Latvia → Spain: Digital Nomad Residence Permit

From September 2022 the procedure for issuing and renewing temporary residence permits for Russian citizens changed: work-based grounds — employment, self-employment, commercial activity — generally no longer apply.

Other grounds remain open: family reunification, international protection, humanitarian considerations and a number of procedural cases.

It is best to check your own case directly with the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs — the wording has been amended several times, and a general description does not always cover a specific situation.

No, and this distinction is usually lost in second-hand accounts. For Belarusian citizens the list of grounds is markedly wider, including registration as a sole trader, board and management positions, study and medical treatment.

In other words, a Belarusian freelancer in Latvia usually still has a domestic option that a Russian one does not.

That does not mean the question is settled: deadlines and general requirements affect everyone. But your starting position differs, and in a consultation we work from your actual citizenship rather than the general picture.

A valid residence permit issued by a Schengen state allows you to stay in other participating states for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. That is your window for filing inside Spain.

Filing the application extends your lawful stay in Spain until a decision is issued.

Your specific dates — how long the card still runs, how many Schengen days you have used, when you can realistically file — are what we work through in a consultation.

The Latvian language requirement is addressed to particular categories, not to every permit holder. It relates to the ground on which your status was issued and when you obtained it.

There are exemptions too — by age, and for those educated in an accredited Latvian-language programme.

So a general answer is of limited use here: it depends on your specific ground. Current requirements are published by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.

The criminal record certificate is required from the country where you have lived for the past two years. If that is Latvia, it is a Latvian certificate, not only one from your country of citizenship. Leave time for it and for the apostille.

Then contracts, invoices and three months of bank statements. What matters is less the amount than whether the documents agree with each other.

Check your passport's type and expiry date separately: travel document requirements have changed, and without a valid one you can neither extend your status nor file in another country.

A worker authorised to live in Spain while working remotely for companies based outside Spain. The work must be done entirely through computer, telematic and telecommunication systems.

An adult national of a country outside the EU. Citizens of the European Union, and people covered by EU law, cannot use this route.

Yes. You must prove the professional relationship with a commercial contract that has run for at least three months, and the foreign company must authorise you to work from Spain.

Yes. If you work from Spain, you must register with Spanish Social Security. There are two cases:

• Employee: your company must register with Social Security and affiliate you in the General Regime.
• Self-employed: you must register in the self-employed workers' regime (RETA).

Employees can instead keep their home country's coverage — but only if Spain has a social security agreement with that country, and its administration issues a coverage certificate for teleworkers under that agreement. Only some countries with agreements issue these certificates.

No. In that case you are not a teleworker but a worker transferred between companies (ICT, Intra Company Transfer). That is a separate permit with its own requirements.

• You must be in Spain legally.
• You must have no criminal record in Spain, or in any country you lived in during the 5 years before applying. Provide certificates from your countries of residence for the last 2 years, plus a sworn declaration covering the last 5.
• You must have health cover: public (through Social Security registration) or an equivalent private policy from an insurer authorised to operate in Spain. Travel insurance does not count, nor do policies limited to reimbursement of medical expenses, or with waiting periods or co-payments.
• You must have enough money for yourself and your family members during your period of residence in Spain.

Your work must always be done entirely through computer, telematic and telecommunication systems. Beyond that, two scenarios are possible:

• Employee: you can work only for the company outside Spain that you telework for.
• Freelancer (professional relationship): you can also work for companies in Spain, if you keep the professional relationship your authorisation is based on. The Spanish work must stay a professional relationship (never employment) and must not exceed 20% of your total professional activity.

Up to six months per calendar year. Stay within that limit and you keep meeting the requirements of the authorisation.

Yes. These family members can apply — together with you, or later:

• your spouse or unmarried partner
• your children — minors, or dependent adult children who have not formed their own family unit
• your dependent parents

Yes. Under the fourth additional provision of Law 14/2013, their residence permits allow both living and working in Spain — employed or self-employed.

You must prove enough money for yourself and your family members:

• Main applicant: 200% of the monthly minimum interprofessional wage (SMI)
• First family member: add at least 75% of the SMI
• Each further family member: add another 25% of the SMI

You can prove these amounts with contracts, payslips, company certificates and similar documents.

This is a normal part of the process: UGE issues a requerimiento (subsanación) when something is missing or needs clarifying. Under Ley 39/2015 (art. 68) you must respond within 10 working days of the notification date. On a justified request the deadline can be extended by up to 5 more days. If you do not respond in time, the application counts as withdrawn (desistido) and you have to file again. We handle the response end to end: we work out exactly what UGE is asking for and put together the correct documents on time.

Yes. You can appeal a refusal (resolución denegatoria) by filing a recurso, generally within 1 month of the notification date. In practice it is often more effective to fix the reason for the refusal and reapply. We review the wording of the refusal, assess your chances, and handle either the appeal or a fresh application.

There are two routes:

• From Spain (through UGE): you enter Spain legally and apply online. The residence permit is granted for up to 3 years (or the length of your contract if shorter), with a legal decision deadline of 20 working days.
• Through a consulate: you apply at the Spanish consulate in your place of residence, get a national D visa valid for 1 year, and then arrange your residence permit once you're in Spain.

For most people, the UGE route from Spain is faster and more convenient. We'll help you choose the route that fits your situation.

Once you're approved, complete these steps in Spain:

• TIE (residence card): book a fingerprint appointment (huellas) at the police station — a separate appointment for each family member — then collect the plastic card 3–5 weeks later.
• Padrón (empadronamiento): register your address at the local town hall (ayuntamiento). You need the padrón for the TIE, healthcare, schools, and opening a bank account.
• Certificado digital / Cl@ve: a digital signature for handling things online — taxes, RETA, appointments with government offices. This is especially important if you're registering as autónomo.

We'll walk you through the right order and recommend trusted providers, so you get through each step without mistakes.

Yes, if you're an employee (not self-employed). UGE needs proof that your home country's social security still covers you while you work remotely from Spain — an ordinary private insurance policy does not replace it. The document depends on where your employer is based:

• A1 certificate — EU, EEA, Switzerland or the UK
• Certificate of Coverage — USA, under the US–Spain Totalization Agreement
• Your home country's social security certificate — countries with a bilateral agreement with Spain

In every case the wording must state that you work remotely from Spain. We help you get the right certificate with the correct wording.

As soon as possible — and no later than 45–60 days after your residence permit is approved. This matters: if you're on the self-employment (autónomo) track and do not register with RETA in time, UGE may raise questions at renewal. Register right after approval. If there have been delays, get in touch with us before filing your renewal.