Spain vs Italy: Digital Nomad Visa

Italy launched a Digital Nomad visa in 2024, with stricter requirements than Spain's. Italy asks for ~€28,000+ annual income (~€3,500/month documented), specific health insurance, and employer certification for remote employees. Processing is 30-60 days officially, but it varies by consulate. The programme is also newer than Spain's, which has run since 2022. If you specifically want Italy and meet the higher income threshold, it is a workable route. For most applicants, Spain's lower threshold and statutory deadline make it the easier of the two.

Elective Residence is Italy's traditional 'early retirement' visa: it requires passive income only (pensions, rent, investments, dividends), and you cannot work — not even remotely. Italy's Digital Nomad visa allows active work but sets stricter income requirements. Spain's Digital Nomad route is built around active remote income and also takes passive income into account. If your income is mixed (some salary, some investments), Spain's rules are clearer about what counts.

Spain's Beckham Law offers 24% flat rate for 6 years, but only for digital nomads on the employment path (working for a foreign employer). Self-employed digital nomads use Spain's standard progressive system (up to 47%). Italy has progressive rates (23-43%) but various incentive regimes for new residents. For employed digital nomads, Spain's Beckham is very attractive. For self-employed, compare both countries' progressive systems. Consult tax advisors for your specific situation.

The practical differences matter more than the postcard ones. Spain has more digital nomad infrastructure — coworking spaces and meetups, especially in Barcelona. Italy involves more day-to-day bureaucracy. Cost of living is similar; both are affordable outside the biggest cities. English is more common in Spanish business settings, while daily life in Italy leans harder on Italian. The climates are close.

Yes, but switching means a new application: residence in Spain does not transfer to Italy, or the other way round. If you are unsure, Spain's faster process lets you establish residence quickly and still travel to Italy freely within Schengen. Many people spend a year in one country before choosing a permanent base. Spain's 3-year authorisation gives you that time before the first renewal.

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. Which documents your country issues to prove self-employment, and why the certificate route is for employees only, is set out in proof of self-employment by country.

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. How to count the days and what UGE asks for most often: responding to a UGE requerimiento.

Yes. You can appeal a refusal (resolución denegatoria) with a recurso de alzada within 1 month of the day the decision is served on you (how to count the 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. Which permits UGE decides and how long a decision takes in practice: the UGE page.

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 about 15–20 days later.
• Padrón (empadronamiento): register your address at the local town hall (ayuntamiento). You need the padrón for healthcare, schools, and opening a bank account. For the TIE it depends on the province: in Barcelona, Madrid, and Málaga you don't need it if the address in your application was in the same province where you give your fingerprints and you haven't moved since; otherwise you do.
• 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.