Applying for the Spanish Digital Nomad Visa as a Freelancer or Independent Contractor

Requirements and necessary documents to provide in your application:

1. Existing professional relationship with foreign clients

The relationship with your client(s) must have existed for at least three months before the application is submitted. You must demonstrate that you work for clients that are companies (not people) located outside Spain.

Documents needed:

• At least 3 months old service agreements / contracts

• Client letters confirming you can work abroad, including working from Spain.

• Invoices from you to your client

• Proof of payments received: the payments have to be trackable, so cash payments do not count. You have to provide bank statements for the last 3 months before the application and the name of the company paying you has to be visible in them.

2. Professional qualification

You must prove either:

Option A

• CV

• A university degree, master's degree or equivalent qualification. This has to be apostilled and sworn translated

• OR

Option B

• CV

• At least three years of professional experience in your field. It is not enough to show your CV, which is a mandatory document anyway. You need to prove this by getting your employment history from the Social Security authority or equivalent in your country of origin, and this document has to be apostilled and sworn translated.

3. Minimum Income Requirement

You must demonstrate sufficient gross income to support yourself in Spain.

The exact threshold changes annually and depends on whether family members are included in your application.

In 2026, these are the minimum income requirements:

Just the main applicant: 2.849€ a month or 34.188€ a year.

Main applicant + one family member: 3.917€ a month or 47.004€ a year

Main applicant + 2 family members: 4.274€ a month or 51.288€ a year

Main applicant + 3 family members: 4.630€ a month or 55.560€ a year

Main applicant + 4 family members: 4.986€ a month or 59.832€ a year 

Main applicant + 5 family members: 5.342€ a month or 64.104€ a year

If you do not earn enough but have savings, you could be able to apply too, but we need to assess your situation specifically - you can book a consultation at the end of this page.

4. Social Security coverage

As a self-employed person, this means you will submit a pledge letter saying you will register as autónomo in Spain after your Digital Nomad Visa is approved. 

Once approved, you will be required to register as autónomo in Spain and pay Spanish Social Security contributions in order to keep meeting the DNV requirements, not get your visa extinct and be able to renew your DNV when the time comes.

5. Proof of Self-Employment

This is a new requirement as of April 2026. 

You must provide official evidence of at least three years of professional experience. The easiest document to prove this is a certificate of registration as self-employed, but depending on your country, this may include Social Security records, employment history reports, tax records, employer letters or other official documents accepted by the Spanish authorities.

In countries where such a registry does not exist, this situation may be justified by providing one of the following documents:

•⁠ ⁠Certificate of registration in the tax registry

•⁠ ⁠Proof of registration under the self-employed tax regime or similar

•⁠ ⁠Certificate of affiliation to the social security system for self-employed individuals

•⁠ ⁠Business licence or municipal permit authorising the economic activity

•⁠ ⁠Registration with a chamber of commerce or equivalent body

•⁠ ⁠Annual tax return showing the independent activity

•⁠ ⁠Proof of tax payments (VAT, income tax, GST, etc.)

•⁠ ⁠Certificate of registration in the census of economic activities

Does anything change if I come with my partner or with my family?

Yes, just a bit.

The minimum income required for applicants coming with family member changes as you can read above.

Only the main applicant's income and savings are taken into account when assessing whether the financial requirements are met. You have to meet the income requirements counting only with your own money.

Your spouse or partner does not need to meet any income requirements. They have to meet just two requirements:

• having a clean criminal record

• being married or in a civil partnership with the main applicant. This document will have to be apostilled and sworn translated.

For children, you only need their birth certificates, apostilled and sworn translated.

If you are separated and coming to Spain with a child, you will also need the permission of the parent who is not going to live in Spain with you.

What Documents Need to Be Apostilled?

Any document issued by a foreign public authority (i.e. a non-Spanish official document) must be apostilled or legalized before it can be used in a Spanish legal process.

Whether a document requires an apostille or consular legalization depends on the country that issued the document, not on Spain. The Spanish immigration authorities, including the UGE (Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit, the authority responsible for Digital Nomad Visa applications), simply need to see that the document has been properly legalized in order to accept it as valid evidence during the application process.

An apostille is simpler form of legalization used by countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention. If the country that issued your document is not part of the Convention, the document will need to go through a consularlegalization process instead.

You can find the list of countries that are part of the Hague Apostille Convention here with a quick Google search.

The following documents are commonly used in Digital Nomad Visa applications and all require an apostille or legalization. Please note that this does not mean you will need all of them, as the required documents depend on your individual circumstances. This is just a general list of the most commonly used documents:

• Certificate of registration as a self-employed professional

• Certificate of registration of your client's company

• Certificate of Coverage for Social Security (if applicable)

• Tax returns (if applicable)

• Marriage certificate

• Children's birth certificates

• Employment history records

• Bachelor's degree, Master's degree or equivalent qualification

• Criminal record certificate

Bank statements do not need to be apostilled or legalized. However, the UGE frequently requires them to be stamped by the bank and/or notarized.

What Documents Need to Be Sworn Translated into Spanish?

Most documents submitted as part of a Digital Nomad Visa application must be in Spanish, although not all of them require a sworn translation.

A sworn translation is an official translation completed by a translator accredited by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC). The translation is signed, stamped and legally valid for use before Spanish public authorities.

Please note that just a certified translation is not the same as a sworn translation. For Spanish immigration purposes, the translator must be officially recognized by the MAEC.

As a general rule, any document that requires an apostille or legalization will also require a sworn translation into Spanish. In addition, employment or service contracts do not require an apostille but they do require a sworn translation.

For example:

• Arabic documents require an Arabic-to-Spanish sworn translation.

• English documents require an English-to-Spanish sworn translation.

• Turkish documents require a French-to-Spanish sworn translation.

And so on for any other language.

What About Taxes?

Tax residency and taxation depend on your personal circumstances, length of stay and business structure.

We always recommend obtaining personalised tax advice before relocating and we can recommend you different tax specialists that we trust. We handle the immigration part of your move.

Tax planning should ideally be reviewed before moving to Spain, as the most suitable structure will depend on your nationality, business setup, expected income and long-term plans.

How does working with Groovy Relocation work?

When you work with us, we guide you through the entire Digital Nomad Visa process from start to finish.

✓ Assess your eligibility during a welcome call

✓ Provide personalized guidance on the documents required for your specific situation

✓ Review your documentation before submission

✓ Help prepare supporting evidence and provide templates for the required letters and documents

✓ Coordinate sworn translations (paid directly to the translator)

✓ Prepare and submit your application, including completing all required forms

✓ Handle any requests for additional documentation from the Spanish authorities

✓ Support you until a final decision is issued

Our Fees

We've been successfully handling Digital Nomad Visa applications since the visa was first introduced in April 2023, achieving an approval rate of approximately 98% across applicants from all over the world, regardless of their nationality.

Our fees are:

• 1374€ for the main applicant

• 600€ for each accompanying family member

These prices include VAT and the administrative application fee (73.26€ per application), which we will pay on your behalf when submitting your application.

Payment Terms

Payment is divided into two installments:

• 50% + the application fee when you start working with us

• 50% after the application has been submitted

We continue working on your case until a final decision is issued by the Spanish administration.

What Happens After You Sign Up?

As soon as we receive the first payment, you will receive:

✓ Access to your secure document upload folder. You do not need to wait until all your documents are ready before uploading them. We encourage clients to upload documents as they obtain them so we can review everything progressively and identify any issues early in the process.

✓ A personalised checklist of the documents required for your application

✓ Detailed document preparation guidelines

✓ Templates and drafts for client letters, contracts, invoices and other supporting documents where applicable

✓ Direct access to our team by email and WhatsApp throughout the entire process

Still Have Questions?

Every Digital Nomad Visa application is different.

Browse our FAQ section and blog for more information. If you still cannot find the answer you are looking for, feel free to contact us or book a consultation. We're always happy to help!