are warm all year. Seville, Alicante, Bilbao or Santiago de Compostela offer more immersion for less money.
Healthcare and insurance
Spain has good public healthcare and a large private sector. As a non-working resident, you start in the private system, because your visa requires private insurance.
Private insurance
Spanish insurers such as Sanitas, Adeslas, DKV, Asisa and Mapfre sell policies built for visa applications. Premiums depend mostly on age and are far below US prices, though they rise steeply after 65 and pre-existing conditions can be excluded. Buy a policy that states in writing it meets visa requirements.
Paying into the public system
After at least one year of legal residence, non-working residents with no other right to public care can sign a convenio especial (special agreement) with the regional health service. The monthly fee is €60 (about $67) under 65 and €157 (about $176) at 65 or older. It covers primary care, specialists and hospitals with no copays or waiting periods, but you pay the full price of prescriptions. You must be on the padrón, and you apply where you live. For a residence renewal, check whether your region and the immigration office accept it in place of private insurance.
Different from home
Medicare does not cover care in Spain. Many retirees keep Part A, which is usually free, and think hard before dropping Part B: if you move back and enroll later, the late-enrollment penalty is permanent. Pharmacies here (look for the green cross) give a lot of advice and sell some medicines without a prescription that would need one in the US. Our health page covers emergencies, the 112 number and medical care.
Taxes in Spain and the US
Spanish taxes
Spain taxes residents on worldwide income. You become a Spanish tax resident if you spend more than 183 days here in a calendar year, or if Spain is the center of your economic interests.
- Income tax: the IRPF (personal income tax) is progressive, with combined national and regional rates that reach the mid-40s percent or higher on top incomes. Interest, dividends and capital gains are taxed separately, from 19% up to 30% on very large amounts.
- Assets abroad: residents with foreign assets above €50,000 (about $56,000) in a category (accounts, securities, real estate) file an information return, Modelo 720. Its penalties were cut after a 2022 EU court ruling, but the filing remains.
- Wealth tax: set region by region (Madrid and Andalusia have largely neutralized it), plus a national solidarity tax on fortunes above €3 million (about $3.4 million).
The US-Spain tax treaty prevents some double taxation and has specific rules for Social Security, pensions and retirement accounts. Spain does not necessarily respect the tax-free status of a Roth IRA, a 529 plan or an HSA. This is where a cross-border advisor pays for themselves.
US taxes
The US taxes citizens wherever they live, so you keep filing a federal return every year.
- Foreign Earned Income Exclusion: up to $132,900 of earned income for tax year 2026 ($130,000 for 2025). It does not cover pensions, Social Security or investment income.
- Foreign Tax Credit: a credit for Spanish income tax paid, often more useful than the exclusion because Spanish rates tend to be higher.
- FBAR: if your foreign accounts together exceed $10,000 at any point in the year, file FinCEN Form 114. Larger holdings can also trigger Form 8938.
- Self-employment tax: neither the exclusion nor the credit reduces it; only the totalization agreement decides which country's system you pay into.
Watch out
Two traps catch American movers. Spanish and other European investment funds count as PFICs under US tax rules and are punishing to hold, so think twice before buying the funds a Spanish bank recommends. And some US brokerages restrict or close accounts once you give them a foreign address. Sort out where your investments will live before you move.
Banks, driving and daily life
Bank accounts
You will want a Spanish account for rent, utilities and direct debits. Big banks such as CaixaBank, BBVA, Santander and Sabadell open accounts for residents with an NIE, but expect extra US tax forms because of FATCA. Keep a US account and a card with no foreign transaction fees as backup; our money page covers cards and ATMs.
Driving
Visitors can drive on a US license, ideally with an International Driving Permit. Once you are a resident, you can generally use your US license for six months. Spain has no license-exchange agreement covering US licenses, so if you want to keep driving after that you must pass the Spanish theory and practical tests, usually through an autoescuela (driving school), in Spanish or with limited language options. Many Americans in big cities simply rely on trains, metros and the occasional rental. See driving in Spain.
Phones, language and pets
A Spanish phone number helps with bank codes and appointments (see staying connected). In Catalonia, the Basque Country, Galicia or Valencia, learn some of the regional language too; schools teach in it. Bringing a dog or cat? See our pets page.
Long-term residence and citizenship
Five years of continuous legal residence qualifies you for long-term residence, which includes the right to work. Citizenship by residence normally takes 10 years for Americans, plus a language exam and a civics test, and Spain formally asks new citizens to renounce their previous nationality, so get legal advice. The Democratic Memory Law window for grandchildren of Spanish exiles closed on October 22, 2025.
A moving timeline
- Months 9 to 6 before
Decide
Choose your visa route and visit your shortlist in the season you will live there.
- Months 6 to 4
Gather
Book the consulate appointment, order and apostille the FBI check, get insurance quotes and talk to a cross-border tax advisor.
- Months 3 to 1
Apply
Get the medical certificate and translations, buy the insurance and submit. Start any pet paperwork and line up a furnished first home.
- First month in Spain
Register
Padrón, TIE appointment within one month of entry, Spanish SIM and bank account.
- First year
Renew
Track your days and income, file in both countries, and diary the renewal window two months before your permit expires.
For more on Spain's regions before you choose a base, start with Spain's regions, and if you are comparing countries, see our guide to long stays in Italy.
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