Spain's Digital Nomad Visa: what UK applicants actually need
Spain's Digital Nomad Visa is one of the more clearly defined remote-work routes in Europe, and for UK citizens after Brexit it's a proper legal path to living there while keeping your existing work. It's also widely written about by people selling things, so it's worth going back to what the consulate actually publishes.
Before we start: this article is about the paperwork and the process behind visa medical certificates. It is not medical advice, and nothing here should be used to work out whether you personally have or don't have any condition. If you have a question about your own health, speak to your GP or another qualified clinician.
We write from official sources, including published consulate checklists, government guidance and the legislation itself, and we link to them so you can check for yourself. Those sources change, sometimes without notice, so always confirm the current requirements with the authority handling your application before you pay for anything.
It lets non-EU nationals, including UK citizens, live in Spain while working remotely for foreign employers or running a business with mostly non-Spanish clients.
It's a long-stay national visa, so it grants temporary residence rather than tourist permission. Applied for from the UK, it's generally issued for up to a year initially and is renewable.
The London consulate's published checklist for it does not list a standalone medical certificate. Health insurance is required, and that's a separate thing.
Who it's designed for
Three groups, broadly.
- Remote employees working for a company based outside Spain
- Freelancers whose clients are mainly outside Spain
- Entrepreneurs running a location-independent business
The common thread is that your income comes from outside Spain and you can support yourself without taking work from the Spanish labour market.
What the London consulate asks for
Taken from the consulate's own published checklist rather than a summary of a summary:
- A completed national visa application form
- A valid passport with sufficient validity and blank pages
- Recent passport photographs
- Proof of residence within the consular district
- A criminal record certificate, apostilled
- Evidence you have worked for at least three months for a foreign company, with explicit consent to work remotely from Spain
- Evidence of sufficient financial means from that work
- Health insurance covering everything Spain's public health system covers
- A degree or professional certificate, or documented professional experience
- Payment of the visa fee
- Apostille and sworn translation of foreign documents where applicable
You'll also generally need to apply for an NIE, the foreigner identity number, before the application itself can proceed.
Health insurance is not a medical certificate. These get confused constantly. The insurance is a policy you buy from an insurer authorised to operate in Spain. A medical certificate is a document signed by a doctor. The Digital Nomad checklist asks for the first and doesn't list the second.
We sell medical certificates. We'd still rather you didn't buy one you don't need.
Check this for yourself
The consulate's own checklists are the only source that really counts. Everything else, including this page, is a summary of them.
Consulate General of Spain in London, visa information
exteriores.gob.es
FCDO, getting a document legalised
gov.uk
If you are applying through Manchester or Edinburgh rather than London, check their checklists separately. They are usually the same, but not always.
The tax question nobody mentions early enough
Immigration residency and tax residency are separate concepts governed by different rules, and people conflate them constantly.
Spending more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year can trigger tax residency obligations with the Agencia Tributaria, whatever your visa says. There is a special tax regime that some Digital Nomad Visa holders may qualify for, but eligibility depends on your circumstances and it isn't automatic.
Get tax advice before you relocate. It's the single piece of preparation people most often skip and most often regret.
Questions people ask us
Q Do I need a medical certificate for this visa?
The London consulate's published checklist doesn't list one. Check the current version before ordering anything, and if it isn't there, you don't need it.
Q Can I work for a Spanish company?
Not as an employee. The visa is built around work for companies outside Spain, though a limited share of freelance income from Spanish clients may be permitted. Check the current rules.
Q How long is it valid?
Applied for from the UK, generally up to a year initially. It's renewable, and long-term residence may follow after five years of legal residence.
Q Can my family come?
Generally yes, and the income you need to show rises with each person.
Q What if I'd rather not work at all?
Then the Non-Lucrative Visa is your route, and that one does require a medical certificate.
Where this information comes from. We write these articles from official sources: the published checklists of the consulate or embassy concerned, UK government guidance, and the text of the legislation itself. Where we have relied on a particular source, we link to it so you can read it yourself.
Those sources change, sometimes without notice, and different consulates sometimes apply the same rules differently. Everything above reflects our understanding on the date shown at the top of this page.
This article covers the process and the paperwork only. It is not medical advice, legal advice or immigration advice, and we are not immigration advisers. For anything concerning your own health, speak to your GP or another qualified clinician. For what your own application requires, confirm directly with the authority handling it before you order anything or book travel.
Related reading
Applying for the Non-Lucrative Visa instead?
That route does require a medical certificate. We issue it in the exact wording the London consulate publishes.
Order your certificate