A plan we hear often from UAE professionals goes like this: keep a remote job with an overseas company, move to Valencia, and apply for the Non-Lucrative Visa. That is the wrong visa. The Non-Lucrative Visa does not allow work of any kind, and Spain’s own guidance says so in plain language. If you are weighing Spain from the UAE, the first decision is which of these two visas matches how you earn.
At a glance
- The Non-Lucrative Visa is for living in Spain without any paid work or professional activity. It does not authorise work, including remote work for a foreign employer.
- The Digital Nomad Visa is for people who work remotely for companies based outside Spain, using only computer, telematic or telecommunications means.
- Financial means are measured differently: 400 per cent of the IPREM for the Non-Lucrative Visa, 200 per cent of the Spanish minimum wage (SMI) for the Digital Nomad Visa. Both are monthly figures.
- The Digital Nomad Visa needs a recognised degree or postgraduate qualification, or at least three years of professional experience. Income must be shown gross, before tax or social-security deductions.
- Spain’s general immigration regulation was replaced by Real Decreto 1155/2024 with effect from 20 May 2025. The percentage thresholds above were not changed by it.
Two visas, one question: will you work?
We see the same mix-up every week in our Dubai office. Someone with a good remote salary assumes the Non-Lucrative Visa is a quiet back door.
The sorting rule is simple. If you will earn nothing in Spain and can live on what you already have, look at the Non-Lucrative Visa. If you will keep working for a company outside Spain from your laptop, look at the Digital Nomad Visa. The ministry FAQ for international teleworkers confirms the non-lucrative authorisation does not permit work, so it cannot be used to claim you were already working remotely. Working without authorisation is a sanctionable offence.
The Non-Lucrative Visa: residence without work
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes it as a visa to reside in Spain without carrying out any paid activity, employed or professional, provided you have assured and sufficient means of subsistence. The same page states that the visa does not authorise work.
This suits a reader in the UAE whose income arrives without a desk: someone who sold a business in Abu Dhabi, or a couple living on property rent and savings. Our page on the Spain Non-Lucrative Visa covers the route in more depth.
Financial means
Both the consular page and the Ministry of Inclusion’s procedural sheet for the initial non-lucrative residence authorisation set the same minimum: 400 per cent of the IPREM, Spain’s public income indicator, monthly for the applicant, plus 100 per cent for each dependent family member.
The official pages do not publish the euro value of the IPREM on the visa page, so we do not quote one here. We work from the IPREM published for the year you apply.
Validity, family and insurance
The visa is valid for 365 days. Once in Spain, you must apply for the Foreigner Identity Card (the TIE) within one month of entering. Family members who can apply alongside you include your spouse, registered partner or duly proven stable partner, and unmarried minor children of either of you. Adult dependent children with a disability are also covered on the same page.
Health insurance is stricter than many UAE residents expect. The policy must cover all the risks covered by Spain’s public health system and come from an insurer authorised in Spain. A travel policy or a partial reimbursement plan will not do.
The Digital Nomad Visa: work for the world from Spain
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs defines this visa as being for foreigners who want to carry out a job or professional activity at a distance for companies located outside Spain, using exclusively computer, telematic or telecommunications means. Its legal basis is Article 74 bis of Ley 14/2013, the law on support for entrepreneurs and their internationalisation, and applications are handled by the Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE-CE).
Think of the Dubai software engineer employed by a Berlin company, or the Abu Dhabi consultant who invoices clients in London and Riyadh from her laptop.
Who qualifies
You need a degree or postgraduate qualification from a university, vocational training centre or business school of recognised prestige, or alternatively proof of at least three years of professional experience. The experience route has to be proven, not asserted.
Work rules: employee versus self-employed
If you are an employee, you may only work for companies located outside Spain. If you are self-employed (autónomo), you may also work for companies located in Spain, provided that Spanish-client work does not exceed 20 per cent of your total professional activity.
If most of your work would be for Spanish companies, this is not your visa, and the Spain Entrepreneur Visa may be the more honest conversation.
Financial means
The teleworker must show monthly income of 200 per cent of the Spanish minimum wage, the SMI. For family, the threshold is at least 75 per cent of the SMI for the first reunified family member and 25 per cent of the SMI for each additional member. Again, the official page states only the percentage, not a euro figure, so neither do we.
One nuance from the ministry’s documentation guide catches people out: the required amounts are gross, before any tax or social-security withholding. If your contract only shows the net figure, we establish the gross equivalent with you first.
Validity
The visa is valid for one year, or for the same period as the residence authorisation granted if that is shorter. Unlike the Non-Lucrative Visa, the Digital Nomad Visa itself accredits your residence in Spain during its validity, so a separate Foreigner Identity Card is not needed for that period.
Side by side
| Visa | Who it is for | Financial means (as stated officially) | Work allowed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Lucrative Visa | People with assured, sufficient means who will not carry out any paid or professional activity in Spain | 400 per cent of the IPREM for the applicant, plus 100 per cent of the IPREM per dependent family member, monthly | No. The visa does not authorise work, including remote work for a foreign employer |
| Digital Nomad Visa | Remote employees and self-employed professionals working for companies outside Spain by digital means; degree or three years’ experience required | 200 per cent of the SMI for the teleworker; at least 75 per cent of the SMI for the first family member and 25 per cent for each additional one, monthly, gross | Yes. Employees: only for companies outside Spain. Self-employed: also Spanish clients, up to 20 per cent of total activity |
The 2025 rule change: what actually moved
Real Decreto 1155/2024, published in the official gazette on 20 November 2024, replaced the previous general immigration regulation, Real Decreto 557/2011, with effect from 20 May 2025. The non-lucrative residence authorisation is now processed under articles 61 and following of the new regulation.
The Digital Nomad Visa was not part of that recodification. It continues under Ley 14/2013 as amended by the 2022 startup law. The percentage thresholds confirmed on the official pages, 400 per cent of the IPREM and 200 per cent of the SMI, were not altered by the 2025 change.
From the UAE: what this means for you
Decide the visa before you touch a document. For the Non-Lucrative Visa, the file has to show means of subsistence and that you will not work. For the Digital Nomad Visa, it has to show the remote relationship with a company outside Spain, your qualification or three years of experience, and gross income at the required level.
Read your income the Spanish way. A UAE salary certificate that quotes a net monthly amount is not, on its own, the gross figure the Digital Nomad Visa asks for. We go through your contract, salary certificate and bank statements together so the figure you present is the one the rules define.
Insurance shopping starts early. For the Non-Lucrative Visa, the policy must match the coverage of Spain’s public system and come from an insurer authorised in Spain. Your UAE health card does not travel.
Freelancers, map your clients. List every current and likely client and where each company is based. If Spanish companies would exceed 20 per cent of your activity, say so now and we will talk about whether the entrepreneur route fits better.
Ask early about legalisation and translation. Preparing UAE-issued documents for a Spanish file is usually the slowest part of the process.
Scout first if you can. Our guide to the Schengen visa from Dubai covers the short-stay route, and if Spain is one of several options on your list, our countries we serve page shows the other pathways we handle.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my remote job and use the Non-Lucrative Visa?
No. The Non-Lucrative Visa does not authorise any work, and the ministry FAQ for international teleworkers confirms it cannot be used to argue that you were already working remotely. The Digital Nomad Visa is the route to assess.
I am a freelancer with one Spanish client. Does that rule out the Digital Nomad Visa?
Not necessarily. Self-employed applicants may work for companies located in Spain as long as that work does not exceed 20 per cent of their total professional activity. Employees may only work for companies outside Spain.
Do I get the TIE card with each visa?
With the Non-Lucrative Visa, you must apply for the Foreigner Identity Card within one month of entering Spain. With the Digital Nomad Visa, the visa itself accredits your residence during its validity, so a separate card is not needed for that period.
What to do next
If you are earning remotely or living on passive income in the UAE and Spain is on your shortlist, start with a free eligibility assessment. Call our Dubai office on 04 357 7796, or book a 20-minute review through our contact page. We will tell you which of the two visas your circumstances actually match.
We never promise outcomes. Every application is decided by the Spanish authorities on its own facts, and our job is to make sure the facts you present are the right ones, in the right order.
Sources
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation — Consular services, Visado de residencia no lucrativa — accessed 13 Sep 2026
- Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones — Hoja 6, Autorización inicial de residencia temporal no lucrativa — accessed 13 Sep 2026
- Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones — UGE-CE, Preguntas frecuentes: Autorizaciones de Residencia y Trabajo de Teletrabajadores Internacionales — accessed 13 Sep 2026
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation — Consular services, Visado de residencia para teletrabajo (nómada digital) — accessed 13 Sep 2026
- Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones — UGE-CE, Solicitudes iniciales de autorización para teletrabajadores de carácter internacional (documentation guide) — accessed 13 Sep 2026
- Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones — UGE-CE, Teletrabajadores de carácter internacional — accessed 13 Sep 2026
Not sure which route fits you? Book a free eligibility assessment with our Dubai or Abu Dhabi team. No obligation.
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