Spain Golden Visa
Living by the sea and travelling across Europe without visas
Download the guide Calculate the cost€500,000+ Investment amount
5+ months Obtaining period
5 years Return of investment
The Spain Golden Visa Program was launched in 2013 to encourage wealthy foreigners to invest in local real estate, create jobs and purchase securities.
Golden Visa applicants choose between six investment options. They can buy property, government bonds or shares of Spanish companies, deposit money in a Spanish bank, or invest in a business or units of investment funds. The minimum investment is €500,000.
Investors don’t have to take language and cultural exams. Besides, they are not required to live in Spain, and the law allows them to rent out the investment property.
The Golden Visa holder can return the investments after living in Spain for five years and obtaining permanent residence. A permanent resident can apply for citizenship after another five years of living in the country. However, there is a condition to give up the first passport.
Benefits of the Spain Golden Visa
Visa-free travel to the Schengen countries
Spanish residents visit other Schengen countries without visas and spend up to 90 days every six months there.
Residence permits for the whole family
The spouse, unmarried dependent children and dependent parents can get Spain’s residence permits under the Golden Visa program with the investor.
No requirements for language proficiency, education or business experience
Golden Visa applicants don’t have to prove their Spanish proficiency at any level, provide diplomas or demonstrate their business experience to invest and get Golden Visas.
Moving to Spain and creating a “safe haven”
A residence permit allows you to visit Spain anytime, even if the borders are closed to tourists.
No residing requirements for Golden Visa holders
The investor and their family members are not obligated to reside in Spain before or after obtaining Spain residency by investment. The investor must visit the country only to extend the residence permit.
Access to European education and healthcare
Investor’s children get the right to study at Spanish schools and universities, both private and public. The whole family can receive quality medical services in the clinics of the Schengen countries.
Working and doing business in Spain
Investors and their family members can obtain work permits in Spain. Entrepreneurs get the right to transfer their businesses to Spain or create new companies.
EU citizenship in 10 years
An investor can obtain permanent residence after five years of living in Spain. In five more years, they can apply for Spain citizenship.
Get maximum information about the process
- Step-by-step procedure
- Requirements for applicants
- Required documents
- Answers to frequently asked questions
PDF, 36 pages, 12 MB
Who can get a Spain Golden Visa
Investor with a legal income
- Over 18
- Investment money is earned outside of Spain
- No criminal record
- No debt in Spain
- Health insurance
Spouse
In an officially registered marriage or unregistered partnership, including same-sex couples
Children under 18
Children over 18
- No age limit
- Unmarried
- No children
- Financially dependent on the investor or in the investor’s custody due to mental or physical characteristics
Parents
- Financially dependent on any of the spouses
- No age limit
Investment options for the Spain Golden Visa
Spain offers investors six options to choose from. Buying a property requires the least investment amount.
Applicants for Spain residence by investment must confirm their financial solvency. They transfer to a Spanish bank account the sum that exceeds the annual minimum wage at least four times. In 2023, the minimum wage in Spain is €600 per month, or €7,200 per year; therefore, an applicant must transfer at least €28,800 to their Spanish bank account. Approximately €7,000 must be added for each dependent.
1 option
Real estate purchase
€500,000+An investor buys residential or commercial property in Spain. If they include family members in the application, the investment amount will not increase.
A property can be owned by the investor or the company, where the investor is a controlling shareholder and owns most of the shares. If the applicant buys commercial premises on behalf of the company, they can get a tax deduction and return the paid VAT of 21%.
The investor can purchase one or several properties for a total value of €500,000. The law does not have the rule to invest the entire amount in one property. The investor can rent out the real estate and sell it after obtaining permanent residence.
Property buyers pay a transfer tax and associated fees, including the following:
- for residential properties in new buildings: 10% of the transaction amount is VAT, and 1.5% is stamp duty;
- for residential resale properties: 6 to 10% of the cadastral property value;
- for commercial premises: up to 25% of the transaction amount.
| Expenses | Investor | Married couple | Family of three or more people |
| Purchase of a property in a new building | €500,000+ | €500,000+ | €500,000+ |
| VAT | €50,000+ | €50,000+ | €50,000+ |
| Stamp duty | €7,500+ | €7,500+ | €7,500+ |
| Notary fee | €600+ | €600+ | €600+ |
| Registration fee | €400+ | €400+ | €400+ |
| Health insurance | €1,000+ | €2,000+ | €3,000+ |
2 option
Opening a deposit in a Spanish bank
€1,000,000+3 option
Purchase of shares of Spanish companies
€1,000,000+4 option
Purchase of units in investment funds
€1,000,000+5 option
Purchase of government bonds
€2,000,000+6 option
Business investments
The law doesn’t establish the minimum investment
How to obtain permanent residence and Spain citizenship
There is no way to obtain Spain citizenship by investment. An investor can become a Spanish citizen by naturalisation: get a residence permit by investment, move to the country, get permanent residence in a few years, and only then apply for citizenship.
To obtain permanent residence, you must permanently live in the country for at least 5 years. You cannot spend more than 10 months outside Spain during these five years. It is not recommended to frequently travel outside the country and leave Spain for more than three consecutive months.
An applicant for permanent residency confirms financial solvency, housing in Spain, and health insurance. When deciding on the application, the investor’s law-abiding nature and the degree of their integration into Spanish society are considered. It is also checked whether the applicant filed tax returns yearly and paid taxes in full.
Permanent residence is valid for life. The permanent resident card is renewed every five years.
To obtain Spain citizenship, adult applicants must live in the country with residence permits or permanent residence cards for at least 10 years. They also pass two exams:
- DELE to confirm proficiency in Spanish at the A2 level or higher;
- CCSE to prove their knowledge of Spanish cultural and legal life.
Spain forbids its citizens from having several citizenships at once, so you will have to give up your first citizenship. The exceptions are made for citizens of three European countries — France, Portugal and Andorra — and several Latin American countries, where Spanish is recognised as the official language.
Minor children of Spanish citizens are automatically entitled to Spain citizenship. Children are exempted from taking exams.
A child can get Spain citizenship at birth if at least one of their parents is a Spanish citizen. The place of birth does not matter.
If the parents change their citizenship to Spanish, their child can become a Spanish citizen within two years. The period of the child’s residence in Spain does not matter.
Children born in Spain do not automatically get citizenship by right of soil. They can become Spanish citizens after a year of living in the country with a residence permit. Thus, at least one child’s parent must also have a residence permit.
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Differences between the Golden Visa and a residence permit for financially independent people
Residence permits for financially independent people are available to those who receive passive remote income and have housing in Spain. The housing can be owned or rented for at least a year.
The applicant must confirm financial solvency to get a residence permit for a year. The applicant's account in a Spanish bank must have at least €28,800. An additional €7,000 is required for each family member.
| Criteria | Residence permit by investment | Residence permit for a financially independent person |
|---|---|---|
| Mandatory residing in Spain | Not required | 183 days a year |
| Eligibility to work in Spain | Yes | No |
| Requirements to obtain a national D visa | No | Yes |
| Validity of the residence permit | 3 years, then 5 years | 1 year |
Individual
cost calculation
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Step-by-step procedure for obtaining the Spain Golden Visa by purchasing real estate
1 day
Preliminary Due Diligence 
1 day
Preliminary Due Diligence
A certified Anti Money Laundering Officer performs a preliminary Due Diligence check. It is a mandatory step: Immigrant Invest doesn’t sign an agreement with the investor until we get Due Diligence results. The check allows us to identify potential issues and reduce the rejection risk to 1%.
The results are confidential; Immigrant Invest lawyers use them only to assist the investor in getting an application approval. The investor provides only their passport to pass the preliminary Due Diligence.
Evaluate your chancesEvaluate your chances of passing Due Diligence
Pass a quick test and learn the nuances that can prevent you from obtaining a second citizenship
1 to 4 months
Buying real estate 
1 to 4 months
Buying real estate
Real estate specialists help the investor find a suitable property. The investor either comes to Spain to examine the property in person or chooses it remotely with photo and video reports from the site.
In Spain, a lawyer acts on the investor’s behalf. Thus, the first step is to sign a power of attorney. It can be signed remotely, certified, apostilled and sent to Spain.
The lawyer receives an individual taxpayer number for the investor, checks the transaction terms and prepares the documents. The investor or the lawyer signs a sale and purchase agreement. After the signing, the lawyer will submit the agreement to the Land Registry and receive an ownership certificate.
3 to 5 weeks
Preparation of documents and application 
3 to 5 weeks
Preparation of documents and application
Documents are prepared at the same time as the investor purchases real estate. The investor gets health insurance and provides Immigrant Invest lawyers with copies of their passports, marriage and birth certificates, and photos. Lawyers fill out government forms, translate documents, certify copies, and help pay fees and taxes.
According to the program terms, the investor must be in Spain when applying for a Golden Visa. You can enter the country with a Schengen visa. The application is submitted online; the lawyers do that on the investor’s behalf.
After applying, the investor and their family members submit their fingerprints at a police station. The lawyers accompany the procedure.
Up to 20 days
Getting residence permit cards 
Up to 20 days
Getting residence permit cards
An application for a residence permit in Spain is processed within 20 days. The investor collects residence permit cards personally in Spain. The lawyers accompany the investor to a police station to receive the cards.
After 3 years, then after 5 years
Renewal of a residence permit 
After 3 years, then after 5 years
Renewal of a residence permit
The first Spain residence permit card is valid for three years. After its expiration, the investor can extend the status for another five years. The renewal procedure takes place in Spain.
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Required documents to apply for a Spain Golden Visa
An investor must submit a package of documents alongside the Spain Golden Visa application. The essentials include the following:
- A valid passport issued within the last ten years.
- A certificate of no criminal record from the countries where the applicant has lived in the past five years. Each family member over 18 must submit the document.
- Health insurance from a company licensed for working in Spain.
- Proof of investment: for example, a certificate from the Land Registry if an applicant has bought a property.
- Documents provided that the applicant has a sufficient income and a stable financial position.
- Documents that prove kinship and financial dependence of family members on the investor, if applicable.
Personal documents must be translated into Spanish by a translator licensed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. All copies must be notarised and apostilled.
Also, applicants must submit filled-out government forms and passport-sized photos. Additional documents may be required.
Why can you trust us?
Immigrant Invest is an accredited agent working only with state-approved EU and Caribbean investment programs under government licences.
We have been operating since 2006 and know everything about the investment migration industry: Due Diligence features in different countries, how to purchase an investment property and when you need an affidavit for application.
Immigrant Invest has an in-house Compliance Department. Its Anti Money Laundering Officers run a background check for every investor who contacts us. This check allows us to identify “red flags” in advance and reduce the rejection risk to 1%.
Schedule a meeting
Let’s discuss the details
Schedule a meeting at one of the offices or online. A lawyer will analyze the situation, calculate the cost and help you find a solution based on your goals.
Department
Answers to frequently asked questions
Who qualifies for a Golden Visa in Spain?
Adult non-EU citizens with legal income may apply for the Spain Golden Visa. They can include family members in the application: spouses, children and parents.
How much do I need to invest in getting a Spain Golden Visa?
The minimum investment amount is €500,000. With this amount, you can buy residential or commercial property in Spain.
You need to invest at least €1,000,000 in purchasing shares of Spanish companies or investment fund units. To get a Golden Visa for buying government bonds, you must invest twice as much — €2,000,000.
An investor can open a deposit account in a Spanish bank and transfer at least €1,000,000.
The law doesn’t establish the minimum investment in a business. At the same time, the investor’s business should create jobs and contribute to the region’s social, economic, scientific, and technological development.
Can you get residency in Spain if you buy a property?
Yes, you must buy one or several properties with a total value of €500,000 to qualify for the Golden Visa, which is a residence permit for investors.
Is it possible to return the investment?
The investor can return the money after obtaining permanent residence. To become a permanent resident, you must live in the country for over than five years.
The investment cannot be returned if the investor does not plan to move to Spain but wants to maintain the residence permit status.
Do I need to go to Spain to get a residence permit?
Yes, you do. Personal presence is required for fingerprinting and collecting residence permit cards.
How long can you stay in Spain with the Golden Visa?
You may stay in Spain while your residence permit is valid. However, Golden Visa holders mustn’t relocate to the country to retain residency status.
Can you live in Spain with a Golden Visa?
Yes, you can live in Spain for as long as your Golden Visa is valid. The first Golden Visa is issued for three years and can be extended for another five years.
How long does the Spanish Golden Visa residence permit last?
The first Spain residence permit is issued for three years, and the following ones are valid for five years.
Should I pay taxes in Spain with a Golden Visa?
You must pay taxes when purchasing investment real estate. Property buyers pay a transfer tax and associated fees, like stamp duty.
After getting a Golden Visa, you will have to pay taxes in Spain only if you become the country’s tax resident, start receiving income from Spanish sources, or run a business there.
How can an investor obtain Spanish citizenship?
To become a Spanish citizen, you must live in the country for more than 10 years as a resident and pass two exams to prove your knowledge of the Spanish language and the country’s cultural and legal life. In addition, you will have to give up your first citizenship.
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Schedule a meeting
Let’s discuss the details
Schedule a meeting at one of the offices or online. A lawyer will analyze the situation, calculate the cost and help you find a solution based on your goals.
Zlata Erlach, Caribbean Investment Program Expert