Moving to Spain from the UK in 2026: The Remote Worker's Route

For holidays and short trips, no: you can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area. To live in Spain — even if you own a home there — you need a residence status. Time on a residence permit doesn't count towards the 90 days. How to count your days, and what changed with the EU's Entry/Exit System in 2026, is explained in the 90-day rule.

People who were already living in Spain before 1 January 2021 have their own residence documents (the old green certificate or a TIE); this page is for people moving now.

• You work remotely for an employer or clients outside Spain → the digital nomad permit. This page follows that route.
• You're retiring or will live on savings or a pension without working → the non-lucrative visa, applied for at the Spanish consulate before you move.
• You have a job offer from a Spanish employer, are going to study, or are joining family → a work, student or family visa, each with its own rules.

In short, you need to work remotely for companies outside Spain, earn at least about €2,850 a month in 2026 (more with family), have worked with your employer or clients for at least three months, and hold a degree or three years of experience. The full requirements are in our digital nomad visa guide.

Then you choose where to apply:

• From inside Spain, within your 90 visa-free days: one application to the UGE, a residence permit for up to three years. This is how we file all our applications.
• Through the Spanish consulate in London (via the BLS visa centre): a visa for up to one year, then a second application in Spain for the permit.

The trade-offs are in Apply from inside Spain or through a consulate.

This is the part that's specific to the UK. We haven't yet filed applications for British clients, so we've checked this part against official UK and Spanish sources:

• Police certificate. The Spanish consulate in London asks for an ACRO police certificate for UK criminal records. Like all criminal record certificates for this permit, it must be recent — the consulate asks for no more than six months old.
• Apostille. UK documents need an apostille from the FCDO Legalisation Office. ACRO certificates can't get an e-Apostille, so they need the paper service, which usually takes up to 25 working days plus postage (£45 per document in 2026). Documents that aren't public records — a degree certificate, for example — must first be certified by a UK solicitor or notary.
• Sworn translation. Documents in English need an official translation into Spanish by a sworn translator, including the apostille.
• Company documents. The consulate asks for your employer's or client's registration certificate from Companies House. In our applications a certificate older than three months raises questions, so order it close to filing.
• Experience. For proof of work experience, the London consulate accepts your UK employment history from gov.uk.
• Social security. If you stay covered by UK National Insurance, the consulate asks for a UK certificate of coverage — form CA3822 for employees or CA3837 for the self-employed.

Bring the paper originals of everything apostilled when you travel to Spain: since September 2026 the UGE sometimes asks to see originals.

1. Order the ACRO certificate and the Companies House certificate.
2. Send them, and any other public documents, for apostille. Allow about five weeks for paper apostilles.
3. Get sworn translations.
4. Collect three months of bank statements with the bank's stamp, your contract or invoices, and your degree or proof of experience.
5. Travel to Spain and apply within your 90 days. From that point, your stay is legal until the decision.

Once your permit is approved:

• Register with Spanish Social Security straight away (as self-employed, if you freelance), unless you're covered by UK National Insurance under a certificate of coverage. A gap between approval and registration comes back at renewal.
• Register your address at the town hall (empadronamiento) and book your fingerprint appointment for your residence card (TIE). Some cities ask for the address registration at the appointment.
• Driving: you can drive on your UK licence for up to six months after becoming resident; apply to exchange it before then.
• Tax: after more than 183 days a year in Spain you're usually a Spanish tax resident. The UK and Spain have a double taxation agreement. See taxes on the digital nomad visa.

1. Arriving before your documents are ready. Your 90 days start on arrival; apostilles alone can take five weeks.
2. Letting your 90 days run out before you apply. The application must be filed while your stay is still legal.
3. Using online bank statements without a stamp. They're a common reason for document requests.
4. Ordering the company certificate too early. Keep it under three months old.
5. Leaving originals at home. The UGE may ask to see them.
6. Delaying social security registration after approval. It causes problems at renewal.
7. Forgetting that income must keep up. The threshold rises with Spain's minimum wage, and renewal checks your Spanish tax returns.