The Spain non-lucrative visa requirements for 2026 come down to three things: proof of at least 28,800 euros a year for one person (2,400 euros a month, plus 7,200 euros for each family member), full private health insurance from an insurer authorized in Spain with no copays or deductibles, and a clean FBI background check with an apostille and a sworn Spanish translation. You apply at the Spanish consulate that covers your US state, you may not work in Spain, and the first permit lasts one year.
That income floor is higher than Portugal's or most of Latin America's, but it buys a lot. Two Social Security checks plus some savings can put a couple in a sunny apartment near the sea in Valencia or Malaga, with tapas bars and good private doctors close by. The figures below are as of November 2026 and come from Spain's own regulation and the consulates' pages, which do differ in places. Check the page for your consulate before you file.
What the non-lucrative visa is, in plain terms
Spain calls it residencia temporal no lucrativa: permission to live in Spain without working. Article 61 of Royal Decree 1155/2024, the immigration regulation in force since May 20, 2025, sets out who qualifies. You need enough money to support yourself, health insurance, no threat to public order or health, and the fee paid.
It was written for people like retirees and the financially independent. There is no minimum age and no investment. You don't have to buy property. In exchange, Spain wants proof that you will never need a Spanish paycheck.
The income requirement: 400% of IPREM
The money test is tied to IPREM, a Spanish index used to set benefits and thresholds. The Spanish consulate in Washington gives the 2026 IPREM as 600 euros a month, or 7,200 euros a year. The main applicant needs 400% of that, and each dependent needs another 100%.
Article 62 of the decree adds the detail most guides skip: the amount is a monthly figure multiplied by the length of the permit you're asking for. So the first year, which is a one-year permit, needs one year of money. A two-year renewal needs two years.
| Household (2026) | Per month | First year | Each 2-year renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single applicant | 2,400 euros | 28,800 euros (about $32,000) | 57,600 euros |
| Couple | 3,000 euros | 36,000 euros (about $40,000) | 72,000 euros |
| Couple plus one dependent child | 3,600 euros | 43,200 euros (about $48,000) | 86,400 euros |
Dollar figures use the Washington consulate's own estimates (about $32,000 for the applicant and about $8,000 per dependent). The exchange rate moves, so leave yourself a cushion. IPREM is also reset by Spain's budget, so recheck it in any new year.
Savings, income or both
Article 62 lets you show either enough funds for the permit period or a regular income source. In practice that means Social Security, a pension, an annuity, dividends or plain savings, alone or combined. The Los Angeles consulate asks retirees for proof of a pension or life annuity, the last three months of bank statements and a copy of your last tax return.
For each account, the Washington consulate wants a bank certificate showing the bank's name and address, the full account details, when it was opened, the balance on December 31 of last year and the average balance for the last 12 months. That certificate needs an official Spanish translation. A big deposit made just before you apply can draw questions, so move money early.
Private health insurance Spain will accept
This is the requirement that catches Americans used to deductibles. The Washington consulate's rules are strict:
- The insurer must be recognized and authorized to operate in Spain.
- The policy must cover everything Spain's public system covers, with unlimited coverage and 100% of medical, hospital and outpatient costs.
- No deductibles, copays or limits. Los Angeles adds no waiting periods.
- It must show start and end dates, last at least one year, and stay in force for your whole stay.
- It must be in Spanish or translated. Travel insurance and insurance cards are not accepted.
Medicare won't help here. Medicare.gov says Medicare usually doesn't cover health care outside the US, and Part D plans don't cover drugs bought abroad. Whether to keep paying for Part B as a backup for trips home is a real decision; our guide to private health insurance for expats in Spain walks through the plans and what drives the price, which rises with age.
The FBI background check and the medical certificate
Every applicant over 18 needs a criminal record check, and this is the slowest piece to assemble. The Washington consulate's rules:
- It must be an FBI check. State or local police checks don't count.
- It must be issued within the six months before you submit.
- It needs a Hague apostille on the check itself, which for an FBI record comes from the US Department of State. An apostille on a notary's signature is refused, and Los Angeles says a local apostille is not valid.
- It needs a sworn Spanish translation. Don't staple it: the consulate treats staple damage as alteration.
- If you lived in another country for more than 180 days in the last five years, you need a record from there too.
The medical certificate is simpler. A physician (not a nurse practitioner or physician assistant) signs a statement that you have no disease that could seriously affect public health under the 2005 International Health Regulations. It must be dated within 90 days of your appointment and carry the doctor's stamp, signature and license number. The consulate's own template needs no translation.
The full document checklist
Bring originals and one copy of each. This list follows the Washington consulate's page as of November 2026; other consulates use nearly the same list.
| Document | Key rule | Translation? |
|---|---|---|
| National visa application | Completed and signed, one recent photo | No |
| Passport | Valid 1+ year, 2 blank pages, issued in the last 10 years | No |
| Proof you live in the consulate's district | Driver's license or state ID | No |
| Form EX-01 and form 790-052 | 790-052 set to initial temporary residence | No |
| Notarized affidavit | Your reasons, length of stay, a promise not to work, a Spanish address for at least 3 months | Check your consulate |
| Bank statements and certificates | 3 months of statements; a certificate per account | Certificates yes |
| Last tax return | Most recent year | No |
| Health insurance policy | Spain-authorized, no copays, 1 year | Yes, or issued in Spanish |
| Medical certificate | Within 90 days, physician-signed | Not on the official template |
| FBI criminal record | Within 6 months, apostilled | Yes, sworn |
| Proof of accommodation (advised) | Lease of 3+ months or a property deed | Check your consulate |
| Marriage certificate (for a spouse) | Proves the relationship | Yes, apostilled |
A sturdy file with labeled pockets keeps each original next to its copy and translation.
Step-by-step timeline, working back from your appointment
The trick is document freshness. The FBI check expires after six months and the medical certificate after 90 days, so you work backward from the date of your consulate appointment. Spain's consulates also won't take a visa file too far ahead of travel; ask yours how early it accepts one.
| When | Step |
|---|---|
| 5 to 6 months before | Request the FBI check, then send it to the US Department of State for the apostille. This is the slow part. |
| 4 to 5 months before | Book the appointment through BLS, the consulate's visa center. Move savings into the accounts you'll show and leave them there. |
| 3 months before | Choose a Spain-authorized health policy dated to start when you arrive. Find a lease or short rental of at least 3 months. |
| 2 to 3 months before | Get bank certificates and the sworn translations. Sign the notarized affidavit. |
| Within 90 days before | Medical certificate from your physician. |
| Appointment day | Submit in person and pay the fees: $140 visa plus $13 residence permit for Americans in 2026, non-refundable. |
| Up to 3 months after | The consulate decides. It can ask for an interview or more papers, which adds time. |
| Within 1 month of approval | Collect the visa (Los Angeles gives one month to pick it up). |
| Within 1 month of arriving | Register at your town hall (the padron) and apply in person for your TIE, the foreigner ID card. |
One difference to watch: Washington says the visa is valid for one year and you must enter Spain within it, while the Los Angeles page, updated February 11, 2026, lists the visa as valid for 90 days. Follow the page for the consulate that covers your state, and book flights soon after approval either way. People in the US on B-1 or B-2 visitor visas can't apply from the US.
Can you work, and what about remote work?
No paid work in Spain. The decree defines this status as living in Spain without work or professional activity. The Washington consulate goes further and asks for a notarized commitment not to do any paid work, on-site or remote. If you still freelance or work for a US employer, this is the wrong visa; talk to an immigration lawyer about Spain's digital nomad route instead. Passive income such as Social Security, pensions, rent from a US property and dividends is the kind of money this visa expects.
Renewal, the 183-day rule and permanent residency
Article 64 of the decree covers renewal, and it is friendlier than the first application in some ways:
- Apply at the immigration office in Spain during the two months before your permit expires. A late filing within three months after expiry is still processed, though it can bring a fine.
- You must have lived in Spain for more than 183 days in the calendar year. This is not a visa for half the year.
- You need enough funds for the two-year renewal (57,600 euros for one person in 2026), and health insurance kept without a gap.
- Each renewal lasts two years.
- The office has three months, and if it doesn't answer in that time the renewal counts as approved. That's the reverse of the first application, where silence from the immigration office means a refusal.
After five years of continuous legal residence, Article 183 lets you apply for long-term residence, which no longer depends on proving income each round. Absences of up to six months at a time, and ten months in total over the five years, don't break the count.
Taxes and Social Security once you live there
Living there more than 183 days in a calendar year also makes you a Spanish tax resident under Article 9 of Spain's income tax law. Meanwhile the IRS still taxes US citizens on worldwide income, with an automatic extension to June 15 for those living abroad. How the two systems share your pension and Social Security is a question for a cross-border tax adviser before you move. Our explainer on US taxes for Americans retiring abroad covers the US filing side in general terms.
Your Social Security keeps coming. USA.gov says people with earned benefits can live in most foreign countries and still be paid; check Spain in SSA's Payments Abroad Screening Tool and answer the questionnaire SSA sends every one to two years, or payments can stop. Our guide on how to collect Social Security abroad covers direct deposit to a foreign bank.
What 2,400 euros a month buys in Spain
The visa floor is a floor, not a budget, but it's a comfortable one in much of Spain. Valencia's Ruzafa and the beach strip at Patacona, Malaga's El Limonar and Pedregalejo, and the old center of Alicante all sit within reach of a single retiree at that level, with fast trains to Madrid and short flights around Europe. For neighborhood-by-neighborhood rents and monthly budgets, see retiring in Valencia, retiring in Malaga and the cost of living in Alicante. Weighing Spain against its neighbor? Our Portugal vs Spain comparison sets the D7 visa beside this one, and the Live Abroad hub has every country we cover.
Is the Spain non-lucrative visa easy to get?
For a retiree with steady income above the floor, a clean record and the right insurance, yes: the rules are clear and there is no investment requirement. Where people stumble is the detail. A state police check instead of an FBI one, an apostille on the wrong signature, a policy with a copay, a medical certificate signed by the wrong kind of clinician, or a lump of savings that appeared last month can each sink a file. If you're refused, the Los Angeles consulate allows a request for reconsideration within one month or a court appeal within two. Many applicants pay a Spanish immigration lawyer to check the file first. That is often money well spent, and this page is general information, not legal advice.